Why are we doing this anyway?

The most basic and blunt answer to this question is so we can do what we want. Plain and simple. There will come a point in your life when you are limited in what you can do physically. Your aim should be to push that point as far down the timeline as you can.

The situations vary. It is not just an enjoyable vacation that we are working towards. It is living a satisfying life. It is also a very basic things that people are losing their abilities to do far too early.

One of the most jarring stories I have heard was told by Jason Khalipa. He told the story of his mom. While watching his daughter, she started to run from the yard toward the street. His mom was not fit enough to stop her. For his mom, this was the moment she realized she had to do something.

There is also an abundance of people that are doing “ok”. We would call them the average person. They look ok. You wouldn’t notice that they are “Unfit” Or “Unhealthy” However, take this person on a hike and their lack of fitness quickly shows. Or maybe they try to play ultimate frisbee with their friends one day and 10 mins in they are sick. Maybe your friend invites you and your new mountain bike out for a trail ride, and after 15 mins, you get nauseous and sweaty. The last two situations happened to me in my late 20s. They were a huge wake-up call.

At Progression, our motto is Community, Fitness, Passion. This is where the passion comes in. It is a simple question. Can you do what you want to do when you want to do it? The passion we are talking about is focused on the physical and health aspects of that question. Most of us have a lot of things we want to do. Being fit enough to do them is important. You can’t volunteer to build houses to help the less fortunate if you are unable to do manual labor. You can’t help your mom with her household tasks as she ages if you are unable to walk a flight of stairs without shortness of breath.

At its most extreme the question is more frightening. Can you protect your family? Can you perform in an emergency situation? If your child is wandering into busy traffic and you are 50 yards away, can you get to them, not only in time, but after you do get to them are you going to be ok, or are you going to need help because of the exertion you just exhibited? How long could you last in a flood hanging on for your life? Getting your kids out of your house during a fire? These are extreme examples. But these are questions worth asking yourself. Be honest with yourself.

The good news is, it can take as little as three months to make the answers to these questions yes. For some people, it will take longer. But for most of us, we can greatly improve our performance or participation in life in as little as 3 months.

Doing what you want on a daily basis for as long as you can is not a sexy motivator or a great meme. But it is the basic truth, and a very good and legitimate reason to put your fitness first.

Joshua J. Grenell