Build Your House

Of all the reasons people have for pursuing fitness, protection from sickness is the most compelling. Getting and staying fit is a buffer against getting and staying sick.

CrossFit founder Greg Glassman talks about “The Sickness-Wellness-Fitness Continuum”. I like to think of it as a scale from 1-10 starting with 1 being “very sick” and with 10 being “very fit”. Somewhere in the middle, around 5 is plain old “wellness” (you can guess what lies at zero). Glassman contends that being extremely fit does not mean you will not get a disease, but be better equipped to fight and recover from whatever comes along. When faced with an illness or trauma that could move you 5 points backwards on this scale, you won’t want to find yourself starting out at 4! Better to face the challenge starting at the high end of the scale and have more distance between you and zero. 

Think of your fitness as being the house you build to live in. Any piggy will tell you that as you select materials to build your house, using straw and sticks is the cheapest and easiest way to go. From the outside, these houses look pretty good and will even stand up in a breeze, but remember, when the Big Bad Wolf comes around, bricks are better. Don’t wait until you hear huffing and puffing outside your door. Be like the smart little piggy and start mixing the mortar now. Determine where you are on the continuum and start moving yourself towards fitness, brick-by-brick. 

Coach Mark