It's a fact that the United States has the highest percentage of clinically obese people of any nation in the world. Do you know why? Because we are lazy. I mean really frickin' lazy...
I used to work out in a gym on the second floor of a building. I would watch people spend 45 minutes on the stairmaster and then take the elevator down one floor to the street. The stairs are right next to the elevator. These same people would then unwrap their energy bar and drop the wrapper on the ground on their way out. The trash can was 10 feet from the door.
I walk to work. I do it every day. It takes me 10 minutes. I have tried driving to work and it takes me 20 minutes with all the traffic. Walking is faster and I'm not paying for the extra gas. Yet people still look at me like I have 3 heads when I tell them that I walk to work.
When I was a child, my mother always used to cook us dinner. Always. Sometimes it was creamed dog barf on a stick, but she cooked for us. Nowadays most people either order in food or stop by the drive-thru on their way home from work. We had that growing up too, but it was a rare treat once every few months, not 3-4 times or more per week...and we drank milk with dinner, not soda.
I was just in the grocery store where some old, fat guy in one of those "personal scooters" took out an entire display, items rolling all over the floor. These scooters are everywhere, and I would venture a guess that less than 50% of the people who ride these things actually have a medical reason to. You know what? You wouldn't have as many problems with your knees if you lost the extra 250 pounds you're carrying around and actually walked once in a while.
Over the past 20 years or so, the number of frivolous lawsuits has become simply overwhelming. I mean hey, why actually work for a living when you can stick a dismembered finger in a cup of chili and sue a huge corporation for millions of dollars so you can spend the rest of your life sitting on the couch eating potato chips and getting fat? Either that or burn yourself with a cup of coffee and claim it was their fault for not informing you that your hot coffee was indeed actually hot.
Americans eat. I mean really eat. Our portion sizes are nearly twice that of Europe. All-you-can-eat buffets. "Hungry Man" dinners. Super-sizing. We eat, and eat, and pack on the pounds. Then you try to lose the weight. Do you go to the gym? No. Do you take daily walks? No. Do you take up Yoga? No. Do you order some magic diet pill that you saw on a late-night infomercial while sitting on the couch downing a half-gallon of Haagen-Dazs? YES!! Look people, magic pills don't exist. If you want to lose weight there's only one thing you can do, lower your caloric intake and get some exercise. You're going to have to get off your fat ass and actually do something. Period.
If we don't change our mindset as a nation, our children will face shorter life spans and unhealthier, unhappier lives. Turn off the TV. Unplug your kid's video game system. Go out and take a walk. Take the stairs. Exercise releases endorphines. Endorphines make you feel happy. Happy people live longer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Well put. When I first lost so much of my post-accident weight a couple years ago (still a war I'm fighting), I kept getting the perpetual question... "What's your secret??", expecting I had one. I was usually met with cross looks when I said, "Just the common sense things- eating well and finally able to really exercise again. Sorry, no magic secret!". I still get a lot of odd looks that I cook so much, too, when it's mostly just for myself and not to "impress" anyone (oy vey-- this attitude still exists??).
I was saddened, actually, when I was just overseas. I saw a lot of really huge portions. Our affect has spread. Much of the time I was in England, I couldn't even eat half of what was served to me (nor would I want to try). Most entrees were at least big enough for two.
BTW- got your message. Glad you liked the book :) I've had late nights all week. Today I was even working out of town, but there and back in a day. I'll try and give a call this weekend & maybe we can catch up.
AMEN PRAISE JESUS (says the chior). Granted I'm on the far other extreme of the spectrum from slovenly, but people always ask me how i do it and when I tell them how i eat and how much I work out they look at me like I'm nuts (don't say it Bolt). They want the results, they want the look (usually the strength doesnt seem to be a consideration) but they don;t want to work for it.
Granted I'm a bit extreme in my workouts and training, but people who ask me about it dont seem to even want to put in the basic things. They want to eat pizza all day sit on their butts, drink beer all the time and just magically look like a fitness model or the cover boy on mens health! It's our instant gratification society, no one needs to work for what they want it should be handed to them and no sacrifices or determination of any type should be required, and most dont know how to handle the reality that personal fitness just doesnt work that way.
Happy people live longer.
Cartoons, naps, beer, and pizza make me happy.
Therefore, if I load up on these things, I should live forever, right?
As usual, Kingfisher completely misses the point...
Post a Comment