posted November 2008
In spinning class today the teacher asked during a dose of motivation, "ARE YOU HERE TO BURN CALORIES!!??" I chuckled to myself, "working out just to burn calories is just narrow thinking." I'm here for the "health of it" and burning calories, I'm sorry.....ISN'T the reason!
Isn't it odd that in this "modern" world we have to invent ways to be active? We ride "stationary" bikes, walk on a treadmill, lift seemingly meaningless weights. Imagine the consternation of a time traveler from the 1500's who drops into a "Lifetime Fitness" and finds all these strange looking people doing meaningless work! Once they got past the plasma big screens and the skimpy clothes the traveler would be stunned to learn that we travel by auto and not by foot. We get our food from stores and not from the garden. We eat all of the sweets we want and all of the salt. Alcohol is cheaper than water? HUH?
It's upside down world in many ways, but can anything match the way we exercise and abuse our bodies. For years we've invented ways to make our lives less active. Drive-in's, drive through banks, microwaves, automatic car washes and garage door openers, snow blowers and lawn mowers, vacuums, weed killer, electric shavers, telephones and email have robbed us of a reason to move.
Furthermore, we eat too much sugary, salt, saturated fat, and we just eat too much of everything. We eat way more food than we need and gain extra pounds to carry around as our penalty. Another thing that would bewilder a time traveler!
We now understand that a sedentary life leads to premature disability at best and at worst death. Since we have the easy life as a career we had to find ways to move when we are off duty. We do so for the health of it.
