Your Future Self Deserves the You Who Chooses Health Today

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

 

When we think about getting older, most of us don’t picture limitations—we picture possibilities. Maybe you imagine hiking a trail you’ve always loved without needing to stop and catch your breath. Maybe you see yourself dancing at a family wedding, laughing and moving with ease. Or perhaps it’s something quieter, like being able to kneel down to garden, carry groceries without strain, or enjoy long days filled with the energy to actually do what you planned. Whatever your personal vision looks like, one thing holds true: it’s your health that will determine whether those moments feel joyful and accessible—or out of reach.

No matter what your vision looks like, it rests on one simple truth: Your body is the vessel that will carry you into those moments.

And how you care for that vessel today will shape the quality of your tomorrow.

It’s so easy to tell ourselves, “This won’t hurt,” or “I’ll get back on track next week.” It’s easy to take frequent “vacations” from healthy habits and hope the long-term impact will be small. But every choice we make—every skipped meal, every late night, every extra hour of sitting, every day we say “not today” to movement—adds up. Not necessarily in a dramatic way, but quietly, slowly, in the background.

And those small choices shape whether our last few decades feel vibrant and joyful…
or whether we’re “dying a little every day,” giving up mobility, strength, and energy that we could have protected.

The good news?
You have more control than you think.
And caring for your health doesn’t require extremes, punishment, or perfection. It requires daily actions—gentle, consistent, doable steps that honor the body you want to live in later.

Science shows that muscle health, in particular, plays a powerful role in healthy aging. When we challenge our muscles—even with low-impact sculpting or simple resistance work—the body responds beautifully. Stronger muscles support our joints, protect our bones, stabilize our balance, boost circulation, and help reduce the chronic inflammation that chips away at long-term wellness.

But this isn’t just about exercise. It’s about the foundational habits that create a body that will serve you in the decades ahead:

  • Daily movement—even 10–20 minutes adds up more than you realize.

  • Staying hydrated—fueling your cells, muscles, and brain.

  • Sleeping well—giving your body the time it needs to repair and reset.

  • Resistance and mobility work—preserving strength, balance, and ease.

  • Community—because support, connection, and accountability keep you going.

These choices are not small. They’re how you gift your future self the ability to live fully—not just survive.

Your health is worth the effort.
Your dreams are worth the consistency.
And you are worth caring for—today, tomorrow, and in every chapter still to come.

So let this be your gentle reminder—and your call to action:
Don’t wait. Start today. Choose the habits that will help you feel good, move freely, and live the life you imagine.

Your future self will thank you with every step, every adventure, every moment of joy you earned by saying, “My health matters.”

YOU got this.

Lisa

Movement Matters: Why Your Daily Activity Trumps Your Workout

by

Experts are shifting their focus on what truly determines long-term health, and the verdict is clear: your overall level of movement throughout the day is the single most important factor—even more critical than your formal, structured workouts.

You can’t “out-exercise” a sedentary lifestyle. Research on the “Active Couch Potato Syndrome” shows that dedicated exercisers are not immune to the diseases of sedentary living if they spend the majority of their day sitting. This is what movement expert Katy Bowman calls the “lazy athlete mentality”—using your workout as a “hall pass” for inactivity the rest of the day. The goal is to dramatically increase all forms of general, everyday activity.

The following four habits are key to breaking this pattern, forming the foundation for energy, focus, and graceful aging:

1. Set the Tone with a Morning Routine

Start your day with movement. Completing an exercise routine first thing in the morning establishes a movement-positive mindset and prevents you from putting it off until the day gets away from you. I like to have enjoy my “coffee” walk which is slowly (so I don’t spill!) on the treadmill, looking out into our yard, giving thanks and listening to praise music or a podcast. For my husband, it’s taking the pup out around the block.

2. Embrace the “Exercise Snack” (Micro Workouts)

The key to maintaining high daily movement is to sprinkle in brief, intense interludes of activity—often referred to as micro workouts or “exercise snacks”. These are short bursts of explosive or powerful activity throughout your busy day.

• Examples: Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, performing squats while waiting for the water to boil, or doing a quick set of push-ups. Now that commercials have wormed their way back into streaming platforms, making a point to move or stretch during commercials offers a great opportunity if you’re watching TV!

• Maximum Efficiency: For a highly efficient, time-crunched option, consider the Tabata method—a structured 4-minute high-intensity workout (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times). I often post many examples of these types of quick, effective routines that can be done at work or home, with or without equipment, on my social media channels. You know how much I love Tabata’s- they were a Life saver for me during my heavy work years. Need inspiration? Check out my Instagram or TikTok for examples: @Hlthchic

3. Find More Opportunities to Walk

Walking is fundamental. Prioritize finding more opportunities to walk every day. Whether it’s parking further away, taking a walking meeting, or simply doing laps around the block, increasing your daily steps is vital for burning more energy and combating “energy toxicity.”

4. Maintain Strength with Structured Workouts

While daily activity is the foundation, properly structured workouts remain wonderful and necessary. Continue to incorporate these sessions to specifically maintain and build strength and muscle mass, contributing to a long, healthy, and energetic life.

Until next time, you got this!