Today, I want to share one of my favorite books.
Let me tell you a story of a man named Matt Long. Matt long is and was a NYC firefighter. He ran marathons and completed Ironman triathalons (if you don't know what an ironman is look it up--it's an amazing accomplishment). He was unbelievable fit individual. Then about 5 years ago, as Matt Long was riding his bike to work, he got hit my a 40,000 pound bus that was making an illegal turn. Without giving everything away, Matt Long basically only survived the accident because of how fit and healthy he was....his heart and lungs were able to endure the trauma. He bled out so much blood that in a normal person, the heart would stop pumping, however Matt's did not stop. It was because he made fitness and health a necessity that he was able to save his own life (along with the amazing doctors but he deserves the credit for how strong his heart was). Matt survived 40 something surgeries and 1 year after his recovery, ran the NYC marathon and later completed another Ironman.
Matt Long is an amazing person for so many reasons and I will let you be the one to buy and read his book "The Long Run" so you can get to understand and appreciate this man even more than you already do. However, let his story be a wake up call. YOU need to be fit for other reasons than just being at the perfect weight. You need to understand and open up your eyes to the other REASONS why you need to be fit. If you work out just to lose weight, it's time to first off, figure out why a number is so important to you, and second off, losing weight typically means losing muscle, and the only reason why Matt lived was because of how STRONG his heart was (your heart is a muscle). Placing stress on your heart and lungs and skeletal muscles (arms, legs, etc) will train your heart to endure more stress. Your heart will have to pump less (do less work) in order to do the job it has to do (pump blood in and out of the heart).
You should be physically fit so that your day to day life is easier, so that you're healthy your whole life, and so that in the case that an unfortunate event happens (like Matt Long), your body will be better able to handle the trauma placed upon it. I am by no means saying that if you are fit you will survive whatever comes your way, but what I am saying is that if you are fit, you will have a better chance of surviving. Make your body strong, keep your heart and lungs fit, and keep your spirits positive.
Being fit is not just about weight loss or preventing weight gain. Shift your focus to the bigger picture: decreasing your risk of developing lifestyle diseases, increase your bodies ability to endure trauma, live your life feeling good, setting a good example for our family and friends, and last but not least, it may save your life one day.
I met Matt Long about a year ago and he is truly an inspiration to anyone. He inspired me to make goals for myself and so I am going to run the NYC Marathon November 2012.
Here is Matt Long's foundation website: http://www.iwillfoundation.com
Buy Matt Long's book "The Long Run".
Get inspired. Get moving.
-Caitlin *
No comments:
Post a Comment