Is it just me or has our society so embraced a sedentary lifestyle, that when you mention to your friends or family members you’re not interested in getting drunk with them on a Friday/ Saturday Night as you’ve got a training session on the next day, their immediate reaction is “Why would you want to do that for?” or “You’re skinny enough as it is ?”
True Story – Whilst training for the City to Surf this year, my wife Sara and I went on a total alcohol ban and set ourself some very challenging 4 month goals to achieve. Mine was to run the City to Surf in under an hour and hers was to be the strongest she has ever been.
We both tackled these challenges with vigour. We both changed our diets, Sara got herself a personal trainer and I dusted off the heart rate monitor, got myself a running program written and began tracking each of my runs to ensure, I was doing everything RIGHT!!
During this time I was invited to a “Boys’ weekend away in Newcastle. I was a little circumspect at the time as I know what goes on during these trips and really didn’t want to partake in the massive binge drinking sessions and had a couple of runs scheduled for those days, however I was given “assurance” by my mates that I could still do my runs and stay grog free whilst I was away without being hassled “too much”
Our first evening away we went to a local pub to watch the football and for some of the guys to share a few bevvies, whilst I stuck to the Soda Water, much to the chagrin of my mates, who spent the first 2 hours cojolling me into drinking, in which I politely declined every time.
Their strategy clearly wasn’t working as they had never met such a determined foe, not to be deterred they took it to the next level and basically resorted to spiking my Soda Water. Needless to say I was most livid when I found out later in the night and the next morning without notifying any of my “mates” I walked some 11km to the local train station and went home.
So I guess the question I must pose Have we come so far down the road of inactivity that the people who embrace an active lifestyle are almost forced into hiding as the ever growing overweight majority armed with their remote controls and potato crisps laze high five each other with excuses whilst digging themself any early grave?
Food for Thought
Cheyeser
