One of my professors at Brigham Young University told me something in a lecture that I'll never forget. He said that some people question the need for strength training programs and for exercise in general. "We're not athletes," they say. "Why should I workout?" His answer was simple, yet profound. "An athletic even can be defined as a timed or rated event. Life is timed; therefore, life is an athletic event." And it's true. We are all working very hard in life, whether it be at home with children, or in the workplace, or anywhere else. We can only go on for so long without taking care of ourselves before time runs out and the game is over.
This simple concept he taught is what impressed me to make the focus of this blog "Training for the Athletic Event Called Life." Athletes aren't the only ones who need to work hard and fuel their bodies right. We need it too. We're athletes in the sport of life, and life is tough as we all know. That might sound cheesy, but it's still true. I challenge you to train for life, to take care of your body, and to make time to exercise and make proper nutritional choices that will aid you in playing hard and improving your overall quality of life. Money is great, power is awesome, prestige is nice, but if you lack the strength and physical endurance to go out and enjoy all that, and enjoy time with your family, what's the point? Why have that money, power, and prestige if you can't even walk around the block without breaking a sweat?
I once saw a man walking from a terminal at one end of the airport to one at the opposite end. His wife and kids had walked ahead and he was lagging behind, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. After only minutes, he had to stop and take a break. One of his kids turned and saw that he had stopped and called to him to hurry up. His child didn't understand that he was physically incapable of keeping up with them. How sad is that? A father with young kids, probably taking them on vacation, can't even keep up with them walking through the airport. Could that same father take his kids to Disneyland? Could he play with them at the park? Probably not. He's missing out because he neglected to take care of his body. Now I don't want to sound doom and gloom because this is not what it's all about. This is about preventing those situations or improving them if we've already let ourselves fall into that and taking care of ourselves so we can keep up with our kids and so we can keep up with life. Heck, my goal is not just to keep up with life, but to conquer it!
In my blog I'll share with you my knowledge of the human body and how proper nutrition and exercise can change your life. As a fitness expert and enthusiast I've done a lot of research on training, nutrition, and health and wellness. As this site is just beginning, it will take a few weeks to get things up and running but I welcome any comments, questions, or suggestions for things you want to know more about. I'm really excited about sharing what I know and helping you feel great!
