LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 10/15/07
I have a friend who once was hiking some steep terrain around this time of year. Leaves covered the narrow trail that cut across the mountain. She didn't realize the leaves were slippery until they slid under her feet, knocking her off the trail. Instantly, she was falling down a cliff-like slope of rocky ledges, with little hope of survival. Instinct set in. She reached out and grabbed a tree. It was a miracle save. Her lower legs were actually dangling in the air, over a drop-off about 30 feet high.
My friend, who is in her late 40's, works out regularly. She lifts weights three times a week, goes running, and keeps her body in good condition.
But now she was in real trouble. She was hanging onto a tree trunk in a near vertical position, alone on a deserted hiking trail. There would be no rescue. Her life was literally in her hands.
Tightening her grip on the tree, she did a full pull up, then flung her body across the trunk, safe for the moment. Though she had never done any climbing, she had the sense to look up to the trail, some 60 feet above, and plan a route. It took about an hour of hard physical effort, but she finally reached the trail, scratched and sore, but alive.
"I owe my life to the fact that I can do pull ups," she said later.
In the same situation, would you be able to survive?
It's a question worth pondering. We live, to paraphrase the ancient Chinese curse, in uncertain times. Think of 9/11, for example. There were certainly people who died because they took better care of their IRA's than their bodies. When an emergency came, and they had to sprint down 50 flights of stairs or across ground zero to save their lives, some didn't have the stamina. They never made it out.
You may be a great athlete on the slopes or on a bike, but if a sniper was firing, could you sprint to safety? Could you do it holding a child if necessary?
It is not obesity that is the major problem today, but physical weakness. People who are athletic and active usually keep their bodies in some kind of useful shape, but the majority of Americans over 30 are no longer physically strong. They have let go the concept of being strong, because it's not important in our culture.
But in a survival situation, being strong enough to run, agile enough to duck, physically capable enough to move your body to safety; may mean you get to live.
Life itself is an adventure today. There is danger all around us. We stress about protecting ourselves as a country, but we don't give much thought to being physically able to protect ourselves if we get caught in an emergency. Having a body that looks good is important, of course, but in today's world, it's even more important to have a body that works good. Join a gym, and go regularly. Or get some weights at home, and use them. Every so often, push yourself to your limits in a walk or a run or a bike ride, just to check where your limits are.
Think of making your body strong as a survival program, not as just a workout. Like my friend who was able to do a pull up to save her life, you never know when you may need some physical ability to ensure your survival. Don't be caught without it.
Wina Sturgeon