Fit for Life: The Gods Have Spoken, Atlantis Is Fighting Back
Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor
Fit for Life: The Gods Have Spoken, Atlantis Is Fighting Back
I saw the scene where Atlantis made the sea throw all the garbage and vessels that pollute the ocean back on shore via giant tidal waves and tsunamis.
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Ironically, we are encountering lots of rain and storms that are flooding the state and beyond.
On Monday, outdoor football practice was canceled (not my choice, as I would have had them out in the rain), so we took the team to the school gym and did a weight-training workout.
The school "gym" is a room in the basement, and when it rains as heavily as it did on Monday, water starts shooting up from an old mop sink in the corner of the room. The kids were using it to distract from the workout, so I told them it was "The Gods from Atlantis fighting us back for screwing up the earth and polluting the sea".
They laughed at the analogy; however, I used it as a segue to try and teach them a lesson.
I relayed a thought process that I had last week during an early morning walk in Ocean Beach, California, and marveling at the beautiful scenery & the eroding cliffs along the ocean.
While walking and absorbing the beautiful landscape made me realize that we are just guests on this planet, and it's our duty and obligation to not only protect it but to stop destroying it and attempting to leave things better than we found them. We shouldn't feel entitled to have beyond our basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and water (all provided by Earth) but feel grateful when we have an abundance of things BEYOND our basic needs.
I told them this so they realize it's our duty and obligation to try to leave things better than the way we found them.
I said that God's intention wasn't to put us on Earth to destroy it, and we should try and do our part on every level, not just to protect the planet but to improve our individual quality of life.
I said that doing things like making their beds, picking up their garbage off the street, and organizing the gym were small things they could do to make things better for themselves and others who follow.
They got the message because they all chipped in and organized the gym when we finished.
Now, I understand that when I speak of God, I am not coming from a specific religious standpoint but from a point of a greater power. I don't care if you believe science created the Earth or some guy with a white beard sitting on a throne in heaven did; it was created by something greater than all of us, and it is up to us to do our part and carry on respectfully and responsibly.
Fast forward to my trip home and my "hobby" of people-watching in the airport. As I scoured the terminal for some healthy snacks, I noticed that 95% of the people there were not only out of shape but obese health risks.
When I say out of shape, I refer to someone with 10-20 lbs. to lose; however, I witnessed a sea of tragedy waiting to happen. So many people were so out of condition that I not only felt bad, but it made me angry.
It made me angry because we weren't intended to be that way.
Humans were designed to hunt and gather for themselves and live off what the Earth provides; we weren't designed to rely on medication, walkers, and wheelchairs to get through the day.
We also weren't designed to eat packaged foods made in a laboratory filled with artificially manufactured materials, colors, and dyes. Nor were we planned to be sedentary, screen suck technology, or sit on our asses all day.
We were designed to eat, move, and be healthy. However, that's not the case anymore.
Now understand that I just left a 2-day conference full of high-performing entrepreneurs who were jacked and in shape. Literally, 98% of the crowd were specimens from the movie 300. With a room full of firepower, so many millionaires, and so many fit people, it made me want to take my game to a higher level.
One speaker commented, "A few of you here aren't in the best shape, so recognize it and do something about it." Part of being a high performer starts within and taking care of yourself first.
That is precisely the reason I am writing this article this week.
My intentions are not to make you feel bad about yourself but to encourage you to take action.
Share this with someone else if you are already in good physical shape.
On the contrary, if the cold, hard truth makes you feel bad, and that is what it takes to get you to take action, so be it.
There is no way to get this message across softly, as we are facing an epidemic far worse than any virus, and it's up to us to change how we think and act so we can get back to living a healthy and vital lifestyle.
I always preach that we need to focus on solutions over problems, so now that we have exposed the problem, here are some solutions we can start applying immediately to improve ourselves and all those around us.
⁃Take care of you first. Start with simple tasks like creating a morning routine, and start the day with a small win!!
⁃Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of WATER a day
⁃Incorporate vegetables into your diet and consume 2-3 servings daily.
⁃Stop eating processed and packaged crap. It's not food if it is manufactured.
⁃Get at least 7-8 hours sleep
⁃Get out and start moving. Do something stimulating your body and taking you out of your comfort zone.
⁃Surround yourself with high performers. Most true high performers incorporate all of the above.
Ask yourself this: When I die, do I want to be remembered as a good example or a cautionary tale? That question should strike a nerve and help you change your life.
Remember, it's not the Gods of Atlantis that are polluting the Earth and making us unhealthy; it's us, and it's up to us to do something about it and reverse the damage.
Committed to your health and success,
Coach Matt