Magnus Liljedahl
Gold medal in sailing, US Olympic team in Sydney 2000
I’m stoked to be a part of the World Fit movement and be able to share some of my thoughts on health & fitness with all of you.
I grew up in Goteborg, Sweden, where the winter was dark and cold. I played Ice-hockey like most of the other kids. The summers were short but with lots of day light. I tried some Track & Field and soccer, but sailing became my sport. You may not know much about sailing, but it is a lot of fun.
It has rules and regulations that everyone has to follow, but in difference to most other sports, they are self-policed. Nowadays referees and judges are present at all major events, but they didn’t exist as I was growing up. It was a honor system where the competitors enforced the rules themselves. If you wanted to cheat, you could, but not many did.
This may serve as an analogy for what we all face as far as our health and fitness. There are tens of thousands of food choices that we can make. Some are healthy and some are not. No one will tell you what to eat and when, at least not all the time. The burden of doing the right thing falls on us, hence, it becomes self-policed. Exercising and working out is much the same. We can choose to do it on a regular basis or not. It’s up to each individual to “police’ their own workout regimen. It becomes the Honor System Applied!
It is fair to say that most top athletes, actors, artists and highly educated people achieved what they did because they were self-motivated. They knew what they wanted; they had a dream, a vision and a goal. They worked hard and diligently to achieve their objectives. Like you, they sure
had a role model for inspiration and someone likely helped facilitate their journey. They ended up with fame, glory and a fan base like you and me. It was their choice what they wanted to do. They could have cheated and lied to themselves, but they didn’t. They were self-motivated and eventually reached their full potential.
You too have a choice, you can either start or continue to make healthy choices for yourself, or not. If you do, you can reach your highest goals, have a healthy life and gain tremendous benefits that will last you a life time. If you don’t, no one will
really care, except possibly those really close to you, like your family and perhaps your best friend.
Stay Healthy and Happy
Points well made.