I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what our bodies remember. Not memories in the traditional sense. I’m talking about receipts. Whether we like it or not, our bodies are keeping them. That knee you’ve been ignoring for the past three years? Receipt.

Five hours of sleep every night because you insist you “function fine” on it? Receipt.

Sitting down all day, barely moving, then wondering why everything feels stiff when you stand up? Another receipt.

Before this starts sounding like I’m threatening you with old age, hear me out. Your body keeps the good receipts too. Every walk, strength session or bit of mobility work counts. So does choosing to move your body when the workout wasn’t particularly exciting, impressive or Instagram-worthy. It all adds up.

For years, so much of the conversation around fitness has been about how we look. We want to lose the belly, build the glutes, drop a dress size or get ready for the wedding, reunion or vacation.

Listen, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look good. I like my clothes fitting nicely, too. The older I get, and the longer I work in fitness, the more interested I become in what our bodies can do.

Think about the everyday things we probably take for granted right now. Getting down on the floor and back up again. Carrying groceries. Putting a suitcase in the overhead compartment. Climbing a flight of stairs without reaching the top and pretending you only stopped because you needed to check your phone.

What about travelling comfortably, exploring somewhere new or simply being able to keep up with your children and grandchildren? That one has become much more personal for me now.

I have three chocolates now, and one of the greatest joys for me is that my body allows me to actually play with them. I can run around with them, race them (and yes, I can still beat them), wrestle with them, get down on the floor with the baby and generally join in with whatever madness is happening at the time.

They don't care what I weigh while I'm doing it. They don't care what size my clothes are or whether I have visible abs (although they love to shake my belly). They just know Mommy can play.

There is something about that which has changed the way I look at fitness.

Of course, I still have physical goals. I still want to look a certain way and feel good in my clothes. I'm human. But having children has given me another reason to take care of my body. I don't just want to be around as they grow up. I want to be able to participate.

I want to be the mother who can still jump in, run around, travel with them and embarrass them by thinking I can still do everything I did when I was younger.

That is fitness, too. I’d argue that’s some of the most important fitness there is.

We spend a lot of our younger years training for the body we want now, without giving much thought to the body we are going to need later.

Later comes quietly. You don’t wake up one morning suddenly “old.” There’s no notification on your phone saying, “Congratulations! Today is the day your muscle mass, balance and mobility officially matter!”

It happens gradually, which means what we do now matters gradually, too.

That’s one of the reasons I’m such a big believer in strength training. Everybody doesn’t need to become a powerlifter or spend their life chasing heavier numbers. Strength is simply useful.

Being able to push, pull, squat, hinge, carry and control your own body has applications far beyond the gym. Cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, mobility and balance matter for the same reason. These aren't just things we work on or test during a workout. They're things we use to live.

Perhaps that's where we need to change the conversation around exercise.

Instead of only asking, “What do I want my body to look like?”, we should probably spend a little more time asking, “What do I want my body to still be able to do as I get older?”

If you're reading this thinking you should have started years ago, don't waste another minute beating yourself up about old receipts. You can't change those, but you can start collecting some new ones.

Take better care of the body you have today. Move it. Challenge it. Let it recover. Feed it properly. None of it has to be perfect, and you certainly don't have to overhaul your entire life by Monday morning.

Just start paying attention to the receipts you're collecting now, because one day you're going to need to cash them in.

Happy Wednesday, FitFam. As usual, remain unapologetic about your entire fitness and wellness journey, stay true to yourself and always be honest with your efforts. Train today for the life you still want to be living tomorrow.

• Dre Hinds is a personal trainer, aerobic and yoga instructor and fitness “addict” with more than 20 years’ experience. She specialises in nutrition, weight and sprint training, operating out of HindsSight Fitness and Wellness at the Berkeley Cultural Centre. Contact her at absbydre@gmail.com or on 599-6683. Find her on Facebook, X and Instagram under @Absbydre