As I started reading and thinking about how to stay fit and healthy in my later years, a thought struck me: this could easily become a full-time job.
And it might kill me. Or at least leave me exhausted and feeling dangerously close to death's door.
I started adding up all the things I was apparently supposed to be doing:
- Lift weights to preserve the muscle and strength I'll need as I age. At least a couple of strength sessions a week, with some legitimately challenging weights.
- Do lots of relatively easy cardio. Much of what I was reading pointed me toward two or three hours of Zone 2 training each week.
- But don't make all the cardio easy. I also needed at least one really intense session—running, cycling, or something equally challenging—to work on my VO₂ max, since cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly associated with longevity.
- Work on balance and movement so I can stay stable and nimble as I age. I interpreted this as at least a couple of yoga or mobility sessions a week.
- Play tennis. I added this because I love tennis, and I was delighted to discover research linking racquet sports—and tennis in particular—to longevity.
This is, to say the least, a lot.
But what if you don't want fitness to be your hobby? Most especially, not your only hobby. What if you just want to remain strong, capable, and healthy enough to live a great life? How little could you get away with?
I've been a bit of a fitness fanatic most of my life. I've tried all of the things listed above. And I know it's not for everyone. But I've also learned a thing or two about the essentials.
If you want to live long and healthy, but not have fitness eat up your whole life, in my humble opinion, here are the three things I would do:
1. Make your social time active time. When you get together with a friend, suggest you go for a walk, a hike, or maybe a bike ride. And don't meander. For at least part of it, make it feel like exercise, not just a stroll.
When my kids were young, I would cycle every Sunday with a good friend. We would do about 30 km out and back. For the 15 km out, we'd focus on getting a workout in. For the 15 km back, we'd ride side by side and chat—kids, work, catching up.
It was a workout that didn't feel like a workout… at least not fully.
2. Do movement every morning. If we're trying to make fitness manageable, I think our habits need to do double and triple duty. Find a spot with plenty of natural morning light and do 15–20 minutes of light stretching or yoga.
I've found that, especially once it becomes a habit, it makes me happy. It doesn't feel like work. And you're doing double duty: getting some movement while sending your body one of the strongest signals for setting its daily clock. It just becomes part of your life—in a great way.
3. Suck it up: twice a week, do something hard. Once, lift heavy things. Once, get seriously out of breath. Notice, I saved this for last.
This will be hard. You may want to get a trainer if you can afford it. It's 30–45 minutes of hard work twice a week…and it's really, really good for you.
A friend of mine—who hates working out—started doing this about a year ago when she was diagnosed with a chronic neurological disease. She doesn't really like doing it. But she does. And her mobility now—a year into fighting this disease—is phenomenal. We actually went out dancing last weekend!
There's a saying in the fitness world: you can do hard things. You can.
This is doable. I would argue—and individual mileage may vary—that it's easily doable.
If you want to kick it up a notch, the evidence supports doing more. Add another strength session. Take a couple of longer walks or bike rides. Play tennis. Swim. Hike. Train for something. The official guidelines recommend more aerobic activity and at least two strength sessions a week.
I do more than these three things myself because I genuinely enjoy fitness.
But that wasn't the question.
The question was: how little could you get away with while still making a serious investment in the body you're going to live in for the next 30 years?
For me, these three habits are a pretty compelling place to start.
And perhaps there's a broader principle here. If we want to thrive for a very long time, our healthy habits need to do double and triple duty. Exercise with a friend. Get some morning light while you move. Make the easy things enjoyable and automatic.
And then, twice a week, suck it up and do something hard.
Fitness should be part of a Thriving life.
It shouldn't become the whole point of it.
