When you really think about it, being in good physical condition is the most selfless act one could ever do. Shocking? It should be. Look at it this way, if you are in shape;
1) You will be able to physically fend for yourself even at older ages
2) You will always be ready, at a moment’s notice, to respond or be ready for anything
3) Your friends and family will have the confidence in your ability to take care of yourself
4) You are not a burden to anyone, quite the opposite on so many levels you will be an asset
5) You will motivate others to physically be the best they can be
6) You are a slave to no one (besides your spouse of course)
7) You are not a slave to medications of any type
If you don’t believe me then think about the opposite. Imagine if you are really out of shape. Imagine if you have ailments that need attending to. Well…
1) You may not be physically able to fend for yourself at older ages
2) You may never be ready at a moment’s notice to respond or be ready for anything that comes your way
3) People may feel you as a burden and feel as though you need them more than they need you
4) People could consider you a liability and whereas they will take care of you on so many levels they are probably wishing that you were in better physical condition
5) You will motivate people but not the way you think. They will remind themselves of how you are and try not to duplicate it in themselves
6) You will motivate others to be or to stay in shape
7) You could be a slave to the health system
In my many years of being a personal trainer I have noticed that the older one gets the harder it is for them to stay in good condition. I have noticed those who in their 50’s were in real good shape deteriorate over the years but because of their great physical conditioning in their earlier years slowed the aging process down and had a relatively good life at older ages. Whereas the person who came running into their later years and had physical problems tended to really dread their later years and they became slaves to the medical system and the medications that needed to take to stay alive.
Let’s look at this in another way. Say you are the parents and you are always active. The probability of you becoming a burden to your kids may be slim to none. As a matter of fact your relationship with your adult children will be more of good friends than care taker or parent. Whereas if that same parent were in poor health, the kids would feel a sense of responsibility to take care of that parent and now the child may have to become the parent.
I saw this in my own life. When my mother lost her battle (even though I think of it as winning) with cancer, up until her last days she was in the best shape she could be in and because of that she was not a burden to my sister or I. Yes we still did everything we possibly could to be there for her but up till the end she was self sufficient and strong. Then on the other side of the coin, I have a friend who’s parents were really out of shape and for the most of their life they were really kept alive by the medications they took. When they got older I saw a total switch were my friend became the parent and his mother became to child.
My Pastor said something that other day that once I thought about it really made sense, “Most of our blessings come from helping others. If you cannot help yourself then how is it you can really have a great effect on others and help them?” Look at it in another way… Being out of shape and wasting your precious life is selfish on so many levels. There should be no glory in being diabetic or having “self induced” high blood pressure or “self induced” high cholesterol because of lifestyle. In the end you might just become a burden to all. Where is the blessing in that?
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