Weightlifting is underrated and misunderstood
I feel great, and truthfully, I've felt that way as long as I can remember. But a quick scroll through the internet or just talking to people makes me realize that feeling great, or even good, isn't the norm. The older they get, the worse they feel. Back problems, knee problems, brain fog; all that bad stuff. Of course I've been lucky; I'm not denying it. I've had no major illnesses throughout my life, no life-altering accidents. However, I think that staying somewhat fit my entire life has played a big role in my well-being too, and especially, weightlifting.
Most people's lives aren't particularly varied, mine included. We do the same things day in and day out, especially once we've become adults with a job and responsibilities. The most basic daily fitness goal is to walk 10 000 steps every day; a good way to burn some calories and keep the legs moving, but it's not very taxing for most of the muscles in your body. Muscles that don't get any use slowly get weaker, causing a chain reaction that eventually ends up as pain somewhere in the body. Most often, back and knees. We've known this for probably centuries, but still we just accept the fact that when we get older, our bodies will start to hurt. I don't like that.
All my life, there's been this stigma to weightlifting. Bro culture, steroids, influencers; I see where it's coming from. I read a blog post here on Bear the other day where the author wrote that she didn't want to become a "gym-girlie". For many, weightlifting isn't seen mainly as something beneficial to their health, but as a personality trait. It doesn't have to be. You can train without posting it to social media; you don't have to have a goal to become the strongest person on the planet. All you need to do is show up and lift, push yourself just a little bit every time. I can only speak for my own body, but I am certain that most people's lives will improve massively by lifting weights a couple of days a week. It may sound like a lot, it's true, staying fit is not free; some might even call it a luxury. I don't disagree, but I would rather have a well-functioning body than every other thing that can be classified as a luxury in my life.
I happen to live right next to a tourist attraction; every day I walk by groups of people, middle-aged to elderly, whose every move is in slow motion, who struggle with basic activities like getting up from a bench. It's sad to watch, to the point it has become my main motivation to get my ass to the gym every week.
No way that's going to be me in 20 years.