What happened to us?

[change4good]

What happened to us as a society? It seems like today everyone wants to blame someone else for everything wrong in their life. We have lost track of the important things in life (like our health) and just go after convenience and the easy road.
Case in point obesity. It is a major problem in the U.S. but most people will not take responsibility for their own health. We get fat and want to sue the fast food companies for it. Last time I checked Mcdonalds didn't knock on my door and give me free fast food. We make the decision to buy and consume it. It's not just fast food but all bad choices are just that CHOICES. If we accept responsibility for our own health and teach healthy choices to our children there would not be a fast food franchise on every corner.
We rely to much on the convenieces given to us and therfore do not put forth effort to take the road less traveled. When I was young I only had fast food once a year and that was for a birthday party. Now kids eat it all the time because we as parents stop and grab it on the way home from work so we don't have to fix dinner. When did we loose sight of our values.
I understand that people have medical issues and sometimes can be limited in what they can do physically but anyone can make small changes to improve on who they are and who they want to be. If you weigh 300 lbs you can't go out and run a 5K, but if you don't try to walk around the block today you never will. I can't bench press 300 lbs (I would like to) but if I don't bench 170 today and try for 175 next week I never will.
I applaud all the people on this site who have made terrific transformations and are in beautiful shape and are here helping inspire the rest of us. I also applaud those who are obese and are out of shape because you are taking responsibility and realizing you can change your life and become the person you want to be. We all control our own destiny for who we will become 10 years from now, lets all take the road less traveled and put forth the extra effort to become the best person we can be. If it was easy everyone would look like a body builder or fitness model. It is not convenient sometimes but we will do it because we know it is the right thing to do and we will see huge rewards for it.
If you do look like a fitness model or a body builder the next time your in the gym and see some one who doesn't but is trying, don't look down on them but appreciate the fact that they are taking responibility for their health and saying no to the convience of an easy lifestyle in favor of the hard work and healthy lifestyle they seek.
YOU can become the person you want to be but only you can make it happen. believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.
Wishing you good health.

[Capnwilliam]

Very true, and very well put. Thank you!

Jim

[NotTooLate]

Nice post

When I was a kid I remember eating out only on a very rare occasion, like yourself, and it was a really big deal. It was a long planned out excursion to Kentucky Fried Chicken for the original recipe which was the ONLY recipe at the time lol They don't even make it like that anymore. It was so good because it was a rare treat. I don't think the term 'fast food' was even coined yet. If we wanted fast food we meant grabbing a sandwich from the kitchen to take outside lol Eating out usually meant eating at a friend's house for dinner.

[britonarius]

Yes - exactly but companies like Mac Donalds did come up with supersizing at deal prices promoting people to eat more. Everybody wants a bargain even with the crap.

[BOLDERNECK]

You Guys Are So Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oldsuperman]

Originally Posted by change4good

I applaud all the people on this site who have made terrific transformations and are in beautiful shape and are here helping inspire the rest of us.
If you do look like a fitness model or a body builder don't look down on them but appreciate the fact that they are taking responibility for their health and saying no to the convience of an easy lifestyle in favor of the hard work and healthy lifestyle they seek.
YOU can become the person you want to be but only you can make it happen. believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.

Very well put. I have never meant anyone who looks down on others in the gym, not that those people are there cause they may be. I just don't know or see those kind.

My lifting buddy Ron, is 46 and competes in Masters as well. Three years ago he lost 70 gross pounds. Then 2 yrs ago we met through our trainer. Our trainer thought I would be a good mentor for him, and now we are like brothers.

He doesn't really have the genetics to do very well in BBing comps, yet he trains so unbelievably hard and conditions to the letter for his comps, that he wins over men who should beat him if they were better conditioned. Ron just appriciates life more and wants to win more than they do!

Ron 4 yrs ago suffered Hepatitis c which he rose above that, was a pot head, drinker and stopped that. Then lost 70 lbs, and conditioned his body to win the Light heavy weight class and place in his Very competitive Masters class last July! He still is on track getting ready to compete this July, and looks amazing!

His life is BBing. We, his bbing friends and trainers are his family and church. It has saved his life and given him a purpose to his life.

Point is, it is about the choices we make as changeforgood said, and you never know how by helping someone, how that will affect their lives, so God bless the ones that are there, day after day, week after week, and month after month, to make a change in their lives. ed

[oldsuperman]

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gall...32/mode/will/#

Here is a link of Ron at his first show The Empire Classic April 2007. He is the last one on the bottom left. Click on his pic to enlarge it. Proud of the man!

[gbg]

Amen!!!!!

[redweston]

I agree with all of this and I'm from back in the day when eating out was a treat, my friend has grand children that when they say it's time to eat they put their coats on ! LOL

Keeponpumpin!-red

[gbg]

Originally Posted by oldsuperman

Very well put. I have never meant anyone who looks down on others in the gym, not that those people are there cause they may be. I just don't know or see those kind.

My lifting buddy Ron, is 46 and competes in Masters as well. Three years ago he lost 70 gross pounds. Then 2 yrs ago we met through our trainer. Our trainer thought I would be a good mentor for him, and now we are like brothers.

He doesn't really have the genetics to do very well in BBing comps, yet he trains so unbelievably hard and conditions to the letter for his comps, that he wins over men who should beat him if they were better conditioned. Ron just appriciates life more and wants to win more than they do!

Ron 4 yrs ago suffered Hepatitis c which he rose above that, was a pot head, drinker and stopped that. Then lost 70 lbs, and conditioned his body to win the Light heavy weight class and place in his Very competitive Masters class last July! He still is on track getting ready to compete this July, and looks amazing!

His life is BBing. We, his bbing friends and trainers are his family and church. It has saved his life and given him a purpose to his life.

Point is, it is about the choices we make as changeforgood said, and you never know how by helping someone, how that will affect their lives, so God bless the ones that are there, day after day, week after week, and month after month, to make a change in their lives. ed

Great post OS very inspirational. Ron sounds like an incredible person and he looks incredible as well!!

[JOHN GARGANI]

GB: love the delts and arms in this pose, but sweetie; SMILE!!!! lol....you look so angry in this shot! HAHAHHA...

[gbg]

Is that better? I'm not a fan of getting my picture taken and I hate to pose it's just not natural for me can't put on a phony smile. Even at my wedding the photographer only took candid shots, she was actually someone I worked with when I was working at the ymca and after I told her I wasn't going to have a photographer she offered. Plus my smile isn't what I'm concerned about it's my muscle!

[Baldiewonkanobi]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately due to the fact that I must squeeze so much into so little time. I am an old analog man caught in this sick digital world of I need it NOW. My children (47,44,43) have families and are on the go 24/7. Like my children, I have wandered away from planning meals and their preparation to picking something up on the way home or eating out. Half of our Western society wants "things" like homes, cars, medical coverage,electronics, vacations, and tuition for the kids. The other half wants the first half to also pay for their "things". Both partners now work until exhaustion to pay for the "things" and find themselves eating out more or grabbing something simple on the way home. Here is where choices come in. I can go to Dennys or House of Pankakes and order an egg white omlette, glass of tomato juice and oatmeal with Splenda. I can drop into the Super and pick up a bag of packaged Caesar salad, a grilled whole chicken and a cantalope. Voila!! I don't like this rush rush no time to catch my breath lifestyle...yet I still can make choices. I train in the early AM before work. My children find time before or after work to jog, shoot baskets, or do the treadmill in the garage. My grandchildren are student athletes.

My 47 year old son recently said to me..."Pops, with all of these obese people here in California, who is going to pay for their by-pass surgeries, diabitis meds and Dialysis?" I said, "You are son...stay fit and stay well."

[Do_Somethin]

Originally Posted by oldsuperman

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gall...32/mode/will/#

Here is a link of Ron at his first show The Empire Classic April 2007. He is the last one on the bottom left. Click on his pic to enlarge it. Proud of the man!

I want to look that good!

[bodyhard]

Originally Posted by change4good

What happened to us as a society? It seems like today everyone wants to blame someone else for everything wrong in their life. We have lost track of the important things in life (like our health) and just go after convenience and the easy road.
Case in point obesity. It is a major problem in the U.S. but most people will not take responsibility for their own health. We get fat and want to sue the fast food companies for it. Last time I checked Mcdonalds didn't knock on my door and give me free fast food. We make the decision to buy and consume it. It's not just fast food but all bad choices are just that CHOICES. If we accept responsibility for our own health and teach healthy choices to our children there would not be a fast food franchise on every corner.
We rely to much on the convenieces given to us and therfore do not put forth effort to take the road less traveled. When I was young I only had fast food once a year and that was for a birthday party. Now kids eat it all the time because we as parents stop and grab it on the way home from work so we don't have to fix dinner. When did we loose sight of our values.
I understand that people have medical issues and sometimes can be limited in what they can do physically but anyone can make small changes to improve on who they are and who they want to be. If you weigh 300 lbs you can't go out and run a 5K, but if you don't try to walk around the block today you never will. I can't bench press 300 lbs (I would like to) but if I don't bench 170 today and try for 175 next week I never will.
I applaud all the people on this site who have made terrific transformations and are in beautiful shape and are here helping inspire the rest of us. I also applaud those who are obese and are out of shape because you are taking responsibility and realizing you can change your life and become the person you want to be. We all control our own destiny for who we will become 10 years from now, lets all take the road less traveled and put forth the extra effort to become the best person we can be. If it was easy everyone would look like a body builder or fitness model. It is not convenient sometimes but we will do it because we know it is the right thing to do and we will see huge rewards for it.
If you do look like a fitness model or a body builder the next time your in the gym and see some one who doesn't but is trying, don't look down on them but appreciate the fact that they are taking responibility for their health and saying no to the convience of an easy lifestyle in favor of the hard work and healthy lifestyle they seek.
YOU can become the person you want to be but only you can make it happen. believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.
Wishing you good health.

Excellent post..

[Minotaur]

I agree with all this. I see people eating things they certainly don't need to. Well, I do sometimes too.

But apart from eating and being obese, it's too easy anymore to blame everyone for everything you should be responsible for. I have a sister-in-law like that. It's never her fault. She does whatever the hell she wants with no regard for the consequences, then expects others to pick up the pieces. Actually my partner's whole family is like that; they think things will fall into their laps, and when they don't and there are repercussions, they whine that it's not their fault. It's taken me almost 12 years of us being together to get him out of that too. It's what people learn... like what to eat and where to eat.

You have to do things for yourself and take responsibility for your actions and for making things happen. That's why I've used "The weights won't lift themselves" as a gym motto.

[Pretty Hardcore]

I have a friend who asked me for some diet and exercise help, she wanted to lose some weight for her trip to Mexico. I told her to look into Body for Life and gave her some tips. I saw her a week later and she said that this would just be too hard for her right now. She went into her list of excuses, I work full-time, the kids are in soccer and we always go to McDonalds after practice, I can't exercise because I can't get up that early..bla, bla, ba. She wasn't willing to it a priority. Well, she knows she needs to do something, so maybe the info that I gave her will sink in one day, hopefully.

[johnrich69]

Good post bro-, sociaty seems to find it easier to point the finger at others in alot of different aspects rather then to look in the mirror and take responsibility for their actions. I guess that's easier to do, but it certainly explains alot about the direction that we're heading in. Johnny

[Ironized]

Good post! And wishing you good health.