Strength of Unity

I’m not a big numbers or stat guy, but when the numbers are this big (and continue to trend upward) I had to take notice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) released an article in January of this year stating that in 2009-2010, 35.7% of American adults were considered obese. If that doesn’t grab your attention, this next stat might: 17% of America’s youth were considered obese in that same year.  Okay just so we are crystal clear:

In 2009-2010, 35.7% of adults and 17% of youths living in the United States of America were considered obese.

Now do you believe that this is a real epidemic!?! Ladies and gentleman, these stats are not from the 1980’s, 1990’s or even ten years ago … they are less than five years old. That is extremely frightening to me. We are slowly killing ourselves with being overweight. But that is only the beginning …

What are the major causes?

There are several underlying reasons why our society is getting larger each year. And because of these reasons, it’s extremely difficult for medical professionals to pinpoint one specific cause. This isn’t a black and white issue, rather one that remains in the grey causing much debate and frustration for many people. What we do know is that environment, genetics, nutrition and lack of physical activity do have vital roles in determining if a person becomes obese. To a certain degree, we can combat all of the above mentioned reasons, even genetics.

The consequences of not trying to combat obesity are severe, not only for the obese but all of us. Just some of the risks associated with obesity:

·         Diabetes

·         Heart Disease

·         Cancer

·         Stroke

·         High Blood Pressure

And the economic impact is even greater. Consider that medical costs associated with obesity may include (but not limited to): preventive, diagnostic and treatment services; loss of income due to disability & restricted activity.

Our Role in Society’s Future

Many of you reading this post already are established fitness freaks, workout warriors, trainers and coaches. Some of you are just beginning your journey towards a better tomorrow. For this, I applaud you for making a healthy decision. It isn’t an easy path to follow all the time, but it is extremely rewarding and beneficial.

Our place in society should not be at the forefront to lead, but in the middle. We are not here to ridicule, put down, make fun of, or anything of that ilk. Instead, we can encourage, praise, help, motivate, inspire and transform. If we try to lead from the front, everyone else has to play catch up to us. There are those who already believe fitness and health are daunting, we don’t need to add to these situations. That is why I say we need to lead from the middle. Its there, we can create the most positive change in our society.  We have an abundant mixture of all experiences, ages, and views from this vantage point. We can help society move towards a healthier, better tomorrow from the middle.  From the middle, we can reach many more people, building a network of thousands for a healthier tomorrow. But we cannot do this alone … …

Strength of Unity

We must act as one. It doesn’t matter what affiliation you have with whichever company. It doesn’t matter if you workout at Gold’s Gym or in your living room. I don’t care if you use whey protein from Optimum Nutrition, take a pre-workout from BPI, use CLA and buy it all from GNC. If you prefer Herbalife over Shakeology. Your favorite trainer is Jericho McDuffie, Jillian Michaels, or Richard Simmons. P90X, TAP OUT, RIPPED, or BodyBeast. All this does matter … and it doesn’t. It does because you are remaining strong, lean and healthy. It doesn’t if we don’t come together for the great good of this planet. There are times when personal agendas and goals need to be set aside. Moments of crisis have defined our world just as much as moments of triumph. I believe we are in the thick of a health crisis that, if not attended to, could lead to an even larger epidemic in the very near future.

There is a dire need for us to come together and take the fight to obesity. Not as individuals, but together as a force of one. We need to set aside company beliefs, mission statements and the like to unite under one banner, under one belief to put a sizable dent in the foothold that obesity has created. We will remain individual yet united to take on obesity … that is our goal, our mission. We need to stand tall and proud on the battlefield so that others may see us, rally around us and contribute with us. Our cause is one not of heart disease, cancer and early death. Rather, its one of renewed hope, confidence, and positive energy for a better tomorrow.



 

One Banner. One Belief. United we stand in the face of adversity. Let all hear our might battlecry as we take down the enemy!!

Andre the Giant, Hannibal and ... Insanity!?!

“The A-Team is proud to help diminish the rampant violence so prevalent in society today.”


To say that Insanity is hard would be a vast understatement. It would be akin to saying that Andre the Giant was only an average sized man. Every single infomercial, every advertisement and every person who has ever tried Insanity knows that its completely nuts, hence the name Insanity. From the very first day, which is a not so easy fit test, Shaun T does what exactly what he promises .... pushes you harder than you've ever been pushed before. But he also encourges, motivates, and instructs with the best of 'em. He doesn't want to break you, but he does want to see you become healthier and stronger.

I made the clossal mistake of thinking that if I could make it through Tony Horton's version of plyometrics in P90X, I could handle Shaun T's version of cardio. Sweet lord, I'll be the first to admit that I was ... dead wrong in every single aspect. My legs, back, knees, and abs were (and still are) hurting. Dude just doesn't let up. Within 20 minutes of starting Plyo Cardio Circuit, I was begging for mercy! I swear that I was within an inch of death ... maybe closer. I don't know about anyone else, but the first time I went thru that routine, I threw up. And I'll tell ya what, those pre-workout supplements taste horrible coming up!

Tonight was attempt #2 at Plyo Cardio Circuit. I had to take less breaks and got farther. I'm baby stepping this program. From week #1, I've still got sore joints and some mild to searing pain in my right foot. Bought new shoes (dude, the last time I bought running/cross trainers was way back in 1997 and shoes have changed dramatically) this past weekend. The new shoes are pretty slick and have helped some, but the pain in my right foot (arch area near the side of the foot) bothers me enough where the higher impact exercises cause me to slow it down. I'm Minnesota stubborn enough to keep pushing but I've also decided to scale Insanity back a touch. Not saying I'm quitting (see big bold word starting with the letter "s" above), instead, I'm going to incorporate parts of Insanity into my P90X routine.

Going forward, I want to alternate days between P90X and Insanity so I get both the intense resistance and intense cardio all during the same week. I'm in the middle of creating a workout routine that will consist of 4 week blocks (4th week will be recover) that vary. One thing I've learned is that muscle confusion is a good thing, you just got to plan it all out. As Hannibal said many times during my childhood, "I love it when a plan comes together." And of course, I'll be blogging about how I'll do the routine here.

Until then ... #TakeOnTheWorld