Happy Monday! After nearly six months and more than 100 posts, I thought today might be a good time for a guest blogger. I'll warn you ahead of time that the subject isn't business, but health and fitness are certainly necessary if we're going to be effective in our jobs. And persistence and endurance are definitely a part of any entrepreneur's life.
Over the weekend, I received an email from my son, who is in Huntsville, AL studying for a graduate degree. He wanted to call attention to the story of Dean Karnazes. You may have heard of him. They call him "Ultra Marathon Man". Any time you think you have a big challenge to face, think about Dean Karnazes. Here's Patrick's email:
Ladies and gentlemen, a very interesting story was brought to my attention the other day on the local news. A gentleman by the name of Dean Karnazes is speaking out against an epidemic spreading across this great country of ours. The epidemic: childhood obesity, a problem currently affecting 1 in 3 children across the country. This, my friends, is a problem. As a former overweight child, this sort of thing really hits me personally. When I was a child things were a bit different. Cafeterias were serving up cheese soaked nachos, pizza, mac and cheese, etc. to young, developing children all across the US. (I, for one, was partial to the pizza burgers.) Low-fat and low-cal foods were not as readily available as they are today. Diet groups (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc.) were not around as much to influence the parents to perhaps help their children make better decisions about food. That was the way things were. They are different now...
You can't turn your head in a grocery store without seeing a low-fat/low-cal/low-sodium/low-sugar substitute for all of your favorites. You can't turn on the TV without seeing a commercial for fitness centers, weight loss centers/supplements, or cross trainers. Now, I have never been one to buy into things being sold on television, but we all know it's out there. That's the point I am making here. So, what's the deal? Why are there still so many of our youth in this struggle? School cafeterias have made meals far more healthily and well-balanced for the growing body. Phys. Ed. classes are being emphasized more by these same institutions of youth education.
What's the problem? I am not going to point blame, but I think, with their young impressionable children, parents need to make better choices for their kids at young ages which will help them to make good decisions on their own in the future. Now, I am not going to say I don't crave the occasional candy bar or cookie, but since I was quite young my folks [he means his mother, ed.]have been helping me to make the right decisions regarding diet and exercise. This guidance has helped me to make much better choices as I have grown.
My brother is a great example of this as well. Once a person of "stout" nature, he has now run several marathons, coaches high school soccer, and run miles on top of miles on a daily basis. A great inspiration for me in the last few years.
Also, my sister is getting ready to get her degree in dietetics. The help she will be giving people in the future is a very noble cause indeed.
So, where I am going with this? My point is poor decisions as a child can be reversed, but it is up to the parents to make these choices a bit easier on their children.
So what about Mr. Karnazes? He is raising awareness of the childhood obesity problem by taking the 50 day break between trimesters (he's a high school teacher) to run a marathon....everyday...in every state....in 50 days! That's 26.2 miles every day... 1310 miles in a fifty day span. Incredible!!! I am totally behind this man's incredible journey, and if this helps in alleviating the problem of childhood obesity, then rock and roll. An unbelievable feat for a terrific cause. Stand up and recognize, people!
-One Love, brothers and sisters!
Patrick Buckley,
University of Alabama, Huntsville
Dean Karnazes writes daily on his progress on his Endurance Is blog. Check it out.
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