Longevity
One of the curious things about our century is that, now more than ever, we have the ability to surpass the eighty years of age. Although it may not sound a lot to many of us (after all, there is too much to do), our current life expectancy more than doubles the life expectancy of the 19th century (1). This is excellent news since it means that our species has been able to grow stronger. But this number can be increased. How? It’s quite simple really.

It isn’t necessary to invest billions of dollars in genetic research or to implement a worldwide crusade against the top causes of death (2). The two basic words for increasing your probabilities of living a longer and a healthier life are grow stronger. Between the first and second century there was a poet named Juvenal. Although little is known about his life, there is a phrase of his that we know about. And that is “Mens sana in corpore sano.” In English, this phrase can be translated to “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” This poet of Ancient Rome didn’t intend to establish a relation between mind and body, but for many people it became an axiom in order to grow stronger.

As a matter of fact, there is a sports club, the Carlton Football Club that uses it as its motto (3). Unfortunately, millions of Americans do not follow this simple piece of advice and plunge themselves to an unhealthy lifestyle. Inadequate nourishment (fast food is a perfect example) and the lack of exercise are causing millions of deaths in the world. If the population of the United States wants to grow stronger, it needs to make some changes.

Making A Change: Why is it so important?
According to the American Obesity Association, 127 million Americans are overweight, another 60 million are obese and 9 million are severely obese (4). With these numbers, is it possible for America to grow stronger? What kind of country are we giving to our kids? These new generations will grow surrounded by people who are not exploiting the full capacity of their mind and their bodies.

Do we really want to teach them mediocrity instead of excellence? What can we do in order to help them grow stronger? An excellent example of the consequences of an unhealthy life is the movie Supersize Me. This film, made by the independent director Morgan Spurlock, shows the real effects of what happens to a healthy man when he subjects himself to the habits of the average person (5). If we really want to endure as a civilization, and assure a future to our children, we need to grow stronger. The problem is that many people do not know were to start in order to grow stronger. Many find exercise and dieting too much of an effort, so they continue with their lives, unaware of the price that they will have to pay later in their life. So, where do we need to start in order to grow stronger, both in mind and body?

The first step to grow stronger is to assume a compromise with ourselves. This isn’t easy. It may be one of the most difficult things to do since it is a long-term decision. After all, you need to dedicate time, effort, and money, into an objective that will cost a lot of sacrifices and won’t allow you to see the results for a long time. Remember, though, that in order to grow stronger and stay that way, you will need to exercise for the rest of your life. Do not expect to do some cycling and pushups for half a year and then forget about exercising.

Steps to Grow Stronger
Our body is the product of millions of years of evolution. This trial and error process was the one that designed us. The human body requires adequate nourishment if we want it to grow stronger. The second step is to find out how healthy you are. And the only way to do this is to go to the doctors. They will perform a series of tests to your body in order to determine what is good, and wrong, with your lifestyle.

If we consider the numbers provided by the American Obesity Association, it is quite probable that you will not pass many of these tests. The third step is to look for professional help. Go to a certified gymnasium and tell them about your commitment to grow stronger. Since they are professionals, and have helped thousands of people with their new lives, they will be able to help you in your transformation process. Let them know, though, that you are looking for a long-term solution and not just a fit body for the summer months. That way, you will not be subject of extreme diets or tiresome training routines. In case you are not interested in gymnasiums, you may go for sports.

There are dozens of sports to choose from, and most of them are practiced at every major city. Look for a sport with which you feel identified. It can be a solitary sport like swimming or a group activity like hockey. One word of caution, though, in your quest to grow stronger, is do not go for a sport if you are obese or severely obese. Even, something as easy as jogging can damage your body. Consider that it wasn’t designed to carry such amount of mass. In those cases, look for professional help.

Finally, you will need to change your habits of consumption. Lucky for us, supermarkets offer a wide variety of foods to choose from. You don’t have to become a calorie-freak, though, in order to grow stronger. You just need to be conscious of what you eat. The human body can be seen as a machine. As in the case of the machines produced by our industry, if the body isn’t adequately maintained and used, it won’t work properly. And, after a time, it will break down.

It is our sole responsibility, not of the government or our loved ones, to assure ourselves that our bodies will be able to grow stronger. So do not wait until is too late. If you really want to grow stronger, you need to start as soon as possible. Leave behind those soft drinks and start drinking water. Say good-bye to fast food joints and learn the pleasure of eating Japanese food. And, instead of spending long evenings as a couch potato, buy a stationary bike and use it for a couple of hours. Your body, and your mind, will thank you for it.

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death

3. http://carltonfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=contributors&spg=display&articleid=213805

4. http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_US.shtml

5. http://www.supersizeme.com/

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 by GrowStronger at 5:56 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.