One conversation from our trip has stayed with me.We had just finished one of the hardest hikes of the week, more than 12 miles and just under 4000ft of elevation, through North Cascades National Park. |
|
|
|
| On our way back down, we ran into a gentleman we had passed much earlier that morning.
We stopped to chat for a minute, and he shared that he had visited every national park in the United States. There were just a handful he wanted to experience one more time, and North Cascades was one of them. Curious, I finally asked him how old he was. “Seventy-five.” I smiled and said, “Good for you.” He smiled back and said “Well, I’ll tell you something I’ve learned over the years… Movement is BEST medicine.” Our whole family just smiled back and said, “We couldn’t agree more!” Throughout our trip, I couldn’t help but notice something else. We saw families where some members made it to the summit while others had to wait behind. We saw people who wanted to keep going but simply couldn’t, they would ask us in a sense of desperation as we were coming back down the mountain, “how much longer, or do you think I can make it?” It wasn’t a lack of desire. Their bodies just weren’t able to take them any farther. And it broke my heart. Not because reaching the top of a mountain is something everyone has to do. But because I realized how many incredible experiences in life depend on having a body that’s capable of saying “yes.” We spend months planning vacations. We research flights, book hotels, buy hiking boots and backpacks. But how often do we invest in the one thing that actually has to make the journey? Our body. At MOVE+breathe, we don’t believe fitness is about looking a certain way. We believe it’s about freedom. The freedom to travel. The freedom to hike. The freedom to carry your grandchild. The freedom to play pickleball at 50,60, 70+. The freedom to explore a new city without worrying if your knees will make it. The freedom to say “yes” when life offers you something extraordinary. That’s what we’re training for. Every strength class. Every yoga practice. Every workout. Every small decision adds up to something much bigger than today’s fitness. It adds up to tomorrow’s possibilities. So let me leave you with one question: What kind of life are you training for? Not just because it helps us live longer…But because it helps us live more. |
|
|
