Weighing in with Anthony Falsone

It’s hard to say when it all started. Maybe it was the computer revolution. That’s it – blame Bill Gates – everything else is his fault. There we were, minding our own business when out of nowhere came this inconspicuous box. It looked like a television set for God’s sake! A few years later and our lives would never be the same. Gone were the days of Encyclopedia Britannica and face-to-face business meetings. Before we knew it the Internet was here. Today we surf, chat, and shop without ever leaving our chair. Believe it or not some people even “you know what” on this thing. Needless to say, it’s gotten a little out of hand.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little hard on Mr. Gates. Barking up the wrong tree? Probably, but this illustration serves as a good example to justify my point. We are lazy. Let me rephrase that – we are VERY lazy. At some point during the last twenty-five years or so we have stopped trying. We medicate ourselves and our children in hopes of making our lives easier to tolerate. We rely on plastic surgeons and unsafe concoctions to give us the body that we have always dreamed of. Our lives, now labeled with acronyms, revolve around instantaneous result and pain-free effort. If it takes commitment, determination, consistency and is the least bit uncomfortable, we want nothing to do with it. We want it now, we want it fast and if we don’t get it – someone else is to blame.

As a nation, we are sicker than we have ever been. Ask, and we’ll tell you that we exercise, are conscious about our diet and take healthful steps of disease prevention. But dig deeper and you’ll find that almost two-thirds of us are overweight or obese, our likelihood of developing heart disease or cancer is at an all-time high and we self diagnose or ignore all together signs and symptoms of serious illness. In short, we have become a nation of super-educated, sufficiently informed couch potatoes - and it is killing us.

Even more disturbing is the fact that our sedentary ways have carried over into the next generation. Modern day children elect to disintegrate zombies rather than ride a bike or play a game of kick ball. And to make matters worse, diseases of inactivity, such as Type II diabetes, which were reserved for the older set, are now being seen more consistently in prepubescent children. Last year, our beloved State of Texas, which already contains the nation’s FATTEST CITY, was awarded the distinction of possessing THE NATIONS FATTEST YOUTH. The prideful chant of “Don’t Mess with Texas” could just as easily be “Don’t mess with Texas – unless you know CPR”.

Where is it going? When will it stop? One thing is for certain – it can get worse, but it doesn’t have to.

Choices, Choices.

From a health standpoint, most things are the way they are because we CHOOSE for them to be so. Whether it be a weight problem, abuse of alcohol or drugs, or the inability to follow a healthy diet, the simple fact is that we make choices on a daily basis as to how we are either going to improve, or diminish our health. And it doesn’t stop there. Initial unhealthy choices lead to even more choices having to be made, choices that all too often may mean the difference between life and death.

Smoking is a good example of an unhealthy choice that millions of Americans continue to make. We all know how bad it is for us. We’ve seen the statistics, read the reports. It’s even common knowledge that the Marlboro Man died as a result of a long love affair with the product he peddled. But even still, we puff away with few worries. Oblivious to the fact that smoking is the number one absolutely preventable cause of lung cancer and its cessation a detour from a painful and premature death.

It’s not just the smokers. It’s the accountant who carries around an extra twenty pounds that he just can’t find the time to melt off, knowing full well the strain it puts on his heart. It’s the professional athlete who abuses drugs knowing that he jeopardizes his career and role model status, as well as his life. We do these things to ourselves – voluntarily, all the while knowing at some point in time the piper will eventually send an invoice.

Take control of your life!

The solution lies in acceptance of responsibility and in some cases the blame. It’s painful and humbling but it is the only sure-fire way to put a stop to this viscous cycle. We smoke because we CHOOSE to smoke. We are overweight because we CHOOSE to be overweight. We abuse drugs and alcohol because; you guessed it, we CHOOSE to do so. To accept responsibility of self-defeating behavior is the first step toward personal improvement. Want to drop 10, 50, even 100 pounds? , Want to stop smoking? , Want to change those unhealthy eating habits? , CHOOSE to do it! It’s that simple. Dedicate yourself to something that will transform your life. Wake up everyday and CHOOSE to be healthy, strong, fit and energetic. CHOOSE to live the life of a VICTOR, not a VICTIM.

Adjusting Your Focus.

For the 1,000,001 st time, everyone together now – Anything in this world that has real value is worth the time and effort that it takes to make it yours. A successful career, a flourishing business and yes, even a healthy and efficient body. All of these things take time, commitment, dedication, effort and an endearing desire to accomplish. There are no miracle cures. There are no magic pills or potions. There is only time, effort and consistency. You can try to take the easy way out and it may even work for a while, but sooner or later something will give. You will eventually have to face the original problem, or more likely, a whole new one altogether.

As many of us have come to realize, the human body is a delicate and fragile machine. Sure, you can push it, stretch it’s limits, test it’s metal. But at some point, this incredible invention begins to wane, begins to show signs of wear. And not long after that, something fails all together and your life is never the same. If you’re lucky it may be as simple as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. A little medication here, a little nutritional modification there. It could be more serious – heart attack or a stroke. Any heart attack victim will tell you that there’s nothing like a good ol’ myocardial infarction to put things in perspective. Or it could be worse; you may not get a second chance. All the money you worked for and that convertible Mercedes won’t do you much good when you’re pushing up daisies.

It’s Up To You.

It’s unfortunate, but life is not the “win-only” endeavor that many of us grew up believing. In fact, it’s downright unfair in some ways. Why are some of us faced with such physical and mental hardship while others go through life seemingly untested? Why don’t we all have Demi Moore’s metabolism? Some things we just weren’t meant to know I guess. Ah, the mysteries of life. There are bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people. That’s the way that life is. One thing that you can count on is that with or without you, the sun will rise somehow, somewhere, some way and you should try and make the most out of each day you are given. Why not make a decision to be the best you possible. Make a decision to improve the quality of your life.

My favorite writer, Author Unknown summed it up best when he scribed,

“The key, then, is ACTION. It’s not words, it’s ACTION. It’s not PROMISES; it’s RESULTS. It’s not what you KNOW; it’s what you DO. So accept absolute responsibility, and then, ACT, persistently”.

After all, it’s your choice.

Anthony Falsone, C.S.C.S, USAW-1, is the strength & conditioning coach for the Houston Rockets.

Disclaimer: The Houston Rockets Webmaster would like viewers to note that www.rockets.com is a low carb, low fat, high energy website that has been proven in clinical tests to increase heart-rate and supplement a general feeling of well being and excitement. We recommend that in between exercise sessions viewers continue their good health by checking www.rockets.com daily.