Most adults do not fear getting older. They fear losing independence. That is the day your body starts voting “no” on normal life. Walking through an airport without your joints barking. Getting up off the floor without a plan. Trusting your balance on an icy sidewalk. Carrying groceries in one trip. Lifting a suitcase overhead. Climbing stairs without feeling wrecked. That is not “just aging.” That is the day your body becomes the limiting factor in your life.

Adults should train with a simple goal: to stay capable for decades. It’s not about getting in shape, or sweating or chasing a number on a scale or steps on your watch. Make training for real life your goal. That’s where the idea of the Independence Decathlon comes in.

Longevity physician Peter Attia focuses on health span, not just lifespan. In his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, Attia makes a simple case. Do not train for short-term goals like summer. Train for your last good decade, the decade where you still want to move, travel, play, carry things, and live on your own terms.

Attia calls it the “Centenarian Decathlon.” The concept is straightforward. Choose the real-world tasks you want to be able to do in your final decade, then work backward to build the strength and capacity you will need. He calls this “back casting.” The logic is hard to argue with. Your brain and ambition may still be strong at 70, but if your body cannot support your life, your world gets smaller.

Here is a practical version I call the Independence Decathlon. These 10 abilities tell you whether your training is preparing you for real life.
Hike one to two miles on uneven ground. Think of trails, hills, vacations, hunting, and long walks.

• Get up off the floor using no more than one arm for support.
• Pick up a 30-pound child, or an awkward object, from the floor.
• Carry grocery bags for several blocks.
• Lift a suitcase overhead.
• Balance on one leg for 30 seconds.
• Climb several flights of stairs without getting crushed.
• Open a stubborn jar.
• Jump rope, or hop and skip, for 30 seconds.
• Move well enough to enjoy an active sex life.

If that list made you think, “I am not sure I could do all of that,” good. That is not a reason to feel bad. It is a reason to pay attention. Awareness creates action. For the biggest return on your training time, the cornerstone is strength. Not strength for ego. Strength for function. When people lose independence, it is rarely because they did not stretch enough. It is because they do not have enough strength reserve to handle normal life. Stairs become a problem. Knees and hips start dictating decisions. Picking things up feels risky. Falls become catastrophic instead of inconvenient.

Strength gives you margin. And margin is everything. Here is a money analogy that lands with a lot of people. Strength training is compound interest for your body. Every session is a deposit. Consistency is your monthly contribution. Gradually getting stronger is the growth rate. Mobility and joint care are risk management. Independence later is the retirement payoff. The earlier you start, the more the compounding works in your favor.
The goal is not to “work out.” The goal is to stay capable, so you can keep doing what you love, on your terms, for decades.