Why Grandma Didn’t Need a Gym (and Why You Do)

I hear this all the time from clients and patients: You’re feeling amazing, sleeping better, maybe even down a few pounds because you’ve finally started enjoying the gym. You’re proud of yourself. Then you show up at a family function or work event, and without fail someone pipes up with:

“Well, my grandparents never needed a gym, and they were just fine.”

But that idea is more than a little flawed.

Here’s the reality: we live in a world where everything is handed to us with the swipe of a screen. Groceries? Delivered. Dinner? DoorDash. New clothes? Two clicks and they’re at your door tomorrow. Though you may have to buy an increasingly bigger size with too much Door Dash. We can run our entire lives without ever leaving the couch—unless it’s to grab the Amazon box off the porch.

Our grandparents didn’t have gyms… because their whole life was a gym. They chopped wood to stay warm. They walked to stores. They grew, harvested, canned, and cooked their own food. They cleaned, hauled, built, and fixed things by hand. Calories were burned by surviving, not by swiping.

Now, compare that to today: Most people sit at a desk for 8–12 hours, maybe stand in one place for a shift, grab takeout because they’re “too tired” from staring at a screen all day, and then go home to… scroll different screens. And even if you do have an active job, the reality is that you are likely not as active as that job was a few years ago. Our lifestyle is the definition of sedentary. No wonder obesity and chronic disease are skyrocketing.

That’s why we go to the gym. We have to be intentional about movement now. Lifting weights, getting our steps in, pushing our bodies—it’s not optional if you want to thrive. Muscle loss (fancy word: sarcopenia) starts around age 30–35. Translation? That muscle you built in your younger years? It’s literally evaporating unless you fight for it.

Exercise isn’t just about looking good. It’s about keeping your joints working, your bones strong, your mood stable, your energy up, and your body capable of doing the things you want to do—travel, play with grandkids, carry groceries without huffing and puffing.

So you’ve got two choices: Blend in with the crowd, shrug your shoulders, and pretend you don’t “need” to exercise—until your body proves you wrong. Or stand up for your health, your future self, and do the work now so you can actually enjoy your life later.

Grandma didn’t need a gym. You do. So enjoy your amazon and social media, but take your self out for a walk.