I’m currently preparing for my next adventure (can you guess where I’m going?) and, as I consider what I’ll pack, I keep thinking about a conversation I heard on a flight earlier this year.
As we were boarding the plane, an older woman (ie older than me…) politely asked a flight attendant if she could help lift her suitcase into the overhead locker.
The flight attendant looked around my age. Maybe she was also an exhausted menopausal woman over 50 who’d reached the point of saying exactly what she was thinking (have you discovered this new gift as well – I seem to have…)
She replied quite abruptly, ‘No, I can’t. If you can’t lift your own case into the overhead locker, then you should either check it in or not bring it on the plane.’
I’ll admit, I was a bit taken aback as the passenger had asked very politely. Mind you, as were everyone else around me! Let’s just say I strapped my seatbelt on super fast so the flight attendant didn’t scold me for holding up departure!
But the more I thought about it over the following days, the more I realised she had a point.
It isn’t the flight attendant’s job to lift someone else’s luggage. I think the ‘rule’ is – if you pack it, you lift it.
More importantly, it made me stop and ask myself a question.
What do I need to be able to do so I can keep travelling for the next 20-30 years?
The answer was immediate.
I need to be strong enough so that I never have to rely on someone else to lift my bag.
With most airlines in Australia allowing carry-on luggage of up to around 14 kilograms, that’s what I need to be able to lift from the floor, probably from an awkward position, and easily place into an overhead locker.
And it’s not just that.
It’s also lifting your suitcase down after a long flight. If you have checked luggage, it’s being able to get it off the conveyer belt at bag collection. It’s dragging it over cobblestones, up hills and wherever your travels take you. It’s lifting it up the several flights of narrow stairs of bed and breakfasts, like Mum and I did while travelling through Ireland.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned loads of times, I love travelling. I didn’t have the opportunity to travel when I was younger, so I’m making the most of it now. And, I want to keep exploring new places for many decades to come.
Suddenly, 14 kilograms isn’t just the weight of a suitcase.
It’s become the reminder of the kind of strength and energy I want to have as I get older.
For me, strength training is no longer about looking a certain way. It’s about creating the strength to keep doing the things I love. It’s about staying independent, continuing to say yes to new adventures and creating the energy and freedom to live life on my terms.
I’d also love you to think about your own future.
What do you want to be doing 10, 20 or even 30 years from now?
Maybe it’s travelling. Maybe it’s getting down on the floor to play with your grandchildren. Maybe it’s hiking, gardening, swimming, volunteering or simply carrying your own shopping without thinking twice.
Whatever it is, ask yourself:
Are the choices I’m making today helping me become the woman who’ll still be able to do those things?
If the answer is “not yet”, don’t let that discourage you. It’s never too late to become stronger. It’s never too late to improve your health. It’s never too late to create more energy.
And, it always comes back to knowing your why.
When I don’t feel like strength training, I don’t think about building muscle. I think about lifting 14 kilograms into an overhead locker. I think about pulling my suitcase along narrow streets of cobblestones and then up loads of stairs to find my gorgeous Airbnb in France or Italy.
I think about staying independent.
14 kilograms represents so much more than a suitcase.
It represents independence.
It represents confidence.
It represents choice.
It represents freedom.
I know you will also have your own version of 14 kilograms.
It might not be a suitcase. It might be carrying a grandchild, walking a favourite trail, getting up off the floor with ease or continuing to travel the world. Whatever your version is, that’s your reason to look after your health, build your strength and create more energy.
For me, energy isn’t just about feeling less tired.
Now, it’s all about having the freedom to keep living the life I love.
So, what’s your 14 kilograms?
Shine bright
Tania