Michael Moore to the rescue?

There is sure a lot of talk about our countries health care system these days. And with a presidential election coming it is only going to intensify. No doubt all the pandering will heat up from candidates who are going to tell you what they think you want to hear, that they will ‘fix’ health care, whatever that means.
As a fitness professional, I joined the Michael Moore Health Challenge. Have you heard about it? It is an email campaign started by people in the fitness industry to plead with Michael Moore to take control of his health and set a good example and it is gaining lots of momentum. As we all know, Michael Moore is very outspoken and eager to highlight the flaws, both real and imagined, in our health care system. Like everything else he speaks about, he finds a way to blame the current administration and make it a very political discussion. But what he fails to realize is that to many people, myself included, he himself is the epitome of the problem with health care in this country. He takes absolutely no responsibility for his own health but believes that everyone else should be forced to contribute for his health care. He wants the government to take care of him when he doesn’t take care of himself.
Now, obviously Michael Moore can afford his own healthcare, but the premise is still the same. As a nation we are getting more and more unhealthy by our own choosing and it is simply not fair to have a system where people who take good care of their health would have to pay as much or even more than people who don’t. Of course anyone can get sick, but we have to get real. The #1 killer in this country is heart disease, and the number of people on cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes medications is absolutely staggering and the obesity rate is nearing 50%. Heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes can be alleviated or prevented in a majority of cases through lifestyle change. We all know it is true but when the subject is discussed it is usually left out. For some reason it is preferable to make people victims of a system or genetics than to empower them, how sad.
The answer is to live a healthy lifestyle and take preventative measures, not eat whatever you want, get fat, smoke and avoid exercise and then go crying to the health care system to make you better.
If it weren’t so sad, I would actually think that it is funny to see Michael Moore, the poster boy for bad health and over indulgence, ridicule a president who has set an incredible example for fitness and good health. In no way am I speaking politically, no matter what you think of President Bush, his positive example for taking personal responsibility for health and fitness cannot be denied.
I know this is a tough subject but I think it is so important to really face reality when it comes to health. We all claim to know how important it is but yet it is continuously taken for granted and put at risk. Sometimes I think that the reason people are so willing to not make their health a priority is because of our amazing health care system and the incredible advances that have been made. I mean, whatever you bring on yourself they have a pill for, right?
If you would like to participate in the Michael Moore Health Challenge, send an email to healthychallenge@gmail.com and ask Michael Moore to use his notoriety in a positive way by setting a good example and taking responsibility and control over his own health.

Think positively for positive results

Owning a gym is a very rewarding business, offering people a nice place to workout and also seeing people making positive changes in their health and their lives; it is a dream come true. In this business we see how exercise affects people physically and emotionally but we also see how peoples emotions affect how or even if they exercise.

Let me give you an example. The other day a woman came in to check out the gym. Immediately after the greetings were over she told me how she hated to exercise and then as I gave her a tour I heard a list a reasons on why she didn’t think she could do it. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m glad she came in because these are the type of people that we really like to help, but her attitude may very well cause her to fail.

We hear things like this all the time whether it be people saying ‘I hate it’ or ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘I’m too out of shape to do that class’ or ‘I’m just not motivated’. This gets me to thinking about the way we talk to ourselves.

Negative self-talk is very self-destructive and yet many people do it. If you tell yourself that you hate something than how can you expect a positive result? I’m a firm believer that your fitness routine needs to start in your head. If you tell yourself you can’t, you won’t. If you tell yourself that you are not capable, you will never be capable. If you put exercise at the bottom of your priority list, it will stay there.

Instead, tell yourself that you deserve to workout and feel good. Look at exercise as a gift you give to yourself. Tell yourself that you will do your very best and then do your best, whatever that is, and be proud! Tell yourself that you want to have more energy; the list goes on and on. I think there are several reasons why people talk themselves out of working out and I think they are based in fear. If you tell yourself that you are going to start an exercise routine, you may be afraid that you will not stick with it and sometimes that is too big a risk to take. Other people may be afraid of the environment and feel that they don’t belong.

All I can say is that every single person started somewhere and just because someone you see is in good shape doesn’t mean that they were always that way. They very well may have started out in poor physical shape.

Another common fear is the realization that this is a lifestyle, not something to do for a couple of months and then stop. Fear of commitment is common. This is where that positive self-talk comes in handy. You know logically that exercise is going to make you feel better, stay healthy, relieve stress, look better and improve the quality of your life. These are just some of the positive reinforcements that you can give yourself in a moment of weakness.

I am no stranger to these struggles. I remember times in my own life when I told myself that ‘I worked all day, I deserve to go home and relax’ when in actuality I felt 100% better when I started adding exercise to my day.

So the next time you start to talk yourself out of going out for a walk or going to the gym ask yourself what you are really trying to avoid and why. Ask yourself what you want to do for yourself…nothing or something wonderful!