Using Goals to Stay Motivated

From Mountain Biking to Everyday Strength

Movement is your future insurance: Every step today is an investment in your future strength.

When people ask me how I stay motivated to train week after week, even when it’s cold, dark, or I just don’t feel like it—my answer is simple: goals.

As someone deeply involved in cycling, I’ve learned that having clear, personal goals makes all the difference. Whether it's grinding through a tough interval session or showing up for my weight training on a tired morning, I keep going because I have something I'm working toward.

For me, it’s often a mountain bike event. I imagine the race course: that steep hill I’ll have to climb, the moment I might overtake a strong rider on a tight section, the technical part of the trail that I want to nail.

And most of all—I picture myself crossing the finish line, strong and smiling. That image pulls me through the hard stuff.

But here's the thing—not everyone rides mountain bikes or signs up for races. And that’s okay. You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from goal-setting.

Because deep down, most of us have a very similar goal in life:

To live long.

To live strong.

To live healthfully and independently.

Set Goals for Your Future Self

Imagine this:

• When you’re 70, you want to be able to lift your grandchild off the floor.

• You want to reach up and place your bag in an overhead compartment without help.

• You want to walk 5 km in the forest with ease.

• You want to carry your own shopping bags to the car without back pain.

  
  

These are not small goals. These are life goals. They are powerful, meaningful, and deeply motivating—if you let them guide your training.

Cardio, Strength & Mobility: Train with Purpose

To reach these long-term goals, you don’t need to spend hours in the gym or chase extreme fitness. But you do need a balanced approach to movement and training:

• Cardio helps you live longer. It keeps your heart strong, your lungs healthy, and your endurance up. That walk in the forest? Cardio training makes it possible.

• Strength training helps you live stronger. Lifting your grandchild, your suitcase, or your grocery bags takes more strength than we often think. Train for it now, and your future self will thank you.

• Mobility work & Balance training helps you live pain-free. It’s not glamorous, but stretching, foam rolling, and joint care mean fewer aches, more freedom of movement and less falls.

Visualize It, Then Train for It

The same way I picture crossing the finish line of a mountain bike race, you can picture yourself at 75 years old, standing tall, moving with confidence, doing the things you love without relying on anyone else.

That is your finish line.

Let that vision power you through your workout.

Let it be the reason you show up, even when motivation is low.

Because training isn’t just for today—it’s for every version of you still to come.

You don’t have to race. You just have to care.

Set your goals, visualize your future, and train like the strong, healthful, vibrant human you are becoming.