Training for Life

My brother and I recently attended a conference in Boston, and one of the most poignant points while at the conference came from a lecture on wellness. The amount of exercise recommended to help reduce all cause mortality was as little as 25-30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. This was considered sufficient to reduce one's risk of dying from such things as heart disease. obesity, and even some cancers, by as much as 50% It was rather striking information, and one that left us questioning, "why don't people just start exercising more?" I suppose, if we had the answer to that one, we probably would be in line for some "noble" prize.

Let's take a minute to dissect this concept just a little. 25-30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise on a daily basis, how hard can that be? Finding the time becomes the real "challenge" for most of us, but if your life depends on it, maybe you should reconsider. 30 minutes? That is likely to be at least the amount of time that each one of us watches TV each day, sits reading the paper while having that morning cup of joe, or even the amount of time it takes to commute to and from work. Granted, we may still have to accomplish these other tasks, but if you make a concerted effort to economize on the use use of your time, I think most of us could come up with the requisite time.

I have been asked on a number of occasions just what am I training for, and my answer generally is...life. Sure, I love participating in organized races to face the competition, but it is no longer about winning and losing. It is all about surviving life and enjoying the quality of its offerings. How can you enjoy it, if you are not "training" for it? My brother has a sign in his office that reads, "exercise 25-30 minutes a day or be dead 24 hours a day, you choose". That just about says it all for me.

Perhaps none of this sends the real message for which it is intended, but essentially, we all need to make a personal commitment to ourselves. No one else is going to do it for us, at least a far as exercise goes, and there has yet to be a wonder drug that fulfills this fundamental survival skill. So, let's get it in gear, any gear for now, and keep on moving. However, it's your life, so you can do with it what you want. But as for me, I'm going to continue training for life, because when it's all over, I can sleep forever!