At the start of this year, I took a little bit of a different approach to setting goals.

Instead of listing out specific achievements, I focused on how I wanted to spend my time, who I wanted to spend it with, and how I wanted to feel. Of course, a few health-related goals made the list—one of which wasn’t even for me.

I wasn’t going to impose my health goals on others but I had an idea that I thought was worth trying…

My grandmother has always been independent but the long-term effects of being a smoker for many years have taken a toll. Over time, her ability to move has been reduced because she has a hard time breathing and last year I started to notice a different kind of change.

She was less interested in getting out of the house and would tell me she felt “down” or in a low mood, which she chalked up to being tired. The less she moved, the more she believed she couldn’t move. The less she believed in her abilities, the more inclined she was to stop doing the things she loved. Aside from the physical impact, this was affecting her mentally. 

Of course our energy can change as we get older but my fear was that this cycle was only going to continue, making her feel even less like herself and less willing to try to feel better.

I hated the idea of my grandma limiting herself, limiting her happiness, because her physical health created limiting beliefs about what she was capable of. I hated seeing her shrink her world and reduce the things that bring her joy because of what she thought she couldn’t do. 

So, at the start of this year, I made it my goal to help her build strength and move more. Maybe it was presumptuous and selfish; and I’m okay with that.

I didn’t tell her my goal. Instead, I simply asked if I could stop by twice a week to get her using her walking pad while I do my own mobility work to help with a knee issue I’ve been having. 

I thought she might resist this idea because she’s often too tired to do much but she agreed, and said she’d do it if it meant helping me work on my own injury recovery. 

“Perfect” I thought. It would help me—but not in the way she was thinking.

For the past six weeks, we’ve been “working out” together twice a week for about 30 minutes. She walks on her treadmill and does some strength training with light dumbbells and I stretch and ramble on about something or ask her to “tell me about the time…”.

I love the stories, and it distracts her enough that she ends up moving for longer than she realizes. 

As we do movements, I explain how each exercise connects to her daily life—lifting groceries, getting up from a chair, cleaning the house, etc. I want her to see that these “weird things” I ask her to do can make other things feel easier.

This past Tuesday was a big win. My grandma walked for 10 minutes straight without stopping. In our first week, she was able to walk just 2.5 minutes before needing a break.

The walk isn’t a win just because of the extended time–I actually think she could have gone for longer than 2.5 minutes when we first started–it’s a win because she now believes she can do more, and that belief has led to more action. 

In these last 6 weeks she’s :

• asked to try heavier weights

• is talking about places she wants to go once she can walk for 20 minutes (when previously she was too tired to even entertain the idea)

• asked me to order her protein shakes and tells me how much water she’s drinking

• and she moved her heavier groceries by herself—and was proud to tell me about it

I cannot express how happy and full my heart was in that moment. 

Throughout all of this, I ask if she wants a break or needs to sit, being careful we aren’t working too hard for where she’s at. She takes the break when she needs it and lately, those breaks are shorter and she says things like “let me try just a little longer.”

It’s not about any one milestone–I don’t care how long she decides to walk on the treadmill. What matters most is that she feels better, that she knows she is stronger than she once thought and, if she wants to, she can get stronger or walk further and get back to more of the things she loved vs. shrinking the options available to her. 

It’s a shift in mindset that led to a shift in action. She’s realizing she’s capable. She’s talking about the future with excitement. She has more energy and is more confident. 

Moving more has her moving more.

She still has tough days. We adjust as needed but we always do some kind of movement; however small.

Maybe this resonates if you have a parent or grandparent in a similar place but I also invite you to turn this inward and consider how this might apply to you personally.

If you’re feeling tired and rundown and just haven’t been able to start or stick with a physical practice let this be your reminder that movement creates motivation, not the other way around. Instead of waiting for motivation to hit or waiting until you have enough energy to move, just do it now. 

Start before you are ready. 

Pick the date and time and schedule it in. 

Moving more will create more energy, which means the capacity for even more movement, clearer thoughts, more creativity, and more excitement and hope for what’s to come. 

Move first. The energy will follow.

And if you want to be a pestering family member like me, movement can also be an opportunity to connect with someone else. 🙂

You don’t need hours in the gym; you don’t even have to leave the house. Start small enough that you’ll actually stick with it:

• Walk for 5-10 minutes a few times a day

• Stand up, stretch, or take a quick lap around the office

• Do 10 air squats or push-ups between meetings

• Take phone calls on the move

• Stretch before bed and when you wake up

Whatever it is—just move.

Movement creates more energy, more capacity and confidence, and more momentum to step into the best version of yourself.

I encourage you to move more today and begin to create the energy you wish you had. I’d love to hear how it goes.