Sunday May 24, 2009
Rest Day
Congrats to Katie Nery & Daniel Smith representing CrossFit Asheville in the Ninja 5k last night. Katie took 3rd overall in the women’s race!
Rest Day Thoughts by Corey
Predisposed.
I had a great discussion with one of our members Saturday after the workout. We started talking about food choices which then turned to lifestyle choices and genetics.
It was at this point that he labeled me, and perhaps the worst label that can be placed on someone in the health and fitness business: Predisposed. Given my current state of fitness, he felt I was genetically predisposed to being fit. He feels he is constantly fighting his predisposition to obesity and over-eating unhealthy foods. However, he was shocked to realize that I was at one point in my life 25% body fat and 215 pounds. My close relatives are very over-weight and have been most of their lives. I pointed out the difference between my relatives and I was not our genetic pool but our lifestyle choices. I eat well, move often, and keep my mental stress in check. My relatives do not. This offered a great epiphany for him.
He stated that seeing me as fit immediately made him think I was always fit. He was shocked to hear of the changes I had made. Upon further discussion he realized that friends had started labeling him as Predisposed. He has lost 45 pounds in the last year and friends close to him now label him with the same tag: Predisposed. They know he was once overweight, drinking alcohol regularly, and doing rather little in the realm of activity. Despite their knowledge of his changes (now CrossFit 3-4x/week and healthy eating) they still currently tell him he has good genetics and is healthier because of that. Rather humorous that he labeled me exactly as others had labeled him. He now realizes that the increase in his fitness level was through the same methods as mine.
When faced with the daunting task of improving our health, it is easy to say “well, my parents were unhealthy; I guess I’m headed that way as well” and label others as “genetically gifted”. Instead, let’s talk a little about genetics, predisposition, and health. Our genes are little codes that, when activated, create changes in our body. We have codes for hair color, for body fat, for bone density, for cholesterol, for running speed, and for jumping height. ANYTHING that is measurable in a human is derived from a code. However, these codes are not always activated and can often lie dormant or un-used. Our environmental exposure is what activates or deactivates these codes… and I’m not just talking about the smog in the air. ANY impact on our body results in a certain coding. When we eat good foods, utilize activity regularly, and minimize our mental stress we code for a healthy body. When we sit on the couch, eat processed foods (anything in a package), and have lots of mental stress we code for an unhealthy body. You are born with the code for both health and disease… the activation is up to you. None of us are predisposed to our own choices.