One Thousand Miles: Life and Death Fitness

Friday, January 21, 2011

Life and Death Fitness

   Its been twenty years since I was in the middle of the storm, Desert Storm that is. Back then, fitness took a back seat to planning for the inevitable. We set up our tents in a forward area, planned our communications, counted and recounted our supplies, and waited. For months, we waited. When we first arrived, another unit had set up a mess tent serving hot nutritious food. But the Arabian winds were relentless. The mess tent eventually blew over leaving us to fend for ourselves. Our leadership chose to issue MREs, bagged high calorie meals that would at least sustain us in the fight (it was easy). Some ate the meals, some rationed the meals, and a few (like me) just ate granola bars and powdered soup (and drank lots of water). Mostly, soldiers worked shift work. I spent time on the road between sites, checking on my soldiers, doing reconnaissance of future sites, or just delivering mail. Unable to exercise like they were accustomed, those who had relied on the ready to eat meals gained weight rapidly. I remember the night we expected the war to begin. I went out to the van to work with one of my lower enlisted soldiers, the youngest of my platoon. She was alone and I thought it important that I be there. Over the previous weeks, we had been driven to the bunkers nearly every night because of our chemical alarms going off. This night, we fully anticipated a chemical attack. We could not watch the events on television like some, but we had been given the time to expect all hell to break loose. At the hour we were told, we began to don our protective gear. Unfortunately, my young soldier had one problem. She had gained too much weight and her suit didn't fit. She could not zip it up because of all the MREs, and all the calories. It provided no protection from an attack. She was lucky. We were not singled out. There were no alarms that night. All was quiet where we were. The next day, she took another look at what she was eating and adjusted fire (so to speak). This was her life and death fitness moment.
   For many out there, the moment comes in a much different way. Perhaps it comes from a medical alert such as type II diabetes, an unexpected heart attack, or the death of a family member. On the television show, "The Biggest Loser", each participant is called in to discuss their medical condition. Each is told when they will die if they continue on the path of poor diet and lack of exercise. For all, it is an eye opening experience. I cried last season when one participant actually overcame his Type II Diabetes. It runs in my family and I have spent my life running from it.
   So, I guess my personal awakening has been in watching others in their life and death fitness experiences. Be it family, friends, or just someone I've watched on television, I have been inspired by others to do my best to stay healthy as I grow older. My hope is that others will do the same. Be a role model for health and fitness, for your family, for your friends, and for anyone else who needs one. Choose to live.