By David Tepera, January 4, 2026
As I get older, it’s interesting to me how much my body is slowing down. During my entire adult life, I participated and competed in as many sports and activities possible. I had a blast challenging the limits of my physical and mental capabilities. At that time, I was on a full sprint to get my body in shape for the next test. It wasn’t always about winning, but how much I can endure.
Now, my goodness, at the age of 64, sprinting is over. I’m doing my best to keep a steady jog. But, I’m still moving to stay in the race, and so should you.
How many times have you heard someone say “We only live once”? Nope, that’s completely wrong. We will only die once. We get to live every day, so keep up the race.
The reason so many people fail new year’s resolutions, diets, or anything health related is because they start out too fast. We have this conversation with all our new clients at the gym. They must realize, especially at an older age, that getting healthier and stronger is a marathon and not a sprint. Through time and proper training, you can get back to enjoying life again.
The modern American life has become about instant gratification. We’ve lost our patience and work ethic. Who has the discipline to exercise and eat healthy to eventually reach goals? On no, it’s so much easier and quicker to pay some professional tons of money to write prescriptions or perform surgery.
Don’t beat me up. Actually, I give advice to many people who would benefit getting a kick-start to a healthier life through some of these programs. But, if you don’t change your lifestyle, you’ve wasted your money – again.
What about other aspects of your life that need a sprint or a jog? Education, marriage, and careers are a few examples of a jog. It takes time and experience to master them.
For us, starting our own business became a sprint. I was guest speaking around the county, Tina boosted our social media, plus interacting with every local event possible. Because of that work ethic, to this day, we have never spent a penny on marketing.
Listen, bottom line, there are times we need to sprint to get things done, and then there are times to slow down and jog to let things happen. It will all work out as long as you stay in the race.