Physical Training… Essential or Nonessential? Part 1/4

“The happy man is one who has a healthy body, a wealthy soul and a well educated nature” – Thales

Our happiest moments in life can often be tied to when our health was at it’s best. Most of us can remember being young kids happily running around interacting with the outside world in pure bliss. Now, although we can’t rewind time, and I’m sure many of us wouldn’t want to, we can agree there is something profound about the adolescent state of being healthy and physically active. It’s shouldn’t come as a surprise that many Greek philosophers touted physical and mental health as a necessity for one’s happiness. Many of you will also agree that much of our happiness is connected to very primitive needs and desires. The good news is that most are fairly basic and don’t require much. To me, it starts with your body and mind before branching out to your family, your community and so on. There’s no arguing that you will have more to offer the people who matter if your mind and body are in their peak state. Imagine a world where ninety percent of the population is physically unfit and inactive while technology is at it’s peak (VR, robots, the whole bit, Postmates is now in the form of a microwave that just beams you food in an instant). Now contrast that with the “sticks and stones” days where man was just trying to survive and thrive. To me, neither sound very appealing, and that’s part of why I think the age we are in right now is amazing. First of all, I love the internet. For one, it allows me to communicate with friends and family all over the world in an instant, although it has also allowed people to grow pretty damn soft in my opinion. There was a study done in the last decade that showed many Americans actually consumed Fewer CALORIES in the early 2000’s than they did in the 50s yet the obesity rate has skyrocketed… “How is that possible?” you might ask. One study found that the amount of activity had significantly decreased, meaning people were less active and adopting more sedentary behaviors. At the time I felt justified blaming technology for this problem but then again, the iPad isn’t in charge of the house is it? Since then I have met many strong men and women who have cultivated outstanding relationships with food, exercise and health within their household which has led me to this conclusion. Training the mind and body daily IS ESSENTIAL for everyone. No matter what the government or anyone says, it is your right to be able to practice daily, ways to use your body and maintain it. It will take time, like anything worth doing does, but it starts with daily consistent practice. I assure you, the rewards will far outweigh the cost. To me, staying physically fit and active means three things, maybe more but I’ll start with three. I believe it boils down to your freedom, survival (basic human movement), and accomplishment. Stay tuned as I break them down one at a time in the following sections.

“The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step” -Chinese proverb