I want to share something that landed hard for me this week.
I graduated high school in 1984 — class of 204 students. This week, I learned through Facebook that in the last few days, two of my classmates have passed away. People I laughed with. People I stood next to in the gymnasium for senior photos. People who were my age.
I’m 59 now. I coach CrossFit. I hike trails and run 50Ks. I’m a Precision Nutrition coach and have my Pain-Free Performance Specialist certification, which means I spend a LOT of time thinking about how movement supports health, longevity, and quality of life.
But this hit me differently.
Because while they are gone… I’m out here doing burpees and handstand push-ups.
And I’ll be honest, there’s a little bit of survivor’s guilt in that.
But then I realized something important:
If you’re reading this, you’re doing the things.
You’re showing up. You’re moving. You’re protecting your healthspan, the number of years you get to live with quality, strength, independence, and presence.
And that’s something to celebrate.
But we all know someone who isn’t doing that.
A parent.
A friend.
A coworker.
Someone who is quietly sliding into pain, stiffness, sedentary habits, or “this is just what aging feels like.”
It doesn’t have to be that way.
We can extend healthspan.
We can improve movement quality.
We can add more strong, capable, joyful years.
Not by chasing a perfect workout or a perfect diet — but by simply beginning, and then continuing.
So here’s my ask:
Reach out to someone you care about.
Tell them they don’t have to go it alone.
Tell them they don’t have to “already be fit.”
Tell them it’s not too late.
Tell them starting today is enough.
Even one small step, a walk, a class, a coaching session, a conversation, could change the course of their life.
We don’t get to choose how long we’re here.
But we do get some say in the quality of the years we have.
And we can help the people we love have more good years too.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for being here. Thanks for showing up.
See you in the gym and out on the trail.
— Jonathan, 59-year-old CrossFit & PPSC Coach