There is a video with a life lesson in it floating around for years on the internet. In front of his class, a teacher has a jar and begins to fill it to the top with golf balls.

Then, he is able to add in pebbles which fall into the voids left by the golf balls. Then, he tops the entire jar off completely full by putting in sand, which again, fills in any void left by the former.

The point? The golf balls represent the most important things in life. These include your family, friends, health, religion and your passions. The pebbles represent other important things like job, car, home. The sand is all the other stuff in life that doesn’t mean as much. The jar is your life…it is filled with these things.

But, if you put the sand in the jar first, there is no room in your jar for the important things. If the sand is in the jar first, you can’t fit in the golf balls.

If you don’t prioritize the most important things in your life, they won’t “fit” into that life and they will suffer.

I see this all the time as a physical therapist visiting people in their homes.

To me, the most important golf ball is your health. If you do not have your health, you have nothing. And the thing that I teach, and maybe even “preach,” is that your ability to move comfortably is so closely related to your overall health, that we need to prioritize that the most…that’s the golf ball that needs to be put before all other things if you want to have a life full of joyful experiences.

Your overall health is better when you are able to move freely and comfortably.

Did you know that the ability to get down into a squatted position is directly tied to your mortality?

If you can get into a squat, you are likely to live longer than your peers who cannot. Imagine that. There are other correlations between mobility and longevity but just trust me in saying that you need to move. It’s that simple.

You need to move. Your heart and lungs with function better. Your bones and joints and muscles will feel better and be there for you when you need them…like doing stairs or simply going shopping without falling. Your mood and mental acuity will be better.

Heck, even your skin benefits from movement - you will look so pretty. It’s just science people.

There is actually evidence in societies like ours that when people stop working abruptly, as in retirement, that the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets. I see this regularly in my patients. Why? Because you move way less in retirement unless you know you need to prioritize the movement and health golf ball.

The ability to move freely and comfortably means taking care of your body. Reminds me of the religion of the Seventh Day Adventist.

I have zero awareness of the religion of the Seventh Day Adventist, but I know they have a life expectancy that is 10 years longer than the average American. Why? One of their basic tenets is that they cherish the body that is on loan from God. No smoking, no alcohol, or sweets.

They get plenty of exercise and eat very well. I’m not advocating for you to convert but it is quite interesting that they can gain an additional ten years of life by following that simple focus.

Imagine having an extra 3650 days available to enjoy. And since they prioritize movement and exercise, I’m sure most of those days are joyful.

So, as I always do, I strongly suggest you get out there and get moving. If you are sitting for an hour, get up and move and do extra standing, walking, squatting, stairs, jumping, pushing, pulling, skipping, whatever it is that you can do, do it and repeat.

Perhaps golf might be something to consider?

Be well and do well!

Joel J. Digris is a Schuylkill County resident with a master’s degree in physical therapy. He is currently employed by Achieva Rehabilitation as an outpatient provider of physical therapy and serves residents in Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties.

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