America's Increasing Fitness Gap

When I was standing around last Sunday morning about 7 AM at the starting line of the LifeSouth half-marathon, freezing my butt off in 28 degree weather waiting for the race to finally start, I took a little time off from my incessant shivering to look around me at the other contestants. And it struck me how incredibly fit everyone was. That may seem like a no-brainer, considering we all were about to run either a marathon or half-marathon, but it was the effect of being in the midst of a "society" of very-physically-fit people that struck me.

Later that day I went to my local grocery store and was struck again, this time by some of the incredibly "NOT" physically fit people there. This reminded me of what the media has been putting out of late: our country has a severe and increasing problem with obesity and its consequences, especially the growth in numbers of cases of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart and circulatory disease.

Meanwhile, I have been reading marathon calendars and websites, along with blogs written by marathon and long-distance runners. I was amazed to discover just how many marathons are now held annually across the country, and how well-attended they are. The Disney Marathon last month drew some 24,000 runners! These people are deeply into physical fitness, as are others such as hikers, swimmers, dancers, climbers, and various sports enthusiasts. Their interests are more than that; they are lifestyles that have irrevocably changed the lives and health of those who pursue them.

And then we have the ever-worsening demographic of the "unfit". It isn't surprising that there are so many of them, with the way that our social institutions tend to encourage overeating and sloth. I go to any number of restaurants and get served up with platters that a fairy-tale giant might find too much to eat at a sitting. And their desserts might as well be iced with "Welcome to the wonderful world of diabetes" for their sweetness and quantity. Our entertainment industry is set up, from video gaming to music to television to movies to computers, for "participants" to spend more and more of their "free" time in sedentary inactivity.

With me, I have long ago made my decision. I'm going over to the side of the "chronically fit". I still like my sedentary entertainment, but I am discovering some "motion-friendly" forms as well (for example, I listen to my MP3 on runs and at work when permitted).

I think the key to pursuing a life of fitness and health is to find one activity that you like and may actually be a little better at than many people. And to gradually work at it until it begins to take a greater hold of your interest and then becomes a part of what you consider to be your identity. But to reach that state, it is necessary to painfully resist negative habits and to inculcate new and initially-difficult good habits. Which goes a long way to explain why our society is generally going in the wrong direction on fitness and health, the rest of us fitness "goofballs" notwithstanding.

Oh, one other thing. I noticed that without exception those runners I was standing around were very happy! Even though they were obviously very uncomfortable in the cold. So comfort does not equate to happiness, and that is something that people who tend to be unfit simply have yet to understand.