I was probably at my best, health wise in 1976 when I graduated from college. I went to a military college with lots of marching, and running. I swam for 30 minutes every day at lunch for one semester, and I was on the crew team (rowing) for most of my four years on campus. That involved lots of weightlifting and running and rowing for lots of miles. No pain, no gain was more than just a cute phrase, it was a lifestyle. My life was defined in those days by movement and action, but that all changed with graduation.
My first job after graduation was in outside sales. That didn't require much from me physically. Just driving around in several states, getting in and out of a company car and talking with potential clients every day. I was still moving, but a little slower.
Have you noticed that the higher up the ladder we move in the business world the less demands there are on us physically. Managers manage, workers work and everyone wants to move up. Now, as we move up the ladder our stress increases while our physical activity decreases. While we are slowing down our weight increases and our cholesterol goes up. How many hours does the average american spend on a recliner with a remote control in our hand?
Then we started having children and instead of moving around I had to watch other little people while they moved around. Instead of playing football, or basketball, I began to just watch the NFL or the NBA on television. Instead of doing things to get my adrenaline going, I began to watch things to get that same shot of adrenaline. As we slow down it becomes harder to keep moving. As we grow older we start to have more aches and pains. How many people do you know who have back pain on a regular basis? Doctors have told me that most back pain is caused by us carrying an extra 20 pounds that hangs over our belt buckle. This creates a continual pull on the small of our back that eventually turns into pain. If we would lose the extra 20 we would also lose the back pain.
A few years back we owned a very old horse that had lived a hard life, and hadn't always been treated well. His name was Doc and we loved him. Older horses often suffer from arthritis and have a lot of pain in their joints. Movement becomes painful and so they slow down gradually and eventually quit moving almost entirely. We talked to our veterinarian and discovered that the best thing to do for this sweet old horse was to ride him every day. Keep him moving on a regular basis and he will have less pain, and better health.
This medical advice is good for people as well. If we keep moving on a regular basis we will have less pain, and better health. You don't have to start out trying to run a marathon, but you do have to start. The main reason most of us don't exercise regularly is because we never start. As I write this right now I am at the gym for 1.5-2 hours a day 5 days a week, but I didn't start there.
I started out several years ago with a 12 minute walk at least 3 days a week. In a few weeks that grew to a 20 and then 30 minute walk 4 days a week. For many years of my life I would occasionally decide I needed to get in shape so I would make a resolution to start a daily running program. It would usually last one or two days and then I would quit. Too much pain. Does this pattern sound way too familiar?
We forget the important lesson we all learn when we are 12-14 months old, and that is that we have to learn to walk before we can run. I am still exercising regularly because walking didn't cause me so much pain that I wanted to quit. After we start moving the next lesson we learn is to keep moving. It's not what we do occasionally that shapes our lives. It's what we do every day. Small changes over a long period of time eventually produce big results. Walking for 12 minutes 3 days a week has produced a massive improvement of my health.
So put down the remote control, and get out of your recliner. Instead of watching other people use their bodies, let's use our own. A little more than a week ago Cindi and I got on our bicycles and rode for about 2 miles. It was fun, refreshing and it felt good. Nowadays I always feel better after I exercise. A workout doesn't scare me, it excites me because I am getting stronger, healthier, lighter, and thinner every week.
I still have a long way to go while I fight off Parkinson's disease, and the effects of recent bypass surgery, but I am doing better than I have in a long time. I want to live a lot more years and have the opportunity to be deeply involved in the lives of my grandchildren. I want to make my part of this world a better place and have a positive impact on a lot of people so I have to be healthy.
One of the keys to a long life is to keep moving on a regular basis. You don't have to climb a mountain, or ride a bicycle in the Tour de France, but you have to keep moving. Don't let your life continue to get slower and slower until you finally stop. My grandfather was still taking a daily walk of over a mile with my grandmother well into his 90's.
You have to start somewhere so get started today. Do something that you can do without pain in the beginning so that you don't quit. Then do it regularly and eventually build up to 5-6 days a week. It doesn't have to be the same thing every day. Variety is good, and keeps you from boredom.
So start moving, and then keep moving. You'll have more energy, more fun, and you will live a happier, healthier, longer life.
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