Picture taken from: http://www.tensionnot.com/pictures/images/Amazing/Fat-And-Skinny-Comparison.jpg
So often we talk about motivation on this blog. We talk about understanding how to motivate the human condition and how to get back to the roots of what we we are designed to do... move. Often we talk about here at FTF how our "competition" is not another gym, a "globo" gym or even another form of exercise. But we discuss how the fundamental challenge we are facing right now IS the human condition. Many of you may shun this article off as another coach trying to ward off obesity and may even look at it as not an important message. But those of you who read it and get touched by even ONE THING that is presented here.. I hope you share the message. This is more about us as a collective than any one individual. I will not present numbers here, because I don't care about what percent causes what percent. I just know we have challenged the human condition and it is time to take a stand and start moving our condition!
You see, I saw an advertisement on TV for a television special coming up about the weight of our world.. in other words.. how we have become such an obese society. I am here tonight with a different message, still maybe one of motivation and hope, but on a more serious note tonight, one of change. I am writing and asking those of you who do NOT move the human body and exist in the condition in which we were truly designed to exist that you ask yourself "Why don't I?".
We live in a dangerous society today. We live in times where it is economically more sound to eat crap than it is to cook healthy. It has come down to where grass fed food is usually a lot more expensive than hormone produced and processed foods. It is "easier" for our busy lifestyles to go grab a pizza, go to a fast food joint on the way home and not deal with "cooking". Families are so busy today there is no way we can keep up with all of the activities we want to be involved in or the stuff we want to accomplish. The biggest challenge is we live in a society of instant gratification. This means if I am hungry, I must eat now. If I am sad, i must feel better now. If I have a weight problem.. I must take a pill or have bariatric surgery . If I can't sleep, I must take a pill. If I'm tired I must have an energy drink. so on and so forth.
The challenge is that we are destroying the human condition and forgetting to tell the body to do what it is supposed to do. Our hunger centers are messed up because of insulin resistance, dehydration, high fructose corn syrup, sweeteners that "trick the brain". Our sleep centers don't know what to do because we drink 3 energy drinks a day and live on caffiene and uppers, have lights on 24 hours a day and don't try to "manage" our sleep. Our thirst center is messed up because we haven't had "real liquids" in several days. Obesity, diabetes, cancer, abdominal fat, intrabdominal fat, pancreatitis, all interlinked due to our unhealthy lifestyles. We are poisoning the human condition on a daily basis through the choices we make.
What kills me even more is NOT that adult obesity is rampant, because I KNOW that most of that is personal choice, but when I see a 10 year old kid who doesn't want to play outside with their friends because they are obese, or I see a lack of concern from a parent for feeding their kid "clean-ish" food (I have three kids so i know it can be challenging to get them to eat clean ALL the time) Or i see the 2 year old who already weighs 75-95 lbs and will never be able to get out of that lfiestyle, it drives me absolutely NUTS! When I heard that childhood obesity rates were over 18% now (maybe even higher) , I literally want to cry. Because our kids are setting the tone for the future. It reminded me of the movie "Wall-E" in which no one interacts with each other except via a little screen and they all drove around on little carts drinking their meals and becoming large!
We are a product of our society to a point. But at this point, it now comes down to personal choice. Here is the way i see it. We all have 24 hours in a day. What we do with that 24 hours will largely be dictated by factors beyond our control such as work, kids, family, etc. HOWEVER when we realize the choices we make when we talk about how we treat our body are affecting our mood, our exhaustion, our happiness, our relationships, it all becomes about what we CHOOSE to make happen. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am as a coach and gets to work in a gym 8-12 hours per day, I know. But for those of you who ARE coaches, have you ever trained for 8-12 hours and the LAST thing you want to do is hit that WOD, or cook something healthy. Why do you do it? Because you make a CHOICE to continue the human condition you have come to know.
Here's the challenge I am throwing out to all of you who are reading this right now. What if you took one step outside of the normal today. What if instead of having soda with lunch you switched to iced tea today. What if those who are 85% Paleo, try the paleo zone today? What if those who never work out, go out for a walk at lunch today? What if those who work out 3 times a day, change it up and try a NEW sport today. What would happen?
I urge you to evaluate YOUR lifestyle. I am not writing tonight to get you to come check out your local gym (although that would be a HUGE thing to do for your health). I am here to urge you tonight to take just ONE step towards a healthier lifestyle. Start small and work big. Each day, make small adjustments to your overall lifestyle and pretty soon, it has become who you are and what you live for. One never knows until they try. I know it's hard, trust me, I do live it on a daily basis. But your body will thank you later! Start changing your human condition today. Get in and get moving!Thanks to CF Impulse for this picture. Very cool representation of moving the human body!
Coach K side-note:
For more information on how to obtain results through a physical fitness and nutrition program, contact your local facility. We at FTF would be happy to get you on the path towards YOUR fitness goals and lifestyle changes today! Let our members speak for themselves as you contact them through facebook and other social media.
Please, if you are new to an exercise program ensure you speak to your doctor prior to engaging in physical activity. Our programs are designed to be scalable to ALL fitness levels and help you achieve the results you desire. We at FTF want to ensure we are helping you continue down a safe and healthy path towards your goals.
