I don't train to live anymore. I train to be able to live.
I would like to live a long time. But To be perfectly clear, it's not the number of years that interests me most. It's what I can do with the years I get. I'm not training primarily to live to be 90 or 100. I'm training so
that, if I get the privilege of living to be 80 or 90, I can still live my life.
Trip.
Carry my own suitcase.
Walk up a flight of stairs without having to stop.
Get me off the floor.
Buy my own food.
Train.
Go for a long walk.
And above all: take care of myself.
For me, that is one of the most important reasons to exercise.
Lifespan and healthspan are not the same thing
In longevity, two concepts are often discussed:
Lifespan – how long we live.
Healthspan – how long we live in good health and function.
The difference is important. Because the goal can hardly be just to add more years to life. We want to add life to the years .
If I live to be 90, I would rather not spend the last 15–20 years with a body that gradually limits what I can do. Of course, none of us can guarantee what the future will be like. Illnesses and accidents can happen to anyone. But We can influence our circumstances. And physical activity plays a huge role in that.
It's about margins
Imagine that it takes a certain amount of strength to get up from a chair without help. By the time you are 40, you may have three or four times the strength required for the task.
You never even think about it. But if you gradually lose muscle mass and strength over several decades, the margin shrinks.
One day it will no longer be obvious.
The same goes for the stairs.
The suitcase.
The grocery bags.
Balance when you slip.
The ability to get up from the floor.
That's why I see muscle and fitness as a kind of retirement savings for the body . I want to put as much as possible into the account while I can. Because I know I'll need to withdraw from it later.
Muscle mass becomes more important not less important with age
There is still a perception that strength training is mainly for young people who want to build muscle and look good.
I would almost like to turn it around.
The older we get, the more important it becomes to try to maintain muscle and strength. With As we age, we tend to lose both. And it's not just about how our arms or legs look.
It's about function.
Strong legs help you climb stairs. A strong body allows you to carry things. Strength and balance can help you deal with situations where you stumble or lose your balance. And sufficient physical capacity helps you remain independent. These are the things I think about when I exercise today.
Fitness is freedom
The same applies to fitness.
It's easy to think of cardio as burning calories. I think that's a much too limited way to look at it. Good fitness means being able to walk through an airport with your carry-on without being completely exhausted.
Being able to walk around a whole day in a new city.
Walking up the hill to the hotel.
Playing with the grandchildren.
Being able to say yes to things because the body can handle them.
It is freedom.
Balance is something we only notice when it's gone.
Then we have balance. When you're younger, you almost never think about it. You walk, run, turn around, and step over things without reflecting on what your body is doing.
But with increasing age, balance can deteriorate, and falls can have significantly greater consequences. That's why I think balance, leg strength, and mobility deserve much more attention when we talk about exercise after 50.
It is not enough to just ask:
How much do you bench press?
We should also ask:
Can you stand on one leg?
Can you get up from the floor?
Can you walk fast?
Can you carry heavy things?
Can you take the stairs?
It is also physical capacity.
I want a body that says yes
This is perhaps the simplest description of my goal.
I want a body that says yes.
Should we go there?
Yes.
Should we take the stairs?
Yes.
Should we travel?
Yes.
Should we carry the bags?
Yes.
Shall we go for a long walk?
Yes.
Should we try something new?
Yes.
I don't want my body to be the first to say no. And that's why training means more to me today than when I was younger.
None of us know how many years we will have.
That is perhaps the most important perspective. We can do everything right and still get sick. We can exercise, eat well, sleep well and still not control everything that happens. Health does not work as a guarantee. But There is also no argument for not doing so.
On the contrary.
I train to give myself better odds .
Better odds of retaining muscle.
Better odds of maintaining fitness.
Better odds of maintaining balance.
Better odds of being able to continue doing what I love.
And better odds of being able to fend for myself for as long as possible.
The goal is not just more years
Longevity has become a buzzword. Supplements. Measurements. Watches. Tests. Biohacking. Some of it is interesting.
But sometimes I think we make it way too complicated. Because some of the most important things are still pretty simple.
Use your body.
Strain the muscles.
Get your pulse up.
Walk.
Practice balance.
Eat well.
Sleeping.
Recover.
And keep doing it.
Week after week.
Year after year.
For me, the goal is not to break a record for the number of birthdays. I don't train just to add more years to my life.
I train to add more life to the years I have. And if one day I stand there at 80 or 90 years old, pick up my own suitcase and head for the gate for my next trip? Then every workout will have been worth it.
All the best, Kennet Båth
