In less than two weeks, those of us who’ve made New Year’s Resolutions will once again face that terrible reality of waking up on New Year’s Day and forcing ourselves to begin doing whatever healthy and thoroughly unpleasant thing we’ve been meaning to do for so very long.  For many people, that process will be made a little bit easier on Christmas morning when they unwrap a set of exercise bands or even a new stationary bike or treadmill.

And we already know what happens to those things.  The exercise bands end up hanging from a doorknob or tossed into a closet, and the stationary bikes and treadmills assume temporary duties as clothing racks until they’re sold on eBay or given away.

We’re watching this play out nationally as our military and law enforcement agencies repeatedly fail to meet their recruitment goals.  Low fitness levels among recruits are not the only reason.  Americans are losing enthusiasm for endless wars for questionable motives, and commercials for victims of toxic water certainly dampen enthusiasm.  At the local level, not many young people want to be police officers if they can be sued by the city that employs them just for doing their jobs.

However, recruiting poorly educated, unfit individuals simply to fill vacancies presents very real security issues at the local, state, and national levels.  Obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled over the last 60 years, with 70% of adults being overweight or obese.  In the early 1970s, 5% of children were obese, and by 2020, that number had jumped to 19%.  Doubt me?  Compare pictures of beach-goers and urban pedestrians from decades ago with similar scenes from today. 

Daniel Bornstein, a faculty member at The Citadel and now chair of the military sector of the National Physical Activity Plan, said, “We’re having trouble keeping up with our ‘near peer’ adversaries.  And if we go to war?  We may lose because we’re not physically fit enough to fight the enemy.  That’s the reality.”  And that reality extends beyond the military into law enforcement, fire departments, EMTs, and into every level of society.

I know a number of elderly people who were active up until retirement, at which point they became mostly sedentary.  After a few years of that, their health problems began to pile up.  They started using canes, walkers, and, in a few cases, wheelchairs.

I am convinced that many of our health problems can be attributed to the aggressive pursuit of comfort.

Hard times create strong men.
Strong men create good times.
Good times create weak men.
And weak men create hard times.

—G. Michael Hopf

Ideally, our schools should be training our kids to develop a love for physical activity.  Physical education in school is commonly maligned, and it’s not uncommon for it to be shortchanged for other activities.  I taught Tae Kwon Do to a great many people of all ages, and the benefits derived from vigorous physical activity make it worth the effort.

Beginning a home exercise program is simple.  I work out with weights at home four days a week, and I loathe the idea of going downstairs to lift.  But after working out for a few minutes, I feel better, and the session goes well.  The honest fatigue and sense of accomplishment I feel after a workout are far superior to the way I feel on my rest days.

Yet inertia is a formidable foe — so much so that I put it in the same category as an addiction.  Just as alcoholics and drug addicts cannot recover solely due to being temporarily motivated, the same is true of exercise.  What is needed — indeed, the only thing that works — is discipline.

Our exercise routine must be part of our daily lives.  Just get started.  Do simple things at first.  Park a little farther away from the store entrance.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Go for a walk outside.  Smell the air; look at the sky and the scenery as you pass by.  Do it at the same time every day, and notice the subtle daily changes in your environment.  Invite a friend to go with you and talk!  If it’s raining, put on a raincoat and go anyway.  If the weather is really that bad, then go to a large store and walk around inside instead, but remember that you’re walking, not shopping.

We need to restore our enjoyment in physical activity — not just in ourselves, but in our children.

Image via Picryl.