Take Care of Your Future Self
It’s important to be present, to be living in the moment–not living in the past and not too fixated on the future. BUT, it is also important to think of your future SELF, today.
Especially when it comes to your body.
It’s easy with the hustle and bustle of today’s world to neglect your body, which is shortsighted because it's the only one you will have. It can be hard to appreciate this, especially if you are healthy in the moment and don’t feel bad, but the way you treat yourself today not only impacts how you feel now but it will impact how you feel and what you will be able to do in the future.
I’ve been an athlete my entire life and post college basketball I continued to play, got into CrossFit and prided myself in being in shape and feeling confident in how I looked. However, a couple of years ago I started making excuses (that were legit) about why I didn’t have time to work out, eat clean, and take care of myself like I had for so many years.
In that moment, I didn’t feel the impact of lowering the quality of my self-care but then I burned out…doing too much professionally and personally all while not making time to take care of myself. Shortly after I made some professional changes, I hear a podcast interview that would change my perspective on how I approach taking care of my body.
Dr. Peter Attia was on the Rich Roll Podcast discussing his goal to be a centenarian decathlete. Attia explained that each workout, each meal, each recovery session is for the 90 year old Peter Attia–he’s playing the long game and stretching his wellness plan out over the next 40-50 years.
A lightbulb went off when I heard this.
I don’t know if it was because I had just turned 40 but I began to think about my 50 and 60 year old Self, which I know will be here before I know it, and the life I want to live at that age and beyond. I can’t explain why, but once I saw the version of myself I want to be when I am a grandfather and great-grandfather my perspective on how I take care of myself today changed.
It was no longer about losing weight and lowering body fat today, it was about making sure I’m not trying to lose weight and body fat when I’m older. The workouts today are to make my workouts in 20 years easier. The meals I eat today are to prevent the need for prescriptions when I’m 70. Making changes to my calendar to make sure I have time to take care of me all of a sudden became easier with this change in perspective.
And I’ll be damned if I didn’t start feeling better and look better in the present.
I get to benefit today for work I’m putting in for years down the road–and you can too!
If you are not prioritizing your health by doing everything you can to take care of yourself today, I encourage you to think about your future Self.
What do you look like?
What activities are you doing?
How happy are you?
You might be able to get by today without taking care of yourself but eventually it will all catch up and it’ll become harder, maybe even not possible, to roll back the damage done to your body. The version of yourself you just imagined may never get to be if you don’t start taking care of it now.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
