A Moment for Some Morning Truths…
This morning, as we approach the point in the new year when most resolutions are surrendered, I am aware of some really tough truths...
*We remain a nation battling lack in the areas of frequent everyday movement and regular exercise.
*This means that more than half of us sit at least 8-12 hours each day without breaking up prolonged seated patterns with some kind of movement.
*Furthermore, while over 80% of Americans participate in NO structured exercise program, those of us who dedicate purposeful time to our fitness are encountering the same health concerns and body composition struggles as those who never exercise.
*We exercisers are lethargic, achy, inflamed, hypertensive, diabetic, overweight and overwhelmed like many of our sedentary counterparts, and this is largely due to the excessive seated habits that follow our workouts.
*Prolonged sitting, as defined as 8-12 hours of sitting (or more than 60% of the day), is toxic and correlated with ALL disease processes. Thus, it is wise to disrupt seated cycles every hour to avoid health complications.
Friends, let us do more than just skim over all these realities. We must internalize them and then decide whether we want to change more than we want to stay the same... because our lives quite literally depend upon it!
Here are some more truths to consider as we discern our next steps...
*Prolonged sitting negates ALL the benefits accrued to a consistent fitness program!
*Prolonged sitting wastes muscle!
*Prolonged sitting damages metabolism!
*Prolonged sitting destroys joint integrity!
*Prolonged sitting hurts!
*Prolonged sitting cripples organ function!
*Prolonged sitting is as bad as smoking!
*Prolonged sitting is killing us!
*Sitting is not bad… Prolonged sitting is bad!
Whew! This is why I write so many posts each year about how to sit less and how to move more throughout the day. I offer tips and strategies. I review the differences between movement and exercise so that all of us grasp how critical both entities are to our well-being. However, I leave you with the MOST IMPORTANT truth of all…
We make our lives hard by believing the lie that life should be easy. This includes ease with our health and fitness.
Friends, this morning (Yes, today!) is the moment to accept the truth that life is hard. Fitness is hard. Wellness is hard. Marriage is hard. Relationships are hard. Raising children is hard. Managing finances is hard. None of it is supposed to be easy because we have been made for hard things.
Ah…. now breathe…. and know that we are in this “hard” together. Let us ponder the above truths and determine what we want the days and months ahead to look like. We can change our ways, my friends. We are just one truth away from a completely different life.