Martin Rooney offered me a billion dollars a couple days ago. $1,000,000,000. That's a lot of zeroes that would solve a lot of problems, wouldn't you say? But, there was a catch (of course). In this case, I could have the billion, but I would die in 24 hours. Not a difficult decision for me, I decided to live. My life is worth more than any amount of money. Let me put the question to you, and I'll even make the catch a little less harsh for you. If I was going to give you a billion dollars (by the way, you know it's a buttload of money when it takes less time to spell the amount out than to write out the actual number), but, if you accept it you only have 6 months to live, would you take the money? Of course you wouldn't. And if you would, then now would be the time to go back to facebook and become a "fan" of The 50th Anniversary of the Big Mac! Looking at it as money -vs- life, it's a no-brainer, right? So when this question was put to me, while it was immediately apparent what the response would be, it wasn't immediately apparent what my response meant. Think about it, we've just decided that our lives, the only ones we'll ever have, are worth more than all the money in the world. So why, in many cases, don't we treat it that way? Why are 65% of Americans overweight and 30% obese? Why is the age group between 2 and 5 years old the fastest growing segment of obese people in the country? Why are we dying at an increasing rate from diseases that are avoidable with behavioral changes?
The answer is that we choose to. We choose to die from diseases that didn't exist 100 years ago that are a direct result of poor eating habits and lack of exercise. We choose to be fat. We choose to "let ourselves go". We choose to bring our children to McDonalds and Chuck E Cheese. There is not a person on the planet that thinks McDonalds is a healthy choice. Not a fucking one! But 60 million people per day (PER DAY!), spend $24,000,000,000 (24 Billion!) per year on their swill. And they do it by choice. We choose to be fat, we choose to be out of shape, we choose to allow our 5 year olds to develop Type 2 Diabetes, it's our fault. If you buy a $70,000 dollar Mercedes, you put the best gas in it that you can. Why then, when you just decided that your own life is worth more than a billion dollars, do you pour diet soda and other zero calorie, artifically sweetened drinks into your own body when they leach the calcium from your bones, take the paint off cars, and have been linked to cancers?
At the same time, there are those of us who choose to be fit. That is also our fault. If you're in shape it's your fault. If you eat right, it's your fault. The same way it's a person's choice to take their family to McD's, it's a person's choice to have chicken, broccoli, and brown rice for dinner. If you work out 5 or 6 days a week, solid workouts that increase your metabolism, raise your energy levels, build strength and endurance, that's your fault. If you're in the best shape you've ever been in, it's your fault. If you get your kids involved in sports and fun activities, coach their teams, take them hiking and biking, then it's your fault when they're lean, fit, and flexible. How great is that!
our fault...
and so is this....
You have the power to make your own choices. Nobody is going to choose for you (unless you're a kid and you're reading this, then your parents will choose for you, so make sure you give them this to read). What you decide to do, to eat, to be. It's all on you. You have one shot, one life, and if you're still reading this then you've decided that that life is worth more than any amount of money. It's your choice what you're going to make of it, and it's your fault when it happens. Accept the responsibility, and hold yourself accountable. It's harder to make the right choices, that's why so many people struggle with their weight and are out of shape. Because it's easy. You need to be strong and put in the extra effort to make the right choices. If you do, then great things can happen. You will never regret it. You've decided that it's worth more than anything to you so it's up to you to act on that. I've said it before, I can not put a price on my health. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and I continue to get in better shape because I choose to be. It didn't just happen. I'm turning 43 this month and I continue to improve my health and wellness on a daily basis. Every action and every choice I make contributes to it. It is all my fault.
2 comments:
Great post!! It's one of my favorite things to give an athlete/client an indefensible argument like the one you posted to shake them up when they need it! It's even better when they make changes because of it.
Everyone should read this post. Everone is full of excuses about their own deteriorating health.
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