Survival of the Fittest

March 20, 2006 | No comments

Survival of the fittest“We are not tired at the end of the day because we get too much exercise. We are mentally, emotionally and physically drained from being sedentary. Walking through the door exhausted each night is not a living; it is merely surviving large stretches of the only life we’re likely to have.” - Dr. Henry Lodge from the book Younger Next Year: turn back your biological clock

Wow- what a powerful statement!

Excuses are just that- EXCUSES

Had a buddy tell me a few months back how he stopped exercising because he was simply too exhausted after work, had another friend who told me they where too busy for exercise- and the list goes on. I am sure you have heard this as well at your end, no matter what their justification, leading a sedentary lifestyle is simply a lazy excuse to not be active, to make it worse, it is a CHOICE!

Our bodies are meant for movement!

Try to imagine life 100 thousand years ago, before electricity, supermarkets or even any type of machinery - including agriculture. Life was tough! We where at the mercy of the climate, cycles of abundance and drought, never knowing if tomorrow we where eating or going to be eaten.

We where among the top predators, our lives where spent searching, hunting and gathering food- this involved walking and running for MILES each day, 7 days a week everyday of your life. Your only boss in life was your stomach! If your next meal was dependent on what you caught or found that day (remember, there is no refrigeration)- becoming obese is incredibly difficult even with amazing “bad” genes.

Survival Mechanisms - how our bodies work

If we did happen to sit around for a period of time, our bodies evolved to take that as a signal of famine, why else would you just sit there unless there was NOTHING to eat? Remember, there is no such thing as TVs, Computers, Internet or even a comfortable couch ;-) Lack of food- metabolism, critical functions, muscles breakdown (atrophy) and even your own mental alertness- they all slow down. Keep sitting there for an extended period of time- your body actually begins to decay and shut down- depression sets in and diseases get a leg up. Not a pretty sight, remember famine = little to no food- how does obesity occur in nature then? IT DOESN’T! You cannot gain weight by eating too little.

Now during abundance when your body is active, muscles, cartilage, tendons, mental alertness (you got to be smart to catch and find food) all get a boost. A BIG BOOST. This isn’t a time to be storing fat either, how can you run around if you got a 50lbs potbelly? All the extra food you consume gets used up for improvements, NOT FAT STORAGE. Unlike bears, we do not have a need for fat stores for hibernation or great migrations like other organisms, we do gain a little weight during cold seasons but it is only a little- not 50lbs!

I sincerely hope this makes sense to you, either way you cut it- obesity is incredibly difficult to attain and maintain naturally - it simply isn’t a natural state for the body to be in - EVER. This is why lack of interest in life, depression and energy reserves seem low no matter what you eat- your body is in full FAMINE MODE. When you eat during “famine mode”, what your body interprets that as meaning is you just found your last scrap of food, waste as little as possible! Remember, there are no restaurants on the Savanah.

By the way, pregnancy does cause a gain in fat stores, but NEVER OBESITY, there is no reason to keep your “baby fat” after having a child- you will naturally loose your fat stores. If you don’t- you are still over-eating during famine mode.

Use our survival mechanisms in our favor!

Here is a nice thought, our bodies have NOT EVOLVED to modern living, if you sit all day, even if you are surrounded by food, your body still thinks your in a famine situation. This is a survival mechanism developed over billions of years, and thank GOD we have it - it is among the most important gifts we have ever received!

Want to loose the extra pounds? DO NOT GO ON A DIET! DIET = FAMINE MODE = SLOW/SHUTDOWN YOUR BODY. A traditional diet is the worst thing ever “invented” by humans, marketed as a way to loose weight without exercise - completely counter productive as I have shown- it preys on your money and lack of knowledge for personal profit, providing NO SUSTAINABLE RESULTS! Don’t allow them turn you into their latest victim!

MOVE your body, walk for MILES, go for hikes, swim, play tennis, skip rope, get into weight lifting- anything- just MOVE. Hand-to-mouth does not count.

Healthy mind = Health body
Want to know what true famine is like- don’t eat a damn thing all day. That is how your body acts and feels without you knowing it - sad thing is you have gotten use to being in this state. Nothing speeds up aging, disease and decay like a crappy diet mixed with a lack of movement.

There is a lot of proven scientific evidence that there is a link between physical and mental performance. Remember, if you are in famine mode, mental performance declines and your body essentially shuts down, making you more prone to disease (mental, physical and physiological).

Which of the following diseases has a lower incidence of occurrence with regular physical exercise?
A) Alzheimer
B) Cardio-Vascular Disease, Heart Disease
C) Diabetes
D) All of the above

If you answered D, give yourself a pat on the back!

MOVING helps improve your circulatory system- of which your brain is the largest benefactor. By leading a sedentary lifestyle, you are slowly starving your brain of the resources it needs to strive (no wonder you are so tired)- since the brain doesn’t have any pain receptors, you will never know or feel it. But it IS occurring.

The plague of obesity on our society is caused by the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle, rarely (RARELY) genetics or disease. It is a CHOICE 99.9% of the time, not a disease or a condition- a CHOICE! More accurately - YOUR CHOICE!

The Bottom Line

You are never too old or “out of shape” to begin transforming your mind/body into a lean machine! I not only gave you this insight for FREE, but I also built an entire system to support your endeavors at NO COST to you- all I ask is that you use it anonymously! I hope I have taken away any excuses you may have for not getting into shape and staying that way.