We have been designed for a lifestyle we no longer maintain. Most of us are not required to anything of a physical nature anymore or exert ourselves in any way. Although we live in a fast paced world dominated by technology and we are all very busy we only get to move in a few repetitive ways each day.
We get to sit a lot – at our job, in our car, and back home on the couch. We no longer need to be able to run, bend down, lift, carry, reach, twist or stretch as much in the last 100 years – movements our bodies have been engineered to do in everyday life.
Unfortunately, the same affluence that makes us a successful and wealthy society is what is slowly causing grief to our bodies as they degenerate, get sick, age prematurely and corrode long before they should. They were not designed to sit in chairs, virtually immobile for hours at a time.
The most dramatic declines that occur as the years pass and we continue to live no-exercise lifestyles are in our muscle strength which begins a downward spiral of loss in our mid 20’s. Bone loss follows without strong muscles placing stress on the bones they are attached to. Without proper exercise you will be losing five or more pounds of muscle tissue each decade.
This change in body composition (muscle/fat ratio) has a downgrading affect on our health sapping our strength, lowering our metabolism (the body’s engine), and weakening our immune system which then exposes us to a greater risk of disease. This explains the epidemic of chronic disease that stalks and strikes one out of every two people in our modern world.
We should not be dropping like flies in the middle part of our lives. Our bodies are supposed to last to about the 100-year mark. More importantly we should feel and move well with reasonable physical function at this age. But if you look around at the people in our present modern world seeing a strong, fit, vital and energetic 100-year old is about as remote as seeing the Loch Ness monster.
Despite what you may believe or have been told over the years, the human body does not automatically enter into a downward spiral of physical degeneration and function as it grows older. It is simply not an inevitable part of this process.
Most of us age at an accelerated and premature rate and the shame of it is we are barely aware of it. Or, maybe we are in some sort of denial. Therefore, we do nothing for ourselves in the way of proper muscle strengthening exercise and healthy eating to consciously slow down the ticking clock.
We continue to expose ourselves to the increased risk of disease by living sedentary lifestyles and eating processed foods that can never nourish us properly. Living this way can certainly never build disease resistant healthy bodies with a health span to match our life span.
We each have a choice about how we wish to grow older. We can simply do nothing and surrender to the downward health spiral and the misery it brings – or we can take control, get strong and active with proper exercise, eat right and continue to grow our strength, energy and vitality.
Quality of Life
Yes, it is tough to break old habits and conditioning in order to restore health and strength by consciously exercising and eating better. But surely, it is much tougher to endure your chest being buzz-sawed open for heart surgery, a breast cut off or being hit with a stroke that leaves you paralyzed down one side of your body, or burned and sickened by cancer treatment.
The quality of our life is something that we each should place a high value on. Proper strengthening exercise and good nutrition is the least expensive option to protect our own future. It is also the ultimate self-health care responsibility we can each have for our own health and well-being.
The reality is, the responsibility for your health and fitness falls directly on you. However, you are also the one that reaps the rewards and benefits from your accountability.
If you truly want to take command of your life and avoid disease somewhere down the road – your muscles need to be in tip-top condition…strong and toned at all times – starting now.
“Reclaim Your Longevity” can help you do just that…
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:
