Anatomy 101

I had a bit of an epiphany in the gym this morning. It dawned on me that most people go their entire lives without realizing what their very own bodies are physically capable of. I’ve been at this for awhile now. 25+ years. It’s funny to me. Mainly because in my youth, I was skinny. Had it not been for that fateful day in Chicago at Great Lakes Naval Station gym, where I (a basketball fanatic) was dunked on.

That pivotal moment changed me. Angered and blinded by the fact that someone broke through my defense, I subbed out and left the court…right into the weight room. While the 1st two years were a learning experience, the next 23 years became a campaign to become bigger and stronger. Years of muscle sprains, tendonitis, deep tissue massages, and gallons of protein later, here I am remaining steadfast on my personal crusade not become a health statistic.

The average person doesn’t really think about fitness until a really fit person walks up next to them and then they discover “oh shit, that person is my age”. Then there’s the brief moment of self-reflection that passes quickly as soon as the “hot and fresh” sign lights up at Krispy Kreme.

The human body is literally a Transformer.

It’s astounding the amount of resiliency and strength it has. It can be shaped and molded, made stronger, faster. It can endure miles and miles of running or tons and tons of weight lifting. Each and every person has their very own machine to tweak and customize as they see fit, but 87% of you don’t….okay I made that number up, but so what it’s probably higher.

It’s the equivalent of taking a SuperCar and letting it sit for years exposed to the elements.

I’m curious. What’s it like?

Trying this diet plan and that diet pill….starving yourself to squeeze into a dress you know damn well you shouldn’t have purchased. Doing push ups before you head out to the beach to give the illusion that you work out on a regular basis. I’ll bet you 20 bucks you’ve got a guy at work that has I.L.S. (imaginary lat syndrome). you know the guy that walks with his arms two feet from his body? Him.

1. you must WANT it. Badly…a 6 month diet plan is going to crash like drunk Denzel Washington in “Flight”.

2. Self Evaluate. look at yourself realistically, and honestly. Then set a goal. and just like building a house you’re gonna need blueprints to make that goal happen. You will need a professional at this point. Find a certified licensed trainer. You will only need him/her for about 4-6 months tops. Listen and do everything they tell you, then rinse and repeat on your own.

3. Educate yourself in health and exercise. I’m mean really learn. Chances are your doctor doesn’t know a damn thing about fitness. Remember he’s getting paid to sell you his skill set and medicine.

4. Take a nutrition class. Trust me, when you learn that you truly are what you eat, you’ll stop huffing down pancakes, doughnuts and cookies. Pro athletes need not apply to this rule.

5. Kinesiology, the study of human movement. When you know how your body works once and for all, you will laugh at those infomercials trying to sell you a “gutbuster 3000” and the people that buy them.

Extend your livelihood. Yeah, you’re gonna die, we are certainly not immortal, but you can adjust the quality of your remaining days.

Train hard. Play hard. Flex on those retirees.