You have heard the phrase, “You do the same old thing you get the same old results.” Why is that so easy to fall into? We get comfortable with poor digestion, extra weight, few colds or headaches, low energy, poor sleep, etc. We hear these whispers warning us that what we are doing is not working. We press on saying that these are what some of my peers and family have experienced. We equate it to being normal? Normal no, but common yes. Athletes aren’t any different. When we ignore the whispers then finally the brick hits.
In case you did not notice, the normal American is quite sick. We no longer have a shelf, but an isle of laxatives and digestive aids. 80% of Americans are overweight. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes touch every age and every part of society. We have months now dedicated to the awareness of degenerative disease. I travel and race all over the world, and never have seen countries that have so much medicine supplements, so much wealth and yet such poor health.
Ok you say, we had enough and decide to change our path to better health and are inundated with a plethora of information, what vitamins, what exercise, what approach will give us the answer. 7:00 min mile is good 5:00 min mile is better, vitamins are good, fat is bad, exercise is good, cholesterol is bad, minerals are good, and carbohydrates are bad. We like a black and white answer. A specific exercise for a leaner body, Kava Kava for anxiety, Vitamin C for better skin, a specific micronutrient for a specific symptom. Nature will never work that way and a lifetime of wellness will not be achieved on that approach.
Instead of this reactive approach, a proactive approach would serve us better. We know more about this body and food chemistry then ever before, but by the AMA and the World Health Organization the United States is in the worst case of degenerative disease that man has ever known. And those who exercise are not immune to this epidemic.
Thomas Edison said, “Until science can duplicate a blade of grass, nature can only laugh at this so called knowledge.” There are 5000 different phytochemicals (plant chemicals) 1000’s of flavinoids, indoles and fibers found in fruits and vegetables. We know of beta-carotene, but there are over 500 different carotenes in an orange alone. Ask a mathematician how may combinations you can come up with those numbers. How can we think that taking one or even ten of the hundreds of fragmented micronutrients in health food stores will lead us to a path to great health? Nature works in synergy combining all these flavinoids, phytochemicals, fibers, and enzymes (note: they guess there are over 100,000 enzymes). All the vitamins we have discovered are only the tip of the iceberg of what we get in whole foods.
Like I said, athletes don’t have a much better picture of health. We stay in this Circle of what we are doing, ignoring the whispers of warning and just continue to exercise and take supplements to balance out poor food choices.
Here are just some of the questions I would like to approach and see what we know that truly works toward a goal of great health. What are Free Radicals? C reactive protein? What intensity is good? Does all exercise improve blood lipid profiles? Does fat really make us fat? How does our blood sugar affect our workout. How does blood sugar affect our brainpower” Are weights necessary for all people? What are some danger foods? What are the best foods? What really is a diet? Why do elite athletes get sick so much?
You will see that we want a black and white answer, but it is not always that simple. Albert Einstein said we know 1/1000 of 1 million of anything. If you want a topic covered, just e-mailor ask. I’m a lot lower than Albert, but I know some great references. Also, I will not give you more than 1 good food and 1 bad food a month to add or delete from your diet. Remember, we want these changes to become our lifestyle for the rest of our lives, not some unrealistic diet to get results for a year. A reactive black and white approach to health may add years to your life. Let’s take a proactive step and add life to our years. We didn’t come with extra parts, so lets step out of the circle to a lifetime of wellness. Have a great month.
Believe It, Conceive it, Achieve it.
Marc Voit