#052 - Future You Has Standards…Do You?
At 70, what will you refuse to give up?
Not what you hope you’ll still be able to do. Not what you might get around to working on someday. But what you expect, no, demand, your body to still deliver.
Most health advice focuses on goals:
Lose weight
Get fitter
Run a 5K
And those are all fine. Useful, even.
But there’s a problem with goals: they’re optional. They come and go. Life gets busy, motivation dips, priorities shift, and suddenly that goal quietly disappears.
Standards are different.
The Shift: From Goals to Standards
If you’re over 40, your approach to health needs to evolve.
It’s no longer just about chasing improvements. It’s about protecting what you already have, and being intentional about what you refuse to lose.
This is where two simple categories come in:
1. Ambitions (Future-Focused)
These are things you’d like to achieve:
Run a 5K
Complete a long hike
Improve your strength or mobility
Try a new sport
Ambitions are motivating. They give you something to aim at. But they are, ultimately, optional.
2. Non-Negotiables (Identity-Focused)
These are far more important.
Non-negotiables are things you can already do today, and have no intention of losing:
Walk for an hour without stopping
Get up off the floor unaided
Carry your own shopping comfortably
Climb stairs without relying on the handrail
Play actively with your kids or grandkids
Here’s the rule:
If you can’t do it now, it’s not a non-negotiable, it’s an ambition.
Non-negotiables are not about aspiration. They are about preservation.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
As you move through your 40s, 50s, and beyond, one reality becomes unavoidable:
If you don’t actively maintain something, you will lose it.
Strength, mobility, balance, stamina, these don’t stay by accident. They fade quietly in the background unless you give them a reason not to.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about clarity.
Doing nothing is still a decision. It just happens to be the one that leads to decline.
Define Your Decade Standards
A powerful exercise is to think ahead, not in vague hopes, but in clear expectations.
Ask yourself:
At 60, what do I expect to still be able to do?
At 70?
At 80 and beyond?
Then write down 3–5 non-negotiables for each stage.
Be honest. Be realistic.
If you say, “I want to run 10K at 70,” but you can’t currently run 2K, that’s not a standard, it’s an ambition. And that’s fine. Just label it correctly.
Your non-negotiables might look like:
“I will always be able to get up off the floor without help.”
“I will be able to walk 5K comfortably.”
“I will carry my own bags and remain physically independent.”
These are not extreme. They’re not athletic. But they are life-defining.
The “Use It or Lose It” Tax
Every non-negotiable comes with a cost.
Think of it as a maintenance fee for your future independence.
Want to keep your strength? → You need some form of resistance training
Want to stay mobile? → You need to move regularly and with intent
Want to maintain stamina? → You need to challenge your heart and lungs
There is no way around this.
Everything you want to keep has a price.
Ignore the cost, and the ability fades, slowly at first, then all at once.
Match Standards to Habits
Once you’ve defined your non-negotiables, the next step is simple:
Attach each one to a behaviour.
For example:
Non-negotiable: “I can get up off the floor easily”
→ Habit: 2–3 short strength sessions each weekNon-negotiable: “I can walk 5K comfortably”
→ Habit: regular walking, daily steps or a few longer walks per weekNon-negotiable: “I stay active and capable”
→ Habit: consistent movement, not long periods of inactivity
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistency.
Add One Ambition (For Energy, Not Pressure)
While standards keep you grounded, ambitions keep things interesting.
This is where something like a 5K event fits perfectly.
Not as a test of your worth, but as a spark.
A reason to train. A reason to show up. A reason to push a little beyond your comfort zone.
But remember:
If life gets busy and the ambition slips, your standards remain.
The Bottom Line
Goals come and go.
Motivation rises and falls.
Life gets in the way.
But standards, especially the ones tied to how you want to live, stick.
So instead of asking, “What should I achieve next?” try asking:
“What do I refuse to lose?”
Because the real win isn’t just adding new capabilities.
It’s holding onto the ones that allow you to live life on your terms, at 60, 70, 80, and beyond.
Decide your standards.
Then start paying the price to keep them.
Thank you
James Culmer-Shields