What Would You Do if Your Life Depended on It?

Yesterday at the gym, I witnessed something that left a deep impression on me. A gentleman was performing a series of functional exercises, and one of them caught my attention. He was in a plank position, reaching across his body to grab a kettlebell with one hand, moving it to the other side, and repeating the movement with the opposite hand.

It was a challenging exercise—one that many might overlook or underestimate. Yet, as I watched him, a thought struck me. How often do we observe something unfamiliar and dismiss it as odd or unnecessary? Someone unfamiliar with fitness might see this man and think, “What a strange thing to do.”

But then, my mind wandered further. I imagined a post-apocalyptic scenario where survival depended on movements like this one. I envisioned a group of soldiers under pressure, their lives hanging in the balance, performing a task eerily similar to this exercise: moving a heavy object back and forth, tirelessly, without question. In that moment, the exercise didn’t seem strange or meaningless at all—it seemed vital. Life-saving, even.

And that made me wonder: What would happen if, one day, your survival depended on something like this? Would you have the strength and stamina to endure? Would you live, or would you perish?

The truth is, our ego and our assumptions can often play tricks on us. What seems pointless or strange to one person could be essential to another. This is why I’ve made it a rule to never judge someone’s workout, especially if they’re doing it well. You never know the purpose or value behind their efforts. But I also thought about those who do nothing at all for their physical health. If they found themselves in a life-or-death scenario requiring strength, endurance, or resilience, could they survive?

It’s a sobering question.

The lesson I took from watching this man is that sometimes, to change our habits—or even our mindset—we need to face a difficult truth. We need to ask ourselves:

If your life depended on doing what you need to do today, would you survive? Or would you perish?

For me, I’m grateful to this stranger for the unintentional lesson. From now on, I’m going to incorporate this movement into my routine as if my life depended on it. Because, in a way, it does.

Let this be a reminder: take care of your body, push your limits, and prepare yourself for the unknown. You never know when the strength you build today might save your life tomorrow.