Normal

2 March, 2008
Work 1930-0800
19w 1 d to pictures--30 pounds to goal (170#)

Tracy Rif recently posted on her blog about how she would sometimes like to be "normal" with regard to a few things--mostly her relationship with food. As I am wont to do, I have pondered this post since I read it last night. And I have thought about it in light of my job and my recent travels and observations. Of course, "normal" is relative. If you're Hopi, it's "normal" to be almost as wide as you are tall. If you're Scandanavian, it's "normal" to be tall and athletic. In the US, "normal" is quickly becoming being obese. Certainly, "normal" is a lack of concern for one's health. Even those people who are not overweight or obese are usually not that way from some overwhelming desire to be healthy. Instead, most are simply thin by default whether that be phenomenal genetics or some other stroke of fate. Americans abuse things and nothing more than they abuse themselves. Ironically, I think Tracy was more "normal" when she ate and lived dysfunctionally.
I know my view of mankind is skewed by the cross section of the populaiton that I see at work. and I do live in one of the fattest states in the nation. But even in New Mexico and California, as I looked around and studied the people, they were not healthy. They might have been more slender percentage-wise out west but they still were not healthy. And Chicago--fuggettaboutit! I think they were fatter than the people where I live. I was at a scuba convention for goodness sake and even still, the majority of people were fat and out of shape!
So, in a nutshell, we are all freaks.--even we chubby people who choose to pursue healthiness and a longer-lasting quality of life. We are the exception, people who actually THINK about what we eat before we eat it, not eating mindlessly or obsessing to the point of neurosis, but feeding our bodies. We are the exception as we look forward to our workouts instead of dread them as if they were a punishment to be endured. And we'll be the exception as in our latter years we walk ourselves around on our own two feet as opposed to riding around on a hoveround--unless, of course, we're nursing a sports injury at the time. ;)
WORKOUT: Tabata 20 sec burpees, 10 sec rest, 20 sec 45# swing, 10 sec rest. for a total of 4 rounds.