SoapBlog 4 - Get Your Body Movin’
Brian Polark, Founder, Cincinnati Sports Leagues
When did being active change from getting out and doing something to designating a room in your house in which to be active? Don’t get me wrong, I have as many pieces of workout equipment and circuit training DVDs as anyone (a lot of them with a pretty thick layer of dust on them). Yet, no matter how much I feel the burn, I never truly enjoy them as much as I do getting active in a social setting. Let’s face it, when Mom or Dad told you to go out and play as a kid, you didn’t head to the half-finished part of your parents’ basement to pump iron and do 10-minute abs. You headed next door to grab the neighbors and shoot hoops, play kick-the-can or a game of wiffle ball.
Something happens as we grow up: our idea of being active changes from being involved in group activities to taking on the daunting task of working out alone. Somewhere along the line, “being active” stopped being fun and became work.
My generation and the generations after mine will be faced with the daunting task of battling sedentary lifestyles, which in many cases lead to obesity, heart disease and sometimes depression. The remedy for this, in most cases, will not be found in a 15-minute workout DVD or in a $1,000 piece of workout equipment, but rather in activities that continually challenge and engage in a social setting. This battle will be won on the softball fields, sand volleyball courts, kickball fields, and dodgeball gyms, the running and cycling groups, the 5Ks and the marathons. The activities that are done socially for health and fitness will be the key to turning the tide that has been set against us.
I’m not a rocket scientist, and my company definitely doesn’t split the atom. We focus on developing sports and social activities that appeal to the largest segment of our population. Our success is predicated on people being engaged for various reasons. The more people stay active longer into their lives, the easier it will be to instill a similar mindset and lifestyle to our kids and their generation.
Turning 25, 30 or 35 doesn’t have to be all about TPS reports, board rooms, or excuses for not having enough time. The great thing about life is that everyone gets the same amount of time in a day. The variable is how you choose to use it. Choose to get your body movin’ this year. Whether you are walking your dog in Hyde Park Square, running up Devou Hill, or playing in one of CSL’s leagues, get out and get movin’. Your body and your disposition will thank you for it!
To learn more about the CSL, visit
www.gocsl.com.