I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to be doing when I’m 90.
And 80. And 70.
I’m 43.5, currently spending about 95% of my time on the couch with a neck that’s causing all kinds of problems, so naturally I’ve started planning my next 50 years. 😆
Seriously, though, this whole experience has me reevaluating what I want the rest of my life to look like. I'm getting much more specific about it, too.
I’ve always wanted to live a REALLY long time. 100+ would be great. Heck, I’ll take 120 if I may.
Now I’m thinking about what I actually want to be ABLE to do during those years. Then working backward to figure out what I can do today to give myself the best shot at that.
For example, at 90, I’d love to be traveling. Walking around unfamiliar cities, carrying my own luggage, getting down on the floor to play with great-grandchildren (maybe / hopefully!), and getting myself back up.
I’d love to still be learning, reading, having interesting conversations, remembering people’s names, and retaining enough quick wit to give my family a hard time.
I’d also like to be able to use the bathroom independently, thankyouverymuch.
The more I think about it, the more I realize how many individual capabilities go into the life I want.
Take travel.
If I want to be traveling at 85, I probably want to be able to walk several miles, navigate uneven sidewalks, climb stairs, lift a suitcase overhead, tolerate long days on my feet, and recover well enough to do it again the next day.
That’s a pretty big physical wish list!
Now backtrack.
What would I need to be capable of at 75 to have a reasonable shot at that? At 65? At 55?
What can I be building at 43?
Okie dokie ... now my strength training, cardiovascular fitness, balance, mobility, bone density, and metabolic health have very specific jobs outside of society's dumb obsession with how small we are or whatever.
I love that.
There’s also a LOT of room for individuality here.
Maybe you want to be gardening at 80. Growing your own vegetables, hauling bags of soil, squatting down to pull weeds and talk to the worms, getting up off the ground without having to call for backup.
Maybe you want to keep playing tennis. Or dancing. Or hiking. Or getting on the floor with your grandkids and letting them climb all over you. Happily living out your assigned nomination of Lava Monster at the playground.
Maybe you want to be able to live independently, maintain your home, and carry your own groceries.
Think about the physical and cognitive demands of those things. A lot of what we consider ordinary activities actually requires a really impressive collection of abilities. Strength. Power. Balance. Coordination. Endurance. Mobility. Memory. Executive function.
The physical capacity you have at 60 can influence how much you have left to work with at 80.
We tend to lose muscle, strength, power, and aerobic capacity as we age. The rate varies enormously, and many of those changes are modifiable.
Sooooo this means building more capacity earlier gives us more to work with later.
I think about this in terms of having a reserve.
If climbing a flight of stairs requires 90% of your physical capacity, it’s going to feel like a major undertaking. If it requires 15%, you’ve got plenty left in the tank.
This is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about building muscle and maintaining metabolic health NOW, rather than waiting until we’re older to start thinking about it. Whatever age your NOW is.
Of course, there’s also the small matter of life having its own ideas. (Hi. Hello. Currently living that one.)
Five+ weeks ago, I was strength training, biking, walking daily, and working on some ambitious mobility goals.
Today, washing my hair is an event I have to plan around.
I’m dealing with significant neurological weakness in my left arm and hand, and there’s still a possibility that I’ll need spinal surgery. Discussed that here though things are different by the day so that update might be outdated when you read it.
I have every intention of doing everything within my control to recover as much function as possible. I’m throwing a LOT at this, from established rehabilitation strategies to some emerging science I’m exploring. (Talked about that here if you like short stories made long)
Still, this experience has already changed the way I think about physical independence.
There are so many little things I used to do without giving them a second thought. Reaching overhead. Carrying something with my left arm. Sitting at my desk. Going for a walk. Using my hand fully.
I miss them.
It’s also made me think about how much I want to protect my ability to do the things I LOVE as I get older.
I want to do the trapeze again. Snowboard more. Lifting (reasonably) heavy things regularly. Move my body in all kinds of ways that feel athletic and fun or adventurous.
I’d love to be doing some version of those things decades from now too!
So, I’ve been asking myself some pretty specific questions lately.
What kind of strength do I want to have at 70?
What kind of cardiovascular capacity would support the life I want at 80?
What can I do now to preserve my cognitive health at 90?
How do I build a body that’s resilient enough to recover from setbacks, knowing that setbacks are part of the deal?
And what do I want my actual DAYS to look like?
That’s the part I want you to think about, too.
Picture yourself at 80. Walk me through a day in your life. Where do you live? What are you doing? Who are you spending time with? Are you traveling? Gardening? Chasing grandkids around? Still playing whatever sport you love?
Get hyper-specific. Down to the things you’d probably take for granted today.
Now think about what you’d need physically, mentally, and metabolically to live that day.
Work backward a decade. Then another.
What could you start doing NOW that would make that future more likely?
Maybe it’s finally committing to resistance training. Getting your blood sugar under better control. Building your aerobic fitness little by little. Eating enough protein. Working on your balance. Prioritizing sleep.
Maybe it’s developing more interests, friendships, and a sense of purpose that you want to carry into those later decades, too.
I’m thinking about all of it.
I have a very long list of things I still want to learn, experience, create, and do. Some of them require a pretty capable body. Others require a sharp brain. But yeah ... most require both.
AND ... I’d really like to be the 90-year-old who’s still making plans for what she’s going to do at 100.
Preferably with all my original marbles.
Stay wild + well,
Tara
P.S. November waitlist for The Metabolic Edge is open and if you're interested in being in a club with women who are as cool as you while we all work on our health, strength, hormones, lab work, and LIFE together, you really need to join us!