Recently my family came down with "a bug." Dear Grandma Marlow would say it's a sickness that is more than a cold, but less than the flu. For me it starts with a rogue sneeze, not desert dust bomb induced. Then followed up with a scratch in the back of the throat and mud in the bones. Like clock work, the next morning's alarm is greeted with muscle aches, head crushing pressure, and one heck of a chest party... cough, hack a lung, repeat for two weeks. Over the past two decades my illness rap sheet has less variety than the The Olympia Diner's menu; Cheeburger, cheeburger, cheeburger. Chip, chip. No Coke...Pepsi!http://lockerz.com/u/20664516/decalz/7402718/snl_the_olympia_diner_belushi_cheebur
In a given year, I'm pretty much clock work for two or three chest and head smack downs. The heart of the storm is about 48 to 72 hours of pure misery, with another few weeks of lung butter clean out. Work is rarely effected (sorry to any co-workers and clients I have infected). However, my fitness program takes a hammering! I have been derailed by my personalized virus so many times that it hurts to think of all the week and two week recovery breaks needed to get back to normal. So when my first real chest and head banger sent early warnings one night last week, it pissed me off at the thought of having to tell Jaron we would be on hold for a spell. But that following morning my body only had the vague traces of ache. There was hardly any lung sludge. Very light head pressure. It was as if I had skipped a week of lethargic body wasteland and hired a wonderful nasal roto-rooter. No time missed in the pool. No weight sets skipped. No cardio sacrificed. I'll call it Chest and Head Smack Down Lite.
It never occurred to me that the last five months on the nutrition and fitness program are producing results the mirror does not catch. A healthier internal system that can fight off bugs.
Go figure! Being healthy is some good medicine. I used to get sick a few times a year in my fat days. And, yeah, that shit would hold on for way too long every time. 2-3 weeks a shot! Being healthy is not just a euphemism, it's literal. These days, sickness is persona non grata, and when it rarely rears its ugly head, it's a day or two max. There is a study out there, ranking 19 industrialized nations on preventable deaths. The U.S. ranked 19th! Main cause: obesity and the reluctance of our citizens to go to the doctor. The average overweight individual is either in denial, or oblivious of the significant health risks they face. The number one cause of death in the United States: obesity!... By a landslide. Nothing comes close; not cancer, car accidents, nothing! When I sell training, and the person sitting across from me is 100 pounds overweight, I have to play two roles: friend and doctor. I have to be empathetic, but stern. I will ask, "do you believe it is a matter of when, or if, you become diabetic?" Interestingly enough, no one has ever answered that question incorrectly. The answer, obviously, is "when". And when I inquire if they are aware of the physical and financial cost of living with diabetes, most are aware (because most have a relative living with it). For those that don't know, diabetic supplies cost about $1000 a month, even with insurance! Good luck ever being approved for insurance if you have diabetes! And still, the vast majority of these walking dead find an excuse to not pay for training. Seriously, our most basic plan is $35 a month. Lord knows you don't get to this weight without spending too much on food. Way too much. My favorite thing in the world is when some 350 pound woman looks me in the eye, and with a straight face, says " I actually eat really good"! Are you shitting me?! You don't get to lie about that when you're that far gone. That's like a 4 fingered shop teacher saying "I've always taken saw safety seriously". Huh?! Or like me saying "I drink responsibly"! Nuff said. Good luck to JT this week. He takes on the "6 minute mile". Sounds a lot easier than it is.
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