I’ve never been a goal-obsessed person. Seemingly, I’m just not wired that way. As a kid, trophies would go in the closet, and paper awards were stuck in a book somewhere. Blessed with what I refer to as “no rear view mirror,” it’s always been about moving forward and not about looking over my shoulder. Clients groaning about repeating a rigorous exercise from our last session have learned to appreciate that particular phrase. What’s done is done. The past is just that; the future stands ready for your attention. Success or defeat, I try not to harbor it and carry it around for more than a few minutes, and seek only to learn from the experience rather than the outcome. Now, to misinterpret this as noncompetitive or undisciplined would be a big mistake, as every challenge willingly accepted is met with full fury and resolve. You’ll get my best shot, I’ll expect the same from you, and then we’ll both move on.
Many people are wired completely the opposite way. Recording splits on the track, evaluating a race day performance based on this year’s time compared to last year’s, or wanting to reach a short-term strength platitude never before achieved such as being able to do 100 push-ups or run a 7-minute mile can provide fuel for many. As long as these goals move you forward, then more power to you, as there are as many paths to fitness excellence as there are excellent athletes.
Fortunately for me, I am married to someone who exhibits the no-looking-back principle as well, and we click pretty seamlessly when it comes to working out. For example, seconds after finishing the Portland Marathon, cutting through the post-race vendor stalls, my wife Katie and I laughed about the ice cold beer provided on mile 25 and agreed it was a nice way to finish off a long morning of exercise.
In lieu of goals, we’ve come up with what we call our “two hours ready” rule. The basic premise is that on any given day, in any location and climate, we should be physically prepared to work out for two solid hours without rest. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, and everybody will have a different level of intensity throughout those two hours, but if today someone asked you to go running or walking, to play tennis, or go water skiing for a couple of hours, could you do it? If not tennis, then substitute pickleball. If it’s not a half marathon in San Diego, then it’s mountain biking the hills of Sun Valley. Whatever the choice, do you have the physical and mental wherewithal to push it hard for two hours and be recovered and ready for two more hours tomorrow? If you’ve locked your keys in the car in Bellevue, can you jog over the bridge to Mercer Island, pick up a spare set and return? Are you two hours ready?
The human body has 206 bones, over 600 muscles, a heart capable of pumping 2,000 gallons of blood per day, and the lung capacity allowing at least one of our species to hold his breath under water for an astonishing 19 minutes (the current world record!). We are amazingly explosive, have tremendous stamina, strength and speed, and are designed to move relentlessly throughout each day. Watching our 2 1/2-year-old son, Braydon, climb stairs at the park and then shoot down the slide over and over again, chase ducks, kick a soccer ball, throw a tennis ball, stand up and squat down a hundred times in the sand box, hang from the monkey bars and then jump like a kangaroo all in the name of fun, and it’s apparent that it takes years of sitting to drain this energy from a person. Practice makes perfect, and we’re perfecting the art of sitting.
When did we wash away all this youthful energy and fun? Of course, exercising our brains is at least as important as the physical tools we develop, but somewhere along the way we stop evaluating and encouraging kids on the exercise plane and start to quantify everything by grade point averages and test scores. The competition funnel begins to narrow the field as fewer and fewer kids can play a given sport through high school and college, and fewer still can make a living at it. Jobs and families and books and movies all compete for our playtime, and this fabulous fitness mechanism sits idly by, waiting to be taken out and tuned up. The days turn into weeks, the weeks into months, and the average American gains two pounds of fat per year every year after high school. Two pounds of fat is equivalent to 7,000 calories of over-indulgence each year, and equals roughly 24 hours of bicycling annually. That’s only two additional hours of training each month. Imagine the benefits of being two hours ready on a daily basis, not monthly.
Until we get it, until we can turn on the next generation to the freedom and power that comes with being ready to play physically, our per capita medical costs will continue to lead the world. In spite of the massive amounts of money spent, our life expectancy is slightly lower than average amongst developed countries. We have the highest incidence of obesity, and at some point have to question our future as a world leader. These questions would be better asked and answered on the move, maybe over the course of a couple of thoughtful hours swinging from the monkey bars.
Bryan Welch is co-owner of Club Emerald on Mercer Island.
