LAUSD Advocates “No Kid Hungry Campaign.”

When I was in college, my favorite book was Once A Runner.

Once A Runner is the tale of Quentin Cassidy, a runner from fictional Southeastern University, who moves to a cabin in the woods in order to focus on his training. He has an upcoming race with the world record holder in the mile and he wants to remove all the distractions from his life so he can train as hard as humanly possible.

I realize that this does not sound like a particularly exciting read but there is a reason that it’s a cult classic among collegiate distance runners. This fantasy of removing everything else from your life so that you can wring every last drop of potential from your body is very powerful to young athletes.

Of course, none of us exist in a vacuum like this. Even our hero Quentin Cassidy started to go a little crazy from the lack of social interaction. We don’t live in a vacuum; we live in the real world.

The American Dream?

And the real world is not conducive to making healthy choices. There are numerous barriers to healthy living in the U.S. The cheapest and most accessible foods are typically the worst things you could eat. Maintaining an active lifestyle is getting harder and harder. And a lot of these barriers are substantially higher for lower income families.

It’s easy to believe that it’s all a matter of choice but it’s not true.   In a vacuum, I’m sure most of us would make much better decisions when it came to nutrition and exercise. But we don’t live in a vacuum, we live in a world with a McDonald’s on every corner and Snickers bars constantly within arm’s length.

The price we pay for convenience

The key to beating the obesity epidemic is going to be making healthy choices easier. We have to make the healthy choice the easy choice instead of the other way around.  It’s going to be about having healthy vending machines in every office building and school and designing neighbourhoods with sidewalks so that people can actually walk and run.

The only way we are going to beat this is by having something healthy within arm’s length and not just that Snickers bar.

Just another Tuesday night game at the Y

4. Do what you love!

Personally, I love running and lifting weights. To me, it’s not just a means to an end; it is the means and the end. I do realize that most people do not share my enthusiasm for these activities.

So what do you love? If you love basketball, then join a basketball league. Get out on the court 3 times a week. The other four days of the week, your workouts will have more meaning because you’re trying to build up your strength and stamina for basketball.

5. Consistency is King!

Do you what to know why crash diets and workouts don’t work? They are not sustainable. If you starve yourself for 8 weeks, of course you’re going to lose weight but you will also gain it right back because you can’t live on 500 calories a day.

You need an exercise and nutrition plan that you can live with day in and day out. Training like a professional athlete for 2 weeks and burning out will not give you the body that you’ve always dreamed of.

6.  You have to make working out and healthy eating a part of your lifestyle!

Healthy choices have to be planned. The path of least resistance is probably a Big Mac.

You have to schedule yourself time to work out instead of hoping that you’ll find the time. You have to know where you are going to find healthy food to eat during the day. That may mean that you pack your lunch or it could mean that you track down the nearest healthy vending machine in your building.

7. It’s Not Going to Be Easy!

Nothing worth having is ever easy. And that’s why fewer and fewer people are fit and healthy.  There are countless challenges to being fit: you are bombarded by ads for fast food, your co-workers will try to lure you to happy hour when you were planning to hit the gym, finding a hotel with a decent gym is practically impossible. You have to resist temptation, stay focused, and get creative with your workouts.

It isn’t easy and you have to accept that. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it can be done and is definitely worth it.

I caught the fitness bug when I was 14 years old.

Ever since then, running and strength training has been an integral component of my life. Along the way, I have come to realize that there are 7 rules for maintaining a fit and healthy body in our society. There is nothing complicated or technical about these rules. These rules are just a way to view the role that exercise and nutrition should play in your life.

No gravity, no excuses

1. Doing Something is Better Than Doing Nothing!

Let’s say you planned to crank out 5 miles on the treadmill after work. Unfortunately, after yet another crazy day at the office you are wiped out. The thought of running 5 miles is way too daunting. So instead you head home and set up camp on the couch.

Don’t make it an all or nothing game. If you’re too tired to run 5 miles, then run 3 miles instead. Do not be a slave to a program.  Similarly, don’t abandon your nutrition plan because you had a moment of weakness. That chocolate chip cookie isn’t going to make or break you but falling off the wagon and eating a half gallon of ice cream will.

2. A Body in Motion Tends to Stay in Motion!

Over the years, I have learned one universal truth about working out: the hardest part is getting started. Getting my running shoes on is always the hardest  part of my run. Once I’ve got my Nikes laced up and I’m out the door, my body is on-pilot. Once I am in motion, I will stay in motion.

Staying in shape is a lot easier than getting in shape. Getting in shape is the worst. It’s painful, discouraging, and demoralizing. Staying in shape is fun. If you never let yourself get out of shape, you’ve made your life a whole lot easier.

3. Listen to Your Body!

Believe it or not but your body wants to be healthy. Your body was meant to be active; it wasn’t meant to sit 16 hours a day. The problem is that we are bombarded with so much noise, most of us have forgotten how to listen to our bodies.

After a long day, we are mentally exhausted and we confuse that for physical exhaustion. We think that our bodies are craving those peanut butter cups but it’s really the pleasure centers in our brain. Our bodies want us to head over to the healthy vending machine because healthy food will make us feel better. Our bodies want to get out there and break a sweat. You have to re-learn how to listen to your body. It won’t steer you wrong.

Come back tomorrow for Rules 4-7. Same bad time, same bad channel.

Am I the only one who remembers this movie?

I was thinking about running for office in 2012.

Somehow I doubt that I could convince either the Republicans or the Democrats to nominate me so I’d have to start my own political party. I’d call it the Healthy Vending Machines Party. I admit that it is an odd name for a political party but I would be an odd presidential candidate.

My platform would focus on two key issues that are currently on the forefront of our national consciousness: health care and national security.   The genius of my platform is that I know how to strengthen our national defense and lower our ballooning health care costs at the same time.

What is this magic solution? The answer lies in the chosen name of my nascent political party: Healthy Vending Machines.

As the American waistline continues to expand, there are two critical effects. The first is that our national health care costs are skyrocketing.  Health care costs related to obesity are becoming such a concern in Corporate America that it has spawned a billion dollar industry devoted to employee wellness.  Employers pay for the majority of the $2.2 trillion spent on health care every year. They realize that if these costs continue to climb, it will put them out of business.

At the same time that we are getting buried by health care costs, we are becoming too fat to fight. The CDC found that 42% of young adults age 18-24 are overweight or obese. Being overweight is now the number one reason for rejection from the Armed Forces. Combined with criminal records and high school dropout rates, this has led to 75% of the American population being unfit for military service.

We need to make changes to the American lifestyle.  I believe that the simplest solutions are usually the best ones. The simplest solution is this case is to make healthy eating choices are convenient as unhealthy ones. If we can make healthy eating choices easy and available, people will make the right choice.  Healthy vending machines are much more convenient than a trip to the nearest organic supermarket. It’s a simple idea but one whose time has come.