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Being physically active was always a part of our societal makeup in the first two hundred years of our history due to the nature of work and the lives we had to lead just trying to survive in a world without conveniences and support networks that eventually came into being in the second half of the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0century. In the last twenty years of my lifetime, the world has turned into the \u201csitting of America\u201d. What are the underlying problems we will be facing and how can we address them in order to effectively solve them? That is the question, isn\u2019t it? The answers will emerge over time in the \u201cdialogue\u201d that WILL eventually occur among the parties that CAN help bring about permanent and positive change to people\u2019s lives. Part of the answer lies with each of us in the fitness profession. We MUST define for ourselves how to \u201ctranslate\u201d what we love into \u201cdoable\u201d solutions for those we train and teach. We have to become the change \u201cwe wish to see in the world\u201d \u2013 one person at a time.<\/p>\nDiscussion<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe world is complicated by different and opposing points of view. The \u201cpost Bush years\u201d have shown us conflict and anger on levels never before seen in our political discourse. We now call it \u201cgridlock\u201d and throw up our hands at the very mention of healthcare and reform. The truth is that approximately 80 million people born into the \u201cbaby boomer\u201d generation will be reaching 60 years of age (including my daughter who was born in 1971) in the two decades ahead.<\/p>\n
I see the need to have community based \u201cconversations\u201d about the delivery of healthcare to people and how to make it affordable and accessible \u2013 and most importantly \u2013 understandable. I became a personal trainer in 1990 with my first client and during the period of 1988 to 2011 I did NOT have health insurance because I couldn\u2019t afford it due to the nature of my uncertain and fluctuating income \u2013 AND the cost for coverage for those over forty.<\/p>\n
I never made a \u201ccomfortable\u201d living as a trainer because I was always struggling to build my client base, which as we all know, tends to expand and shrink depending upon a wide range of variables including the state of the economy (and jobs), people\u2019s motivation to hire a trainer, personal finances, and other related challenges. I was in my mid forties by the time I transitioned to the fitness profession and was already \u201cold\u201d and a part of the higher risk age groups that tend to pay significant percentages of their income to cover their health insurance costs. I am NOT informed \u2013 even today \u2013 as to what I will do in the future regarding this issue even though I now have Medicare and a companion program through Blue Shield to help cover me in the event something unexpected happens to me.\u00a0 I am now covered by health insurance and relatively well informed on health and fitness issues and that still DOES NOT qualify me to be a primary resource for solving this problem. However, I WILL make it my business to be a \u201cpart of the solution\u201d and this time I am counting on the fitness profession to NOT be an \u201cafterthought\u201d in the discussion! How does that sound to you? It will take, as Hilary Clinton said a while ago in one of her books, \u201ca village\u201d to tackle this massive challenge.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\nIn my book<\/a>, I describe (what I BELIEVE will work) a concept whereby we bring the \u201cmajor players\u201d to the table in order to \u201cseize the moment\u201d and save lives in the process. First, we ALL have to agree that it is NOT OK to just \u201clet people die\u201d because they lack health insurance. Second, we have to agree that prevention means MORE than \u201ctesting\u201d for diseases and that learning to make better choices (and establishing new priorities) in our daily lives, becoming conscious of our challenges, and FINALLY taking responsibility for all of them is CRITICAL. Third, we have to understand the MAIN ISSUE to be handled WILL be about MONEY (and how to pay for medical services) and we will have to always remember that lives will be at stake with whatever we decide. Fourth, it will take a \u201ccooperative effort\u201d on all our parts \u2013 and compromise \u2013 among the major \u201cplayers\u201d (the insurance industry, medical profession, government at ALL levels, the pharmaceutical industry, business and corporate America, health related non-profit agencies, and finally, each of us in our own communities) to decide what it is we are going to do \u201cto fix the system\u201d so that it works for ALL of us \u2013 not just a few of us.<\/p>\nMy health insurance program over the past 45 years has been my exercise, fitness, and running program \u2013 even when I was covered at work during my corporate years. In the intervening years from college to the present time, I have NEVER been in the \u201csystem\u201d because I stayed healthy. I am the EXCEPTION \u2013 not the rule. What do we DO with all the aging people who aren\u2019t like us \u2013 or me \u2013 when the time comes to treat them for \u201cwhatever ails them\u201d? This is the BIG question we will be facing in the years ahead as we age and I AM betting on my approach with HEALTHY AGING<\/a> as being one of the KEY components of the solution! Will YOU commit yourself to this journey with me today? NOW is the time and THIS is the place! We ARE the ones who truly CAN make a difference \u2013 and save lives in the process!<\/p>\n
In my book<\/a>, I describe (what I BELIEVE will work) a concept whereby we bring the \u201cmajor players\u201d to the table in order to \u201cseize the moment\u201d and save lives in the process. First, we ALL have to agree that it is NOT OK to just \u201clet people die\u201d because they lack health insurance. Second, we have to agree that prevention means MORE than \u201ctesting\u201d for diseases and that learning to make better choices (and establishing new priorities) in our daily lives, becoming conscious of our challenges, and FINALLY taking responsibility for all of them is CRITICAL. Third, we have to understand the MAIN ISSUE to be handled WILL be about MONEY (and how to pay for medical services) and we will have to always remember that lives will be at stake with whatever we decide. Fourth, it will take a \u201ccooperative effort\u201d on all our parts \u2013 and compromise \u2013 among the major \u201cplayers\u201d (the insurance industry, medical profession, government at ALL levels, the pharmaceutical industry, business and corporate America, health related non-profit agencies, and finally, each of us in our own communities) to decide what it is we are going to do \u201cto fix the system\u201d so that it works for ALL of us \u2013 not just a few of us.<\/p>\n My health insurance program over the past 45 years has been my exercise, fitness, and running program \u2013 even when I was covered at work during my corporate years. In the intervening years from college to the present time, I have NEVER been in the \u201csystem\u201d because I stayed healthy. I am the EXCEPTION \u2013 not the rule. What do we DO with all the aging people who aren\u2019t like us \u2013 or me \u2013 when the time comes to treat them for \u201cwhatever ails them\u201d? This is the BIG question we will be facing in the years ahead as we age and I AM betting on my approach with HEALTHY AGING<\/a> as being one of the KEY components of the solution! Will YOU commit yourself to this journey with me today? NOW is the time and THIS is the place! We ARE the ones who truly CAN make a difference \u2013 and save lives in the process!<\/p>\n