156. What are you waiting for?

The older I become the more I ask myself and others this question.  What are you waiting for? 

It is the beginning of the year and for god’s sake the year is 2020 and 2020 implies clear vision so let’s not waste it. 

I know, I know you are waiting for something but that something will never come.  School is in the way, injury is in the way, your spouse doesn’t support, you are too old or too young, you are too busy with a job or too busy finding a job.  It is too cold outside.  I get it. 

I was reading an article on American obesity this morning and it made me laugh.  The next article was on how fewer Americans than ever before can pass the physical screening test to enter the military; that made cry. 

So, are you telling me the American public with all the money and opportunity and free access to how to be healthy is worse than ever before?  Is that what you are telling me?

I hope that got your attention like it did mine.

Hey this is a new year so let’s all start where we are and get after health.  Here is why.  Because you can.  Because your body and your health are the only things that follow you to the grave and the only thing you personally have complete ownership of.

If you are a young kid between 13 and 18, here is what I suggest you can do every day, whether your school supports recess or gym or doesn’t for some odd reason, do 20 push-ups a day, 20 sit-ups, and 20 squats every single day.  You don’t need any money or equipment or support and can do these exercises in your room.  If you are really bold make sure you run, jog, or walk for 1 mile a day.  Stop eating refined sugar even though all your friends do it and it takes really good.  Point is that sugar makes you fat a lazy.  The choice is yours.  Make a good one.

Opposite end of the age spectrum where all the money is wasted due to neglect.  If you cannot stand for some reason due to bad knees or injured hips than put the remote in your hand and do as many bi-cep curls as you can, even if you can only do 10 your life will change if you do these every day.  If you cannot get up, then tighten and loosen your belly muscles until you are warm, and they are tired.  Move your shoulders around in circles until they are warm.  I know they are stiff, and you feel old and broken but get to it what are you waiting for.  Finally, drink more water even if you are on diuretics. Don’t waste away by none action and bad eats. 

The next group reflects the group in the obesity article.  Men and women between 35-60 are fatter and in worse health than ever before.  I don’t think that is true.  I actually think the author was trying the meet a deadline to get paid.  Yet, peeps, you all have nothing but excuses as to why you are not healthy.  You are the one buying food and have the job you chose.  If you are parents than you kids are watching and so are your grand kids.  Drink 10 glasses of water a day. I dare you to be that healthy.  I dare you.  I further dare you to go to the gym or outside and workout for an hour a day doing anything that raises your heart rate to 140 beats a minute.  Same as youth, do push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.  What are you waiting for?  Or sit there and get fat and do nothing.

The final group is the oddest group of all.  18-35 years old.  If you dedicated 90 minutes a day to your health and what you eat you would be responsible to changing the world.  Your health costs would disappear.  Insurance companies would hate you.  Doctors would lose money if you as a group just worked out 90 minutes a day.  It takes no money and little time to actually work out for 90 minutes and drink 10 glasses of water.  20% of this age group does this on a daily basis. 

So what are you really waiting for to be healthy?  Is an injury the invite you want?  Is the next size up the awakening?  If a heart attack is needed there is one coming your way.  Are you missing going on that adventure trip with kids or family because you just cannot anymore?  Is that the kick in the pants needed?

Take care of yourself every day.  Don’t want for this crap people call motivation.  Motivation is crap.  Just go do it.  Don’t wait for the pain to go away.  No professional athlete or in-shape person anywhere is without pain on a daily basis.  I cannot recall a day in the past 30 years when something didn’t hurt.  Just get to it even if you limp or go slow or look bad.  Do it.

The longer you wait the further you get away from your health and the person you could be so get to it now. 

Don’t make it complex or emotional or heavy or any non-sense.  Do whatever it takes to work out and stretch and drink fluid for at least 90 minutes a day.  You don’t even have to worry about diet just get to it.