Why Warrior Health and Fitness?

Yes, I know there are thousands upon thousands of health and fitness blogs, websites, books, gyms, doctors, and trainers. Many of them also embrace military/Spartan/warrior-esque themes. So, why another? I thought hard about this for some time, especially considering my credentials. Then I remembered something I heard a pastor say once. After being asked if he was upset that a new, larger church was setting up down the street, the pastor replied, "Only once all of the people in the city were saved might he bat an eye about it." As long as there are people out there who are overweight, sick, and unhealthy, I feel compelled to share my wisdom with whoever will listen. As for the cliché warrior theme? It's what I've known pretty much my whole life, and I feel that in today's society, it is very applicable to the subject of health and fitness.

What is a Warrior?

Most dictionaries define a warrior as:

"noun

1. a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier.

2. a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics." (Dictionary.com)

A long time ago, I came across a definition that resonated with me more as it pertains to health and fitness:

"One who struggles, or one who is in a constant fight."

I think we all know what a struggle it is to stay healthy and fit in today's society.

First and foremost, being a warrior is not profession-based. Being a warrior is something that burns within each of us across the spectrum of humanity. We are pre-programmed for fight or flight. Flight is a smart safety function that allows us to fall back, regroup, and come back into the fight at a different angle of attack. Some have flames that burn hotter than others. That doesn't mean you have to be a Navy SEAL or Special Forces Operator to have a warrior flame that burns like an inferno. You might be a housewife/home-school mom of four kids, but you still have that same potential!

Unfortunately, today, many people feel utterly defeated in the health and fitness realm. They've tried diet after diet, failed, regrouped, tried again, and failed repeatedly. You get the picture.

Where Does It Start?

Where do we go to turn up the heat on our warrior flame? It all starts with FAITH.

No, I'm not talking about religious faith right now. I'll get to that in later posts, but it lies upon the same principles.

What is faith? It is defined as "A persuasion, a firm persuasion, a conviction based upon something one has heard, and acceptance of that thing heard as truth." Two key words in this definition are heard and truth. First, let's look at truth. In this context, truth is one's accepted reality. That is not to say there is no such thing as objective reality (i.e., God), but that's a talk for another time, or you can just read Francis Bacon. So, yes, what I'm saying is that most of our perceptions of the world are subjective.

Moving on. In this context, what we hear are not simply sounds or words, but stories. Stories are powerful—very powerful. We hear stories every single day. We tell ourselves stories every single day in our heads. I don't mean that we are telling ourselves "Alice in Wonderland" in our heads. What I mean is that every time you say in your head or even out loud, "Oh, I'm so stupid," "Oh, I'm so fat," "I'll never be skinny," "I'll never be healthy," "I can't eat that salad; that's gross," you are creating your own life story. Your own reality. You may presently be out of shape and overweight, but you are perpetuating it by continuing to tell yourself those stories. The sad part is those stories typically only go from bad to worse: "Oh, I'm just big-boned," "Oh, I'm sick," "Oh, I have diabetes," "Oh, I have heart problems," "Oh, the doctor says I have two months to live," "Oh God, my little girl has just been diagnosed with diabetes too."

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Being a warrior and fanning the warrior flame in your heart starts with always striving to tell yourself the right stories and only listening to the right stories from others.

If you are telling yourself wrong stories, change them. "I am a warrior," "I am healthy," "I am going to live." (I intend to do a series on warrior character traits and values that will help in this area.)

Also, if someone is telling you wrong stories—whether it be your spouse, friends, or co-workers—walk away or tune them out. Then start retelling yourself the right stories.

Some other really bad storytellers are the TV and media: "You aren't complete if you don't have this," "You won't be complete until you try this new cheeseburger," "You just won't be satisfied until you try this new cookie milkshake."

A big tip here: turn the TV off during commercials, turn your cable off, or heck, throw your TV out altogether. It's really not that bad. Ask yourself, "Are those commercials, these shows, this TV worth my health or the health of my family?" (I'll talk more in my next post about our enemy, who and what the enemy is.)

Remember

You are a Warrior.

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