The Nike Life: Just do it - NOW!

My name is C.M and I have not written a blog post in 1485 days or something…

 Just do it!: Credit Moses Kamwere #SBITT

They say that acceptance is the first step towards recovering from whatever is ailing you. I therefore choose to accept that I am a procrastinator and have been postponing writing a blog post since January 27^th 2014, today being the 22^nd day of February 2018. Putting it down in numbers really adds quite a bit of perspective to the situation.

Human beings are by nature creatures of habit and thus it is vital to choose yours very wisely. Habits maketh a man.

De-evolution

We live in a world where some of the most physical activities the majority of people engage in is clicking a mouse, tapping a phone screen/keyboard, flashing middle fingers to the ‘haters’, lifting a beer bottle to one’s mouth and for the ‘fittest of the fit’, walking to the bus stop.  In a few millennia, some humans will probably have lost their ability to walk. (Go watch Wall-E).And no I am not hating so please give your middle finger a rest.

Garbage In….

In addition to sedentary lifestyles most people make some very ill-informed dietary choices. 3 terms to note:

• High-sugar,
• Deep-fried
• Overly-processed

Now you know why cases of cancer, diabetes, high-blood pressure and heart problems are on the rise. To put it simply, we eat too much shit and move too little, that’s what’s putting modern man in an early grave; and you know what, there are entities that are loving it!

Pharma-Profitable

There’s big money to be made from sick people and sadly there are a several billion the world over. That’s a lot of sales I can assure you. Do you really think pharmaceutical companies are on this planet to make your life better? Sorry friend. When it comes to medicine, treatment protocols and procedures; hospital stays etc. PROFIT IS KING. I am not saying business is bad, in fact I fully back the idea of generating profit from the sale of products and/or services- it’s necessary. It is however ridiculous and ungodly the extents to which some of these Big Pharma players will go to boost their earnings.

But do you blame them really? I mean, if you knowingly eat like crap every day, sit in front of your TV/smartphone etc. for 2-3 hours - this after an 8-10 hour shift at your office - where typical activities include, but are not limited to: lifting a coffee mug (with 4 sugars) to your mouth, walking to the washroom and rolling your eyes at your annoying workmate.  If this is your life then yes, I kinda think that you deserve to get ripped off when you get sick. Sorry.

What was I talking about again??

The illusion of time

Aaah yes! - Procrastination. As I said, I am very guilty of this unholy sin and indeed I have been punished over the years. By whom you ask? The grandmaster called Time, that’s who. In the past (and even now) I keep getting reminded that snoozing = losing.

So what does all this have to do with the typical modern-day couch potato who is too plugged into the matrix? Too often I hear people say that they plan to make healthy changes in their lives - eventually. A week passes, then a month, then a year and before they know it:

• ·         they have a persistent headache,
• ·         they are sweating gallons every night
• ·         can barely tie their laces without sitting down,
• ·         The simple act of breathing becomes laborious. 

Then they rush to the doctor and are dutifully informed of an impending heart attack, some organ failure, stroke, high blood pressure and the ‘THE BIG C’. The doctor may appear concerned but I can assure you, all he/she sees dollar signs. Of course there are good doctors out there.

It is usually at this point that most people start taking life seriously. You will see a guy rush to the gym to pay membership fees for a full decade; buy running shoes;  find a green/leafy vegetables supplier, divorce the local bartender; wage an all-out war on the sugar industry etc. All these are great life-decisions but pray tell; why does it have to take so bloody long?

Procrastination will rob you of the single most important commodity in the universe: time. Gold, silver, Bitcoin (?) are worth pennies compared to time. Don’t get me wrong, I fully respect people who realize the err of their ways even after decades of ‘wasting away’ and consequently make better choices. My main issue is with the relatively younger individuals who are just settling into the motions of life. They make good money, party every evening and believe they’ve got all the time in the world.

Your health is your wealth

In my line of work I have come across individuals who insist that they have absolutely have no spare time to put in some form of meaningful physical activity or don’t have time to prepare healthy food all the time. They say that they are too busy making money and trying to get ahead. The thing that most people don’t understand is that your health is what keeps you going every day. Once that baby is gone, man it’s going to cost you so much just trying to get back bits and pieces of it. So you better give it the attention it deserves, now!

Our bodies are resilient and can therefore take quite a beating on a daily without failing completely. That’s just how we are designed. Some people are more robust and genetically gifted than others and are therefore able to take even more. This is why you will see some people in their 80s and 90s who have been smoking a pack a day for more than half a century still walking like they own the planet whereas on the hand you will hear about some bruh who got lung cancer at the tender age of 30 after only 10 years of smoking 5 fags a day. That’s just how it is. Sorry, we are not created the same, some are better than others.

For the average person, unhealthy life choices in 15 years or less is enough to trigger a very catastrophic chain of events within the body. It is said that the things you do in your youth will determine the quality of your old age. Few things are truer. The sad thing is that most young people out here are wasting their youthful energy on the most decadent of engagements - momentary gratification at the expense of a quality existence in the sunset years.

The (True) YOLO Philosophy

I don’t know about you but I would like to continue riding my bike, running 10Ks, half marathons and lifting weights well into my grey-haired days. I know I have no control over several factors that might affect the length of my stay on this rock called earth but what I have control over, I WILL OWN! That’s my version of the YOLO philosophy.  What’s the point of burning yourself out during your youth doing all the wrong shit only to force other people to take care of you when the great equalizer (time) comes calling? - All this in the name of ‘living life to the fullest’.

One of the saddest things in today’s world is how young people define ‘living life to the fullest’. It’s wrong, messed up and unhealthy for most part. I am not saying you should not indulge from time to time just remember that your habits define you. People will say that we are here temporarily and that we should enjoy as much of the time we have as possible, and they would be right. The truth however is that most people are just trying to keep up with the Joneses, always trying to prove that they too are in ‘the game’. This is extremely tiring, unrewarding and for most part depressing. If you are one of these people and are honest enough with yourself then you will agree.

There’s great satisfaction that comes with doing something that adds genuine value to your life and improving at that thing daily. Getting better at a workout for example – in addition to bringing about positive change to your body – triggers the release of endorphins (feel-good hormones) which significantly enhance one’s general sense of well-being. Of course some days are harder than others but on the general it’s a very rewarding journey.

I know I have talked about so many things and somewhat deviated from the original point which was procrastination, but yo, I believe you’ve gotten the message. Do right by yourself, forget the Joneses stop postponing, form healthy habits, stay younger for longer.