By Michael Krueger
When something in your life doesn’t go the way that “it should,” do you look for someone or something to blame? Or do you choose to look inside yourself and accept that rather than being a victim of outside forces, you have actually contributed to the particular circumstance that you now find yourself in … and then decide to do something positive about it?
Whose Fault Is It?
My father was a lifelong cigarette smoker. He started while he was in the Army during WWII. They gave them cigarettes as part of their daily ration. Years later, when he was dying from lung cancer, he said the hardest part was knowing that his decision to start smoking–and to continue smoking long after the dangers were obvious–caused his cancer. He didn’t blame anyone but himself.
Now, fewer Americans smoke but instead more are overweight or obese. They eat low-quality food (and lots of it) in a country where high-quality options abound. They are developing diabetes, joint disorders, cancers, and heart disease at an astounding rate. Theater and airplane seats have continued to get wider, and now coffins are being made larger to accommodate the increasing demand for what some in the industry call “double wides”
Most people know that eating excessive calories, salt, sugar, and highly processed carbohydrates are not good choices. High fructose corn syrup is showing up in many processed foods–and not just in the sweet ones, where you would expect to find sugar. Food scientists have found that combining salt and sugar in specific ratios tends to make people eat more of their “product” (note that I didn’t call it “food”) but feel less satisfied. So much for the promise of the old DuPont slogan, “Better Living Through Chemistry.”
Still, whose fault is the obesity epidemic? Who can we blame? It’s the manufacturers’ fault for inventing and producing high-calorie, low-nutrition foods coupled with the advertising industry for making them look so attractive in their ads. Then there is the fast food industry for making eating so darn convenient. Let’s not let the fitness industry off the hook, either, for making wild claims about their miracle exercise and weight loss plans that don’t work as advertised. It’s a conspiracy to get our money without regard for our health and welfare, right?
Well, no, it’s not; at least, not entirely. The manufacturers of processed foods and the fast food industry are just supplying exactly what the consumer wants. You don’t have to eat them; there are plenty of good healthy foods in the meat and produce sections of every grocery store. In a free society such as ours, it’s the responsibility of all individuals to think for themselves and to make their own decisions. This personal freedom is a great privilege, but with it comes the burden of great personal responsibility, and that includes both education and action on your part.
Taking Control
It has been said that 40% of your health outlook and longevity is a crapshoot with 20% owing to your genetics and 20% to luck. The other 60% is lifestyle. I’ll take those odds; I like having nearly 2/3 of the outcome within my control. Besides, even if I didn’t, it’s still the only game in town.
I never liked the term “lifestyle.” It seems too lightweight for all that it really encompasses. It’s actually the sum total of everything you do, eat, and think. When it comes to your health and fitness, it is the only thing you have 100% control over. You can’t do anything about your grandfather dying of a heart attack at 49 or the possibility of you ending your days in a tragic plane crash, but how you live your life on a day to day basis will make the most difference and is completely in your control.
What did you have for lunch today? Did you have lean protein, whole grains, and leafy greens, or did you have a greasy burger, French fries, and a gigantic sugary soda pop? This choice was 100% under your control, and the decision was yours to make. It wasn’t the manufacturers or the ad companies who made your meal or placed your order (or paid for it); it was you. You may have done well choosing or you may have done poorly, but either way you need to accept that you made the choice and really own that decision and the attending consequences.
Recently, studies have shown that a sedentary lifestyle contributes more to increased mortality than pretty much any other lifestyle factor. It is on par with smoking when it comes to diminishing life expectancy, particularly when it is coupled with its contribution to obesity. Most everyone has heard this and the evidence is irrefutable, yet a large number of Americans who sit at work, sit in their car, and take calories in through their car window will come home and sit in front of a computer or TV. Then they wonder why they gain weight and have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lousy endurance, no energy, and low muscle mass.
Often, despite our good intentions, we allow other demands to get in the way of exercise. In your case, it may be a day spent doing fire inspections or equipment maintenance and training, or perhaps you were kept busy all day on calls. These are valid reasons for needing to postpone and reschedule your workout but not to cancel it.
For many people, the choices they are making every day are slowly but surely killing them. For these people, their day-to-day dietary and exercise behaviors are a function of habit, but you must remember that those habits were at one time mindful decisions. They only became auto-responses over time. Unfortunately, we don’t often think of our long-term behaviors as growing from a series of conscious choices; rather, we abrogate our responsibilities and blame our culture or succumb to the negative peer pressure of our social group.
So did you choose to work out for at least 45 minutes today? Did you do a combination of aerobic and strength training exercises, or did you fill your day with minutia and fall asleep with a head full of rationalizations?
Commitment
I don’t like the word “must.” It’s a loaded word that tends to provoke little more than pushback from those to whom it is applied. Still, there are things with regard to my health and fitness that I “must” do, such as eating well and exercising. So I change my perception and prefer to think of those “musts” as freely chosen conscious choices that are undertaken without coercion or compulsion. This is the state of mind that indicates a free and responsible individual, and I like to feel that that describes how I live my life.
Adopting a lifestyle that consistently dedicates a few hours per week to health and fitness is one that gives its greatest rewards to the individual. Sure, all those around you from your family to your department to society at large reap a certain benefit, but the bulk of the reward goes directly to you. You are the one who doesn’t need prescription drugs. You are the one who can hold up his end in any situation, be it work or recreation. You are the one is living to his genetic potential. You are the one who is living life as it was meant to be lived.
Consciously taking responsibility for your actions (or inactions) will allow (or force) you to acknowledge to yourself that you and you alone are to commend (or blame) for your commitment (or lack thereof) to your health and fitness.
It’s your life and your choice. Own it.
Michael Krueger is an NSCA-certified personal trainer. He got his start in fitness training while serving in the United States Coast Guard. He works with firefighters and others in and around Madison, Wisconsin. He is available to fire departments, civic organizations, and athletic teams for training, consulting, and speaking engagements. He has published numerous articles on fitness, health, and the mind-body connection and was a featured speaker at the IAFC’s FRI 2009 Health Day in Dallas, Texas. E-mail him at MKPTLLC@gmail.com.
