Get out of that Rut

Get out of that Rut!

I read a great quote the other day.  “The only difference between a rut and a grave are its dimensions.”, (Ellen Glasgow).  It made me think of the negative feelings that come with being in a rut.  Then, it dawned on me.  We really can’t afford to live in a rut, and here’s why.

Truthfully, living in a rut would have made even high school graduation nearly impossible.   Complacency in any aspect of our modern culture puts us at a stand still.  What if we had just been happy to live with penicillin?  Well, one could argue that our life expectancy would be that much shorter and our quality of life less than we know it today.  If we had simply been happy with land and sea travel, we could easily come to the conclusion that what we know today as air and space travel would not likely be part of our reality.  Countless other examples exist.  

So why can’t we afford it?  My position on this is not related to competing for the world’s best economy or the most impressive technology.  No, instead, it is each and every man and woman’s race against their own aging process.  Let’s say you were quite a soccer player in your high school days.  Then, it’s college, a job, a spouse and a family - and now life gets busy.  You put your health and fitness on the back burner until “the kids are grown”, resting on the fact that you were always very active. Sound all too familiar?  This kind of rut is the lethal kind.  And here’s why you (and I) can’t afford it.

Put the healthcare costs of an aging body aside.  That’s another blog for another day.  Consider that in this no or low activity rut, you are not keeping up with the natural aging process.  Your skin, muscles, and blood vessels are getting progressively less elastic.  Your heart, organs and muscles are being infiltrated and surrounded by fatty tissue.  Your cell’s telomeres are getting shorter and shorter.  Read more on aging details in several of my other blogs, but in the meantime here’s our answer.  Notice how when your fitness level stays the same (GREEN, ie in a rut), and the normal aging process continues (RED), the area between the lines changes.  Another way to say this is that what was once fitness > age, changes to age > fitness since aging is never at a stand still.  Look again.  Understanding and placing value on this truth may be one of the single best investments you can make.  Quite simply, your health...it's something you can't afford to live without.

Keep moving!