Beth and I just watched the documentary Fed Up and it really got me thinking.  There was not a lot of new information for me personally, but it tied together some of the pieces in a very compelling manner and paints a very clear picture of WHY we as Americans need to make some big changes.  I am not endorsing the political views of increased government regulation, but I know that the way our nation eats is killing us and we need to make some SERIOUS changes in our daily lifestyles.

I am not going to spend a lot of time discussing the points of the movie.  If you want to get the full picture I encourage you to rent or buy it.  We all know that obesity is an epidemic in our country with 2/3 of Americans overweight or obese.  Beth and I have been blessed to help over 10,000 people make positive lifestyle changes in their nutrition the past seven years so this is an issue that we are VERY passionate about.  Even if you personally live a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and exercise, this issue will still impact you in some major ways.  You will have several loved ones whose health is negatively impacted by the garbage foods and drinks we are consuming.  Additionally there are several economic implications as our nation is fully unprepared to handle the raising healthcare costs caused by this epidemic.

Many of you probably do not know my story, but I struggled with weight most of my life.  In grade school I was the fat kid.  In high school I was introduced to weightlifting and got in better shape, but after college I found myself quickly gaining weight and weighed 250lbs at 24 years old.  I never wanted to be obese, but that didn’t change the fact that I was.  Thankfully a friend interrupted my life and shared a great solution with me to my problem, The 24 Day Challenge .  Seven years later I am down 50lbs and I have continued to stay fit, active, and healthy.  I did find a GREAT solution to my problem, but I do not want to talk about the “How To’s” of living a healthy lifestyle.  I want to first talk about the “Why To’s”

For me it was simple.  I thought about what I wanted in life.  I thought about where I wanted to be, the family, I wanted to have, and the things I wanted to do.  I realized CLEARLY that I was NEVER going to be able to have the future I wanted if I was overweight or obese.  What things are you passionate about doing?  How much better would you be at them if you were not overweight?  Will you be able to continue to do them long term if you are overweight?  Think about your family.  What legacy do you want to leave for your children and grandchildren?  Do you want to live long enough so your grand kids know who you are and remember you?

Even more important than the things that we want for our lives we need to consider what God wants for our lives.  We were bought at a price and we were created for a purpose.  We cannot fully accomplish God’s plans for us if we are immobilized from illness or if we die prematurely.  This is something too often we lose sight of because we are called to love our neighbors.  Unfortunately we confuse loving people with not telling them the truth.  The truth is if you are heading down a path of poor lifestyle choices and weight gain, then you are not honoring God in your body.  Think on that and let that truth sink in.  I know this is convicting for me because I still have moments when I think I can eat whatever I want and I make some unwise choices.  When my thoughts turn back to God’s plan for my life and my loved ones I realize I am being very selfish and it causes me to get back on the right path immediately.

If you can have a long view of time it empowers you to make wiser decisions.  I hope you clearly see the importance of making lifestyle changes NOW so that you can live long enough and remain healthy enough to enjoy and experience everything you want to in life.  We have already established that everything we do either brings us closer to or further from our goals.  There is no way we can prepare for every situation or scenario that comes our way, but we can learn to make wiser decisions at every opportunity when we have the proper perspective.  Next time you are at a restaurant or birthday party and you are considering what to eat ask yourself, “Will this bring me closer to or further from my goal?” or, “Will this glorify God in my body?”  You can ask the same questions with how you schedule your days and allotted time for exercise.  There are so many opportunities to get off track.  This is why we must constantly evaluate our decisions against what we truly want.

Question: Are you in your ideal health and fitness state?  What are your health and performance goals?  Comment below