You can always start

My mom is amazing.

She is one of the most selfless people I know, and I think I appreciate that even more now that I'm a mom myself.

Growing up, she worked her butt off. She worked two jobs to provide for my sister and me, and somehow, she was still there for everything.

Every game.

Every gymnastics meet.

Every practice.

Honestly, looking back now, I'm not sure how she did it.

Taking care of herself just wasn't a priority. Not because she didn't care about herself, but because she was too busy making sure we were supported, taken care of and living our best lives.

Working out wasn't even on her radar.

And even when my sister and I got older and life slowed down, she still had absolutely no interest in exercise.

It just wasn't her thing.

Then, as she got closer to 60, little things started bothering her.

Getting off the floor wasn't as easy.

She felt more achy.

Walks were becoming a little more troublesome.

Her clothes weren't fitting the way she wanted them to.

And keeping up with her grandchildren was starting to feel more exhausting than it should.

There wasn't some huge wake-up call.

She just reached a point where she realized:

I don't want to keep feeling like this.

And for the first time in her life, she became interested in doing something about it.

So we started really small

When my mom started showing interest in getting stronger, I knew we didn't need to make it complicated.

I gave her a few simple workouts she could do in her living room with no equipment.

Two days a week.

That's it.

And she did them.

Then she kept doing them.

Eventually, two days became more. We added weights. The movements progressed.

Now, in her 60s, my mom works out four days a week.

She does squats, RDLs, thrusters, planks, curls, wall sits and plenty of other movements that would have sounded completely foreign to her a few years ago.

And she gets genuinely excited about her progress.

She'll tell me she did more reps than last time, used a heavier weight, or held something longer than she could a few weeks ago.

I love hearing it because she's not comparing herself to anyone else.

She's seeing what her own body is becoming capable of.

And then other things started changing

As she started getting stronger and feeling better, she naturally became more interested in taking care of herself.

Now she makes sure she gets protein with every meal and snack. She eats more vegetables. She's more intentional about how she fuels herself.

And apparently, she's decided everyone else needs to get their act together too. 😂

I regularly hear her lecturing my grandparents about eating more protein, making sure they're both drinking enough water every day, and grilling my grandpa about whether he's actually doing his physical therapy exercises.

The woman who had absolutely no interest in fitness for most of her life is now basically the family health coach.

And honestly, I love it.

Because she didn't start by trying to change everything.

She started with one thing she could actually manage.

And one change started creating another.

The funny thing is, she still doesn't love working out

This might be my favorite part of her story.

My mom did not suddenly become obsessed with fitness.

She still doesn't love working out.

She loves what working out has done for her.

She loves feeling stronger.

She loves seeing herself improve.

She loves feeling better in her body and being able to do more.

And I think that's something a lot of people need to hear.

You don't have to make fitness your hobby.

You don't have to love squats or get excited about thrusters.

You don't have to become a “gym person.”

You can simply love what being strong allows you to do.

Get off the floor.

Play with your grandchildren.

Go for the walk.

Travel.

Carry your own things.

Feel good in your clothes.

Feel capable in your own body.

The workout isn't really the goal. Your life is.

Sometimes you just decide you want something different

My mom could have easily decided that feeling weaker, achier and more tired was just part of getting older.

Instead, she decided she didn't like the direction things were going.

And she changed it.

I think we all have moments when we need to be willing to do that.

Maybe you don't have the energy you want.

Maybe you're tired of feeling weak.

Maybe you've been saying you're going to start working out for the last five years.

Maybe you used to be active and somewhere along the way you stopped.

Maybe you've spent decades taking care of everyone except yourself.

You're allowed to look at what you're doing and decide it's not working for you anymore.

And you're allowed to choose differently.

You haven't missed your chance because you're 40, 50, 60 or 70.

You haven't missed it because you've never worked out.

You haven't missed it because you've tried before and stopped.

And you don't need to completely change your life tomorrow.

My mom didn't.

She started with two workouts a week on her living room floor.

And now she gets to do this for herself

That's the part that means the most to me.

My mom gave so much of herself to my sister and me.

She worked two jobs and still somehow made sure she was there.

Now I want her to have the strength to enjoy the life she worked so hard to build.

I want her getting down on the floor with her grandchildren.

Traveling. Walking. Playing.

Feeling strong and capable.

And doing those things for as long as possible.

She spent decades making sure everyone else was taken care of. I'm really proud that she's finally making herself part of that list.

My mom started with two workouts a week in her living room.

Today she trains four days a week, gets excited when she can lift a heavier weight, eats more protein and vegetables, and apparently keeps my grandparents accountable for their hydration and physical therapy. 😂

She didn't become a different person overnight.

She just reached a point where she decided:

What I'm doing isn't working for me anymore. I'm ready to do something different.

You can make that decision at any age.

You can make it after years of doing nothing.

You can make it after starting and stopping a dozen times.

You can always start.

And you don't have to love working out to love what becoming stronger gives you.

My mom is proof of that.

And I'm incredibly proud of her.

PROVING YOU CAN.

- Cassidy