Day 1: My Health Time Capsule: The De-Evolution is Here

This post is the first of a 30-day writers challenge I accepted from WEGO Health. The perfect opportunity to get back into writing on a regular basis so.... here we go! If you're ready to get started, sign up here!

Daily prompt: Pretend you’re making a time capsule of you & your health focus that won’t be opened until 2112. What’s in it? What would people think of it when they found it?

A time capsule! I think the last one I physically put together was back in the 80's as a Girl Scout. I can also recall a time capsule I witnessed being lowered into the ground at Disneyland in front of the castle in 1995 as part of the theme park's 40th Anniversary celebratory events.  The elaborately decorated time capsule was dedicated to the children of the 21st century with strict instructions from Mickey that the capsule remain closed until the park's 80th birthday - July 17, 2035. Follow this link to a complete list of it's contents.

I think of time capsules as physical entities whose contents represent current events, trends, styles, and beliefs. Today's writer's challenge is about a time capsule of me and my health focus - neither of which can be described or explained by the physical world alone. "Health" is such a general term, encompassing mind, body and spirit. So what IS my health focus and how do I represent it for whomever opens it in 100 years? A hundred years ago, 'sick leave' was barely a term anyone understood. The concept of health insurance and yes, health care reform was just getting underway. The connection between good health and a productive society/economy was coming to light. I can't say what the state of health care reform will be in 100 years, but I can say with 100% certainty that my health focus is inspiring others to be the healthiest and happiest human beings for as long as possible.

Remember this cartoon by Sidney Harris?

Today, it is without debate that most Americans would have a similar response when asked to explain how food gets from (presumably) farms to their kitchen tables. Maybe something like this?:

Time Capsule Contents

Personal Statement of Truth: The new revolution in health is to get to a place of de-evolution.

I want the future to know we've let technology take over our responsibility and accountability to ourselves. As a nation, we're too stressed out, too tired, too anxious, too depressed, too strapped for cash and too busy to cook with ingredients with less than 3 syllables that we can pronounce or put on a pair of shoes and pound the pavement for 30 minutes a day. We use our own lives as excuses not to live or have the life we want and deserve.  To improve the quality of your life, de-technify your food choices and de-technify your physical activities. Put down the chicken nuggets that we all know don't actually have any chicken meat in them. Frozen deep fried zucchini sticks are not vegetables. Stop spending thousands of dollars a year on health club dues if you're only going once or twice a month. Join your local Community Supported Agriculture to support local farming, eat wholesome foods that you can explain where it came from and how it was prepared. Most importantly get away from buying processed food. Put on a pair of shoes once a day, grab your kids, your spouse, or a friend and commit to moving your body for 30 minutes a day. 

What I Want Others to Know

Affect change in yourself. I started training for my first half marathon about 6 months after the Before photo was taken and I haven't stopped running since. Be responsible for yourself. Take accountability for who you are and the choices you make. You are not a victim of society or technology. Be an active participant in your life and share the power to affect change in others. Being healthy is contagious!

Summer 2006 vs. Summer 2011

Affect change in your community.  After 3 years of distance running, I wanted to share the gift of running with as many people as possible. It had changed my life and the lives of many friends and family members who started running shortly after witnessing the changes in me. Several months after finishing my first marathon, I started up a local running club. In just the first 15 months, we've changed the lives of over 100 people, helping them achieve their goals to run Half and Full marathons.  In just 10 days, I'll be introducing this program into my workplace - fully supported by our internal California Wellness Human Resources program.

Share your experiences.  I am including all of my personal blogs, published and unpublished. My blogs are the story of my personal health trials, failures and successes. From the wildly emotional and physical success of My First Half Marathon, to an exciting interview with a local journalist about my running club, to my first big failure in my long distance running career and the unexpected ensuing fallout, these are the highs and lows of who I am and how I share my health beliefs and personal health status with the public.

As far as "What will people think of" my time capsule....  I hope they see a person who decided to take their life back and share that gift with as many people as possible. Whether the audience is one or a million-and-one, I hope the message is clear: Your health status is contagious. Be the inspiration and provide opportunity and space for others to join you.