Last week, President Obama made a major shift in priorities with regard to prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants. Basically, if you are under 30, have no criminal record, are going to school or serving in the military, and were brought to this country illegally by your parents when you were underage, the Department of Homeland Security is gonna leave you alone. These illegal immigrants were brought here through no-fault of their own and, for the most part, think of themselves AS Americans because they grew up here; America is their home and all that they know. The President said, “It’s the right thing to do, period.” I was excited to see a leader who understood and took action for that which is “the right thing to do.”
We all know what is “the right thing to do” in life. We pretty much know all the important lessons of right from wrong by the time we hit elementary school. As we grow and mature we, of course, learn a few more things here and there, but the basics are set. We don’t steal, we don’t hit, we share, and we say please and thank you. As adults, we know how to take care of our health: eat right and exercise daily. It’s not a difficult formula or some magic trick that is shrouded in secrecy. Eat natural, wholesome, well-prepared foods and get some exercise daily is just the right thing to do, period. So why don’t we?
Personal responsibility
Much like Congress, many of us don’t want to tackle the really difficult issues because we’re afraid of failure and afraid people won’t like us. Plus, we’ve got all these special interest groups around us all the time telling us what they want us to hear and packaging toxic things into flashy and attractive packages. Have you seen the commercial produced by the corn industry that reassures us that, “Your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar.” Come on! High Fructose Corn Syrup is the leading cause of obesity and diabetes in this country because it’s in practically everything we eat, it’s highly processed, and chemically altered. Our bodies react to high fructose corn syrup very differently than naturally occurring sugars – and we consume way too much of it. But because of big corporate money, we’re told that it’s fine to eat. Oh, and that box of cereal there has “real fruit baked right inside.” Um, bull shit!
In this day and age, we should know better. We should know the right thing to do to properly fuel our bodies. But like many members of Congress, we’re taking the easy route and accepting toxic bribes in the form of toxic food. We can’t really blame other people for our bad habits and bad choices. We must take personal responsibility and make difficult sacrifices by saying ‘no’ to cheesy rice from a box and ‘yes’ to whole-grain pasta with vegetables.
Nobody out there is going to fix America’s obesity problem for us. We can’t enact laws, mandates, taxes, or rules that will cure our overweight nation. You can’t wait for someone else to take action while blaming everyone around you for the problems you face (even though that’s seems to be the general practice in Washington). The only thing you can do is to control yourself and take responsibility for your own life. The decision to do the right thing and eat better while getting some exercise must be your decision and your commitment to yourself because you’ve got to be the one to do the work. And it is work to loose weight – a lot of hard work and dedication.
What’s cool, though, is that there are people who will help, support, educate, and encourage you along the difficult road from fat to healthy; but you’ve got to be the one to put in the work and make changes for yourself. There’s no pill, but there is support.
People helping people
There are a couple of reasons why I became a Team Beachbody Coach. First, (let’s face it) I need to drop some weight and get myself into shape. I’ve not taken the personal responsibility for my own good health these past couple of years and it’s time to turn it around. But what I realized when really researching and investigating the business side of network marketing, is that it’s a business model based on people helping people. Everyone has a common goal and wants each other to succeed. Whether it’s the goal of weight loss or financial independence, everyone is there to help out and give advice, let you know what worked for them, and keep you motivated along your journey. It’s why we put together groups like my Summer Shape Up Challenge.
Look, nobody said that doing the right thing would be easy. As an Obama supporter, I’m afraid that he will encounter some difficulties this election season because of his stances on gay rights and The Dream Act. But the positions he’s taken and the leadership he’s shown are the right thing to do, period. Now it’s our turn, to do the right thing in our own lives. To make the changes that will bring about a better tomorrow. To live healthy.
If you want to do the right thing for yourself and get into shape this summer, why not join me in my Summer Shape Up Challenge group! I’ll be working out to P90X and drinking Shakeology for 3 months with the goal of loosing close to 20lbs and building muscle mass. But you can choose any of Challenge Packs that appeal to you. We’ll support each other and make certain that we each reach our goals together.
Question
What’s an area in your life where you find it difficult to always do the right thing? Do you agree that it’s up to individuals to improve their own lives, or do you think the government has some responsibility for the problems our country faces and needs to create laws to fix them? Let me know your opinions in the comments below.
