Maybe Longevity Is a Feeling

Sprinting has been getting a lot of attention as a potential “longevity hack.”

And I get it.

There are plenty of reasons to keep some speed, strength and power in your movement practice. Your ability to produce force quickly is something worth maintaining, not to forget reaction times and the spring in your step. So is muscle, coordination and metabolic fitness.

But that's not actually why I sprint.

I sprint because I love the feeling.

Twice a week, usually as the sun is dropping, I head to the beach, take off my shoes and sprint.

I measure my run length, I time myself, I strategise steps to increase my speed for each sprint for 4 sprints (a ‘set’). I pay attention to what I'm doing differently each week. I work on acceleration, consistency and strategy. Sometimes the numbers improve. Sometimes they don't. 😂

The stopwatch gives me feedback. But it can't measure the best part. That moment when you cross the finish line and your whole body knows:

I can do this.

There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about sprinting.

• You don't have to think about your age.
  You don't have to think about longevity.
  You don't have to think about whether you're “fit enough.”

• You just have to go.

And when you can still ask your body to go — and it answers — there is a joy in that.

This is why I don't think about movement only in terms of calories, steps, heart rate or years added to a lifespan. Those things can be useful but they're not the whole story. Because what are we actually trying to preserve? A longer life, yes. But also a life where you can run for the sheer hell of it. Say yes to something that looks a little too good to watch from the sidelines!

Maybe longevity isn't just about how long you live. Maybe it's about how much life you can feel while you're here.

That's why I sprint. Barefoot. Sunset. As fast as I can.

Move like you mean it.