Most successful professionals wouldn’t run their business on hope. If something isn’t working, they assess the problem, create a plan, take action and make adjustments. Yet we often manage our health very differently. We tell ourselves we’ll exercise when work calms down, improve our diet on Monday, or get more sleep when life becomes less stressful.
The problem is that after 50, waiting has consequences. Strength, muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, energy and resilience all need to be actively maintained. Doing nothing is still a decision, and the decisions you make now will influence how strong, fit and capable you remain in your 60s, 70s and beyond.
Knowing What To Do Isn’t The Problem
Most people already know the basics of looking after themselves. Exercise regularly, eat reasonably well, consume enough protein, sleep properly, move more and maintain a healthy weight. The problem is consistently turning that knowledge into action.
I call this the implementation gap, the gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it consistently. After 50, closing that gap becomes increasingly important because your health is competing with demanding careers, family responsibilities, established habits and routines that may have been in place for decades.
You probably don’t need another perfect diet or exercise programme. You need a realistic structure that helps you consistently do the things you already know are important.
Focus On What Matters Most
My PerformanceSpan approach focuses on four areas, strength, cardiovascular fitness, nutrition and recovery. These are the physical foundations that help you remain strong, fit, healthy and capable as you age.
Aim to strength train at least twice each week, regularly challenge your cardiovascular fitness, build most of your meals around quality protein and whole foods, and start treating sleep and recovery as part of your health plan rather than something you fit in when everything else is finished.
But knowing those things still doesn’t guarantee you will do them. This is where the behavioural side of my coaching, W.I.S.D.O.M., becomes important. You need the willingness to make changes, an identity that supports those changes, simple actions you can maintain, an environment that makes those actions easier, and the mindset and resilience to keep going when life gets difficult.
What Can You Change Today?
Don’t try to overhaul your entire life. Instead, look honestly at your health and ask yourself, what is the biggest weakness right now? Then choose one action you can take today to start improving it.
If you’re not exercising, schedule two workouts into your diary this week. If your nutrition has slipped, improve your next meal rather than waiting until Monday. If you’re constantly tired, decide what time you’re going to bed tonight. If you repeatedly start and stop, make your plan simpler so you can still follow it when you’re busy, tired or lacking motivation.
Most importantly, stop allowing one bad decision or difficult day to become a bad week. You don’t need to start again next Monday. Take the next best action and keep moving forward. That ability to respond, adapt and continue is one of the most important parts of building resilience.
Take Ownership Of What Happens Next
You cannot control everything that happens to your health. Genetics, injuries, illness and unexpected events all play a part. Taking ownership isn’t about blaming yourself for where you are today, it’s about accepting responsibility for what you do from here.
Your goal after 50 shouldn’t simply be to live longer. It should be to extend your PerformanceSpan, the years you remain strong, fit, healthy, resilient and capable of performing at a high level, both personally and professionally.
Start with the area that needs the most attention, choose an action you can realistically maintain, and begin today. Then keep building from there.
Because knowing what to do isn’t what changes your health, consistently doing it does.
Take Ownership Of What Happens Next
You cannot control everything that happens to your health. Genetics, injuries, illness and unexpected events all play a part. Taking ownership isn’t about blaming yourself for where you are today, it’s about accepting responsibility for what you do from here.
Your goal after 50 shouldn’t simply be to live longer. It should be to extend your PerformanceSpan, the years you remain strong, fit, healthy, resilient and capable of performing at a high level, both personally and professionally.
Start with the area that needs the most attention, choose an action you can realistically maintain, and begin today. Then keep building from there.
Because knowing what to do isn’t what changes your health, consistently doing it does.
Where Should You Start?
If you’re not sure which area of your health needs the most attention, take my PerformanceSpan Assessment.
It will help you assess where you currently stand across the four foundations of PerformanceSpan, strength, cardiovascular fitness, nutrition and recovery, and identify where focusing your efforts could make the biggest difference.
Rather than trying to change everything at once, use your results to decide what you need to work on first and start taking greater ownership of your future health today.
Take the PerformanceSpan Assessment:
www.myhealthcoach.online/performancespan-assessment
Chris Deavin, Owner, myHealthCoach
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