The Best Short Game is the Long Game
Written by Kyle Ligon - MovementLink.FIT Head Coach
Results are only as good as they are sustainable and applicable to the life we want to live. A successful workout program not only needs to produce incredible short-term results in the areas we are currently interested in, but also needs to resonate with the life we want to live 10 years from now, 10 years from then, and so on.
Well-rounded fitness maximizes opportunities in our life right now as it allows us to enjoy anything we may be interested in or may become interested in in the future. Less obvious though is the fact that measuring our fitness across all areas would also be the best way to estimate how long we are predicted to live and the potential quality of that life.
Epiphany: It was surprising to me to find that the leading indicators of how long we’ll live happen to be the exact things that we would choose to target if we were looking to be as physically capable and healthy as possible in our lives right now.
The main predictors of how long we are going to live are strength, muscle mass, and VO2 Max.
Deterioration of fast-twitch muscle fibers occurs without specifically training speed and power. As we fast-twitch muscle fibers convert to slow-twitch, fall potential increases because we cannot physically react fast enough to catch ourselves.
When mobility and balance is limited, it can not only lead to nagging pains, injuries, and falls, but is a main determinator of if and when you’ll be put into a nursing home. When you can’t get up from the ground or rotate your spine enough to drive or wipe yourself, it’s time for assisted living.
Strength and muscle training is the primary style of exercise that benefits bone density, which would make us more resilient if we do fall.
The magic in training in all of these areas, regardless of age, gender, or fitness level, is they not only benefit boosting how we experience life right now, but also directly benefit longevity and healthspan (the number of great, high quality, functional years we live). Gaps in your exercise program that don’t provide adequate stimuli in each of these areas will limiting the length and quality of your life. Our ultimate goal, is to exercise in a well-rounded way and the amazing news is that we don’t have to choose between immediately useful vs useful in the future, it’s all the same!