Why training for life doesn’t come with a finish line
We’re good at training for events with a clear goal. But what happens when there’s no finish line to aim for? This is where everyday movement often starts to drift.
At this time of year, it’s hard not to notice it.
There are more runners out. The longer runs are happening and there’s a general sense of purpose as people build towards the London Marathon.
When you’re training for something like that, your week has a set structure and your runs have a specific purpose. You have to show up on days you might otherwise skip, because there’s a plan and a goal ahead.
And with that comes a lot of benefits: discipline, consistency and a growing belief in what your body can do, when perhaps you never thought you’d even get this far in the training, let alone the race.
I remember it well when training for my half marathon, the summer before it all changed. Since then I haven’t set myself any ‘big’ targets physically and I often wonder if I should, on my own terms of course. As there’s a lot to be said for having something to ‘train’ for.
The value of setting realistic movement goals
Goals can be incredibly helpful when they work for you.
They give direction, help you prioritise and give you a reason to keep going when motivation dips, and they’re usually not a million miles in the future, so they are a real presence on your horizon.
But they only really support you when they are realistic; when the timeframe makes sense and when you allow progress to unfold, rather than forcing it into a fixed outcome; thinking ‘Finish line’, or failure.
And they only work, when you’re kind to yourself along the way, because progress is rarely as neat or as linear as we expect.
Everyday movement goals don’t come with a finish line
This applies just as much to everyday movement.
Not everyone is training for a race, but many people have things they would like to feel easier today and for the long-term.
Getting down to the floor and back up again with ease, is a big one.
Carrying a heavy bag without worrying about strain
Knowing how to move more throughout the day instead of relying on one chunky workout.
Feeling stable, capable and more confident in their body.
These are meaningful goals, they just don’t come with a date attached, because they’re not easily measured, and we never know how long progress towards them is going to take. And that’s ok.
What happens after the marathon is over
And after the marathon is done, you rest, recover and often, there’s a sense of relief, because the structure that might have also felt like it limited your ‘normal’ life disappears. The pressure lifts and running becomes something you do because you enjoy it, not because you have to.
And in many ways, that makes it more achievable, more enjoyable and therefore likely to happen. But it can also mean that the consistency and intention begin to evaporate too, not suddenly, but gradually.
Why training for life requires a different mindset
Training for ‘real-life’ isn’t usually about an event and as it reflects how we approach movement more broadly, it’s harder to pin down what that really means.
When you’re goal is a running event - it’s all about running. When it’s about a life-long aim, we’re less practised, because real-life movement doesn’t have a temporary finish line to aim for.
There’s no set date you have to achieve now, that will guarantee you being able to get up from the floor with ease in your 80s or 90s. And there’s obviously no medal for moving well through your day. And because those goals feel distant, they are easy to push aside.
How to prioritise everyday movement without a big goal
So how do we keep prioritising movement when the “goal” feels a long way off?
For me, it starts with stable foundations. In my opinion this is never achieved with a set, rigid plan to keep repeating daily ad infinitum (I can almost guarantee it will have slipped by the wayside within a few months - it certainly would for me!). Instead a simple, repeatable way of bringing movement into your unique day and your unique lift, that fits your body and mind and lifestyle.
This is where my Everyday Ease Method™ comes in, which I first shared in my recent book Move Well for Life. This is being your own ‘B.O.S’! Stacking, Opportunities and finally Breaks - in that order. I know it’s in reverse!, but let me explain why.
Start with movement stacking in daily life
The starting point is always the lowest hanging fruit; stacking movement onto what you’re already doing.
Rather than adding more, you attach movement to moments that already exist. Going up on to the balls or your feet when putting something away on a high shelf and repeating it a few times. Sitting down and getting up from the floor instead of choosing the chair to read messages on your phone. Changing position during a call or seeing how many ways you can get low whilst unpacking shopping from the ground instead of the counter.
Small changes, but ones that create more movement variety and all add up.
Awareness creates new movement opportunities
As you do this, your awareness begins to shift. You start to notice patterns; the movements you repeat and the ones you avoid, and this is where opportunities appear. You start to notice choices that were always there, but that you hadn’t quite seen before.
Movement breaks help you reconnect and reset
Then there are the moments where you step slightly out of your day. Breaks that are less about stopping, and more about reconnecting. Chance to move in ways you haven’t yet fitted in, that help you to notice how your body feels and to ease stiffness and shift your focus, even briefly.
These moments can often make a big difference to how you feel - in only a few minutes.
A simple way to ‘train’ for everyday life
I never prescribe movements in a strict training plan. Instead I offer ways to check in with how you’re really moving through your daily life and empowering you to find your gaps and therefore your own opportunities to progress.
If you’re regularly stacking movement, noticing opportunities and taking small breaks, you’re building (or rebuilding) those stable foundations over time.
You might choose to focus on a different movement idea each week. Let one layer build on the next. It doesn’t need to be big, it just needs to be consistent.
Why accountability helps you stay consistent
For many people, making changes is so much easier and more achievable with support. Not pressure, but instead accountability. A shared experience, where you have a ‘place’ to reflect and nudges that are a way of keeping it front of mind, until it starts to become embedded.
This is exactly what we do in Reclaim Everyday Ease.
Each week, I guide you through a simple process to build these habits. You set small, realistic goals, alongside a longer-term intention of improving how you move in your daily life.
It’s far from a course to complete and move on. It’s about changing how you see and use movement, so it becomes something you continue.
Juliette, who joined the last cohort said in a message, “It’s like the matrix...like seeing the world in technicolour when the majority are still seeing it in black and white!” I couldn’t have said it better myself and once you see it, you can’t unsee it (in a good way!)
What are you really training for?
As this isn’t about a single moment in time, a finish line that you achieve to then get on with living ‘real’ life afterwards.
Perhaps the question needs to be: What does your practice, day in and day out, look like? And is it taking you where you want to go?
Reclaim Everyday Ease - Doors Open Soon!
If you’d like support to start reclaiming—or strengthening—your everyday movement foundations, and would value the accountability of a group learning experience with my guidance through weekly workshops and community support, you can join the waiting list for the next ‘Reclaim Everyday Ease’ signature course course starting on 27th April.
Doors will be opening soon, and those on the list will be first to hear, with access to an early bird offer. NB: Places are limited.