Let's Get Physical !!

There is no doubt in my mind that in spite of the wave of youth oriented extreme sports, we are in decline physically in our country.  Our biggest offender, obviously, is the rise of the automobile in the world as a whole and our country more than any other.  When I was a kid, we had a car and it lived in the garage.  Now, if you pass almost any house in America, there are two cars in the garage (if you can fit them in around all the other possessions, tools, toys and knick knacks.)  In the driveway itself is another car or two, and off to the side there is likely an RV.  Along the street are the kids’ cars.  So the average household goes from one vehicle to four or more.

Do you get the picture?  NO ONE WALKS ANYWHERE!  You have to schedule your walk along with whatever other physical activity you might desire.  Unfortunately, fewer people desire physical activity at all.  I know one person who requires that we drive around the mall to find the closest spot to one store, and then drives the car to nearest spot to the next store two doors down so that we don't have to walk.)  And when was the last time you saw a kid walk a mile to and from school every day?

We are too busy eating sugar that inflames and progressively narrows blood vessels and adds pounds to the body.  Type 2 diabetes used to be an old person’s disease…now we see it in 12-year-olds.  And of course, as soon as you gain extra pounds it becomes exhausting to haul that body around yourself, so you don't do it.

We have an epidemic of depression in America.  Why is that?  I’ll advance a theory of my own…we aren’t physical.  Doctors are delighted to give you happy pills and send you on your way and ultimately, that has its downsides, too.  Most of you who know me are aware that I am an exercise junkie, so yeah, I am biased.  But still, I firmly believe God made us to be very active, and unfortunately we are approaching the day when we will ultimately “meld” with our techno devices and our muscles will atrophy into non-existence.  Frankly, I’m not interested in that kind of life.*

*We’ve even decided that you can’t be physical in any way with punishing your child either (I’m not advocating abusive beatings at all!)  Unfortunately, young children don’t learn well in a lasting manner the immediate consequence of bad behavior by having a time out (which is usually poorly enforced because we are too busy on our Iphone) or not getting their sugar cookie…sorry, but it’s true.