Physical Freedom

Have you ever pondered how your physical shape limits your freedom? I have recently and it terrified me how enslaved I am. And, you need to consider the fact that I am in better shape physically than 90% of the people out there. Yet, I still understand how my lack of physical abundance is limiting.

Distance

How far could you walk if you had to? Actually, let me rephrase this: how far could you walk if you wanted to? For most people the answer is 'not very far'. The simple truth is the western world is out of shape. We have the largest population in terms of waistline in the history of mankind. We are seeing developed nations with obesity rates hovering around 50%. That means 1 in 2 people is at risk health wise. And, please bear in mind that someone who is obese isnt a person who needs to loose 20 or 30 pounds. We are talking about people who are carrying around an extra 100 pounds or so. This is a catastrophic situation that few are paying attention to.

Nevertheless, I am not here to solve the country's ills. I know that the majority of people live like brainless robots. They follow the crowd right into the jail. Whatever the public is promoting, that is what these fools are gobbling up. In this instance, it is literal.

Get back to my initial question, we know how our physical state affects all areas of our lives. Those who ail physically are unable to achieve things in other areas of life. The emotions are directly linked to how we feel. Thus, whenever we feel bad, we are sabotaging our chance of success.

At the same time, there is a tremendous world out there to see. However, few have the ability to see it unless it comes across the internet. Few people have the stamina to hike all day to see an out of the way monument. Nor can they make the trek 5 miles into the woods to see nature in all it's glory. Whatever the reason, the fact that people cannot walk further than their mailbox is a sacrifice of one's freedom.

Resolving to be Free

My driving passion is to be free in my life. I examine all areas in an effort to create structures which will allow me to move towards this end. Therefore, when I realized how debilitating my physical limitations are, I realized how it needed changing immediately.

As many of you know, I love photography. It is a hobby that I picked up over the last year or so. I am also blessed that within an hour of my house there are a plethora of national and state parks which to walk. Along these trails one sees nature undisturbed. It is something that I enjoy.

However, the fact that I had approximately a three mile limit means that I am unable to pursue this endeavor as much as I would like. This places a limitation on me. Of course, in my mind, that is self imposed slavery. The fact that I cannot walk 10 miles uninterrupted is nobody's fault but my own. My laziness constructed this prison in my life. The only way out is to remove it through serious exercise. That is what I committed to do.

90 Day Commitment

Over the next three months, I committed to walking every single day no matter what. A radical shift in my activity is required to break me out of this quagmire. That is what I decided to do. I started it before the new year, almost in tandem with the start of Winter. So, basically, by Spring, I plan to have a radically different outlook.

As I was determining what I would do, I opted to forgo the traditional goal setting method and instead focus upon a plan of action. I want something that is under my realm. This stems from the personal value that my life is my responsibility. Dedicating efforts upon those things which are out of my reach is asinine. Ergo, I am opting for action and letting the results fall where they may.

My plan is simple...walk everyday for the next 90 days starting at a distance of 2.5 miles and working my way up towards the 5 mile mark. I will accomplish this by increasing the pace I do it in while lengthening it incrementally. At the same time, I also committed to snacking on celery, broccoli, and carrots as opposed to other nutrition free snacks. Finally, I am going to stretch each day to increase my flexibility since that is another way that one can be physically limited.

I detest not being free in any area of my life and the fact that I am faced with this challenge is exciting to me. Any time I can break a chain that is holding me down, the better I feel. Freedom is something that we all have to fight for on a daily basis. Those who willing accept what society offers soon find themselves enslaved. The way out of this trap is to fight with complete vigor the second you realize something is holding you captive. For me, in this instance, it is my physical state. Now, I am doing something to alter that.

And, while we are at it, how is your physical state? Perhaps you are captive also.