No, I am not talking about a place for religious services, but your physical vessel. Its importance is undeniable, but there is a disconnect between our awareness and our actions, given our country’s obesity epidemic and sedentary lifestyles.
I am here to encourage wellness, not to fat-shame the wide-bodied or exalt chiseled fitness influencers. In an effort not to offend, society accepts and sometimes glorifies (My Big Fat Fabulous Life) avoidable obesity. It is not only the obese; an increasing percentage of the overweight describe themselves as “about right.”
These trends are as disturbing as the previous generation’s obsession with stick-thin models. We have replaced them in our advertisements with people representative of our current population, the overweight. Of course, obesity is a condition with multiple contributing factors that I will address next week.
The True Objective
We often think about fitness in terms of turning heads at a pool party or the appearance of our derrieres in a dress rather than contributing to a fulfilling life.
Living independently as long as possible, exploring far-off tourist destinations, and playing with your grandchildren is much more fulfilling than creating Herculean biceps or enduring sweaty Peloton workouts (that can serve a purpose apart from good wellness).
As with any endeavor, your “why” is the most significant contributor to your desire and resulting actions. The discipline to say yes to exercise and no to rotting on the couch is much easier when I view these choices as staying home, roaming Lisbon’s steep streets or strapping on the harness with my granddaughters at the climbing gym.
For those who view retirement or grandchildren as too distant, what you do today lays the foundation for what you can do then. Fortunately, your current condition is not permanent; with the right action, you can create a remarkable before-and-after story.
The Roadblocks
Too Much. Our idealized version of well-being is often too challenging and left unpursued. We should set a high bar, but we must avoid the unnecessary, soul-crushing standard that stifles action. Since you understandably will not put forth the effort to achieve washboard abs, you do not perform a single sit-up.
Too Slow. The negligible, almost imperceptible progress of a wellness improvement program can be so disappointing that you cease working towards your objective. Your frustration that you can only lift ten pounds after a month causes you to stop going and deny yourself the skeletal benefit of lifting 25-pound dumbbells in twelve months. Rather than patiently receiving the cumulative reward from consistent effort, you resign yourself to no improvement or further degradation.
Some compensate with an ambitious jumpstart, such as a crash diet or training for a marathon. However, even if accomplished, the practices are typically unsustainable. Starting low and slow is more likely to create a habit that delivers enduring results.
Temporary. Most have followed a diet that resulted in significant weight loss. Unfortunately, diets are usually temporary programs with equally temporary results. Once the diet stops or you wean yourself off the Ozempic needle, almost all find the weight they lost and more.
Note. We frequently use body weight as a measure of well-being, but it is unreliable since there are waifs who cannot walk up a flight of stairs and heavy weight-lifters with low body fat percentages.
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Wellness is not about vanity, but the physical ability to do what is important to us. With the right mindset and a measure of discipline, we can pursue and obtain good physical well-being. We will explore the elements and process in the coming weeks.
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Personal Note. Last year, I lamented the brutal consequences of my mom’s disregard for her well-being. This year, I lament the friend, 150 pounds overweight, who succumbed to a condition likely made fatal by his obesity.
