HEALTH CARE BEGINS WITH YOU.

"I do not choose to be a common man.  It is my right to be uncommon... if I can.  I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me - not security.  I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.  I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.  I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.  I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of the fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.  I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout.  I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat.  It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say - 'This, with God's help, I have done.' All this is what it means to be an American." -Dean Alfange

America, it's time to cut the crap.

You are not owed health care by the government.

You are not owed health care by your employer.

You are not owed health care by ANYONE other than yourself.

Gasp.  What could this mean?

It means that it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to take care of you.

If you are not eating as best you can and exercising as best you can to give your body the best that it needs to survive and repair itself, then you can blame no one.

And you can even only blame your genetics to a certain extent.

I've read of overweight children who were ADOPTED by overweight parents - no genetic connection.  Maybe the child was predisposed to overweight genetics?  Just as likely, the child was imitating what his parents exemplified and didn't have a chance at wellness from the word "GO."

From The International Fitness Professionals Association's (IFPA) "The Book on Personal Training":

"It is projected that 70% of the American population will be obese by 2010 and 50% of all school aged children obese by 2012.
Adult obesity alone portends horrific consequences, but childhood obesity is far worse.
Adult obesity leads to Metabolic Syndrome that is the cause of over 60 different diseases, disabilities and dysfunctions that lead to personal devastation and early death.
Children's obesity leads to all of the above, but because the obesity occurs in a child whose physiological systems have not fully matured, childhood obesity will result in children who will NEVER achieve their GENETIC POTENTIAL - NOT MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, ARTISTICALLY, SPIRITUALLY and certainly not FINANCIALLY!!!"

America, this is a travesty.

America, this is right around the corner.

America, THIS IS NEXT YEAR.

Going to another cancer / multiple sclerosis / alzheimers / march of dimes / whatever fundraiser walk is not going to do an ounce of good in terms of getting to the root cause of the problem for EVERY disease, ailment, sickness, and sufferation that exists until YOU start at the BEGINNING and give your body the proper nutrients (macro and micro) that it needs not only to exist but to repair itself.  And THEN, once everything is in line and all deficiencies are met you are free to truly diagnose and achieve victory over and healing from your ailments.

Do you know someone diagnosed with colon cancer? Did he eat horribly for his entire life, consuming mostly junk and processed foods, never ingesting any fiber (not to mention consuming those de-acidifying / detoxifying fruits and vegetables) that would have cleaned out his system so that polyps wouldn't develop and fester thus becoming cancerous?

Do you know someone with Type II diabetes?  Did he eat horribly for his entire life, never exercising, constantly eating processed / refined sugars so that his body's insulin cannot now moderate it's blood sugar levels and thus he has to check his blood sugar levels manually now 6 times a day?

Do you know someone who cannot lose weight even while doing all of the proper things?  Controlling portions, calories, exercising, eating healthy natural foods?  Has she gotten stress out of her life thus getting her cortisol levels in check so that she CAN lose weight properly?  Is her thyroid completely blown out due to horrible nutrition / hormonal imbalances thus leaving her body unable to regulate basic body management / weight management functions? 

Who all do you know that wears their health problems as a badge of honor?  That the first thing they mention when you see them is all of the health problems that they have?

I daresay that this is an escape hatch that saves them the pain of never achieving their dreams.  That this is a way to point to everything beset them and give an easy out from accountability to themselves and their calling. 

"This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. -George Bernard Shaw

It's time to realize that everything you do will affect everything you will become - or won't ever become - as the case may be.

How many "health care providers" have you seen that DON'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES?  And you expect THEM to be an example of what YOU'RE supposed to do in and with your OWN life?  How many in health care are overweight?  Smokers?  etc.?

Oh, well see, they're going to where the money is so they can survive and support their families.  And the money is there because YOU aren't taking responsibility and you're ending up in their care.  And so the vicious cycle continues.

Who do you know that suffers from lower back pain?

Imagine the following (or don't as it's probably pretty close to what you already see or experience on a day to day basis)...

We lay flat each night while sleeping.  We sit while we eat breakfast.  We sit in a vehicle on the way to work.  We sit all day while at work.  We sit in a vehicle on the way home.  We sit and eat dinner.  We sit and watch television until we head to bed.  And then we lay flat each night while sleeping.  We sit while we eat break.... and repeat the cycle over and over and over and over again ad nauseam and WONDER WHY WE'RE SPENDING THE BILLIONS THAT WE SPEND on chiropractors, lower back decompression treatment, pain killers, back surgeries, and much more.

Functional fitness is not a suggestion it's a REQUIREMENT for all-around wellness.  You don't need to be a body builder.  You need to find a fitness pro that knows functional fitness - exercises that you can use to strengthen your body for your real-world, every-day needs.  If your core is strong, so will your back / lower back be.

Several years ago in a local north Florida rag known as the "Tallahassee Democrat," right around the time of prescription drug legislation / pricing reform / etc. an article sprang forth about a local couple that was spending $1,200+ per month on prescription drugs.

My god.

I don't look at them without compassion, I look at them and ask WHY THE HELL were they so taken in by the establishment that can always promise everything to get your money and your addiction to the drug BUT CAN NEVER HEAL YOU?!

I look at them and wonder why people are shy about spending money on personal training.  EVEN IF THEY SPENT HALF OF WHAT THEY WERE SPENDING ON FITNESS AND NUTRITION RATHER THAN PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THEY WOULD BE BETTER OFF BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.

Friends, you don't have to get hooked up with some jackass muscle-head trainer that is coursing with steroids and growth hormone.  The vast majority of fitness professionals are not this way.  The vast majority are down to earth and PASSIONATE about helping you become who you are destined to be and they exercise that passion by building into your life.  Your holistic wellness (heart, soul, mind and strength) are at the very epicenter of who you are and how you will find and fulfill your destiny and you do have a destiny - whether you like it or not.

If you spend $100 or $200 on some fitness instruction, is that NOT better than the previous scenario?  Is it NOT an investment in yourself to save money in the long run?  But most of us don't think in the long run.

So where does this insurance-political-legislative-health-care charlie foxtrot leave us?

It leaves us with spiraling and out-of-control health care costs that are fed and continually raised by government AND insurance not being able to keep up with the rapidly declining overall health of our population.

I tell you now, it IS a house of cards that WILL collapse.

It doesn't matter how many senators and representatives attach themselves to a reform bill just to save face and save their jobs.  All of that WILL come crumbling down.

Ever heard of someone being charged $14 for an aspirin?  We ALREADY have a situation where our private hospitals spread the cost of treatment across the base of patients being treated, and it STILL isn't completely working but they do have to survive and keep the doors open right?

It's still better than the alternative of having the value of a dollar absolutely destroyed by filtering it through a wasteful government organization and ending up with what on the other side?  Another fine example such as public / government housing perhaps?

And because I take care of myself and DON'T need health care other than major catastrophic care in case of emergency, I will now potentially be criminalized if I don't carry health care to offset the cost of all of those that don't give a damn about taking care of themselves.

If we REALLY wanted to reduce the inflated cost of health care we would begin taking care of ourselves better to reduce the quantity and severity of our ailments thus freeing up and leaving the health care system not for hypochondriacs who go to the doctor every time they get a zit and for all of those with self-inflicted health problems, but for those who REALLY need our compassion and our care to help them holistically overcome the sickness and ailment.

People, you are making your bed. 

And you will lie in it.

Will you also DIE in it?

It's just too bad that it will be stainless-steel and on wheels - surrounded by, doctors and nurses, heart monitors, glucose drips, perhaps even other patients in your room when the powers that be realize that they cannot afford for every individual in the health care system that is coming to have his or her own room.

Don't give control over YOUR life to those that cannot even manage their own.