Gentlemen, I know that you love your family. You love your wife. You love your children. You would be willing to die for them. Today, I have something to say to men who love their families, who care for their families and who would die for their families. Isn’t that why we go to war? We are actively working to prepare our children to defend themselves against snipers, ambushes and booby traps of this silent war. “There are no guarantees our families will stay off the casualty list. But with God’s help and our concerned leadership, we greatly reduce the risk” says Steve Farrah, author of the book POINT MAN.
On our continued quest to ensure a healthy community, at Feel Fitness, we are looking for men who will live for their families instead. We need men who have a passion to be better dads than they are attorneys, doctors, pilots, pastors, teachers, trainers, entrepreneurs. You can argue that the cost of excellence is time, energy and attention and we almost give it all to our careers so that we provide for our families. The same time, energy and attention could be given to your kids’ soccer game, sports day or music class or most importantly towards ensuring your family stays active and healthy.
You could do everything right on the other hand as a parent but your child could still rebel and pursue a life of drugs, promiscuity, and irresponsibility. But by consciously, constantly building moral strength into your child’s life, you greatly reduce the risk of that happening in their teenage years. The same applies to wellness and exercise. By taking the lead as the father, by staying active and eating healthy our kids are most likely to become active and healthy adults and vice versa.
Think about it. None of us have any guarantees we won’t suffer a cardiac arrest. Yet at the same time, it is also true that if a man quits smoking, watches his weight, begins some type of aerobic exercise, and stays away from high-fat, high cholesterol foods, he will greatly reduce his risk of a heart attack. Right? It is the responsibility of the parents, and ultimately that of the Father, to make sure the children grow up in the best environment. What are we doing when it comes to taking care of our temples? Why are our ladies filling up gym studios and schools sports days? Where are the men?
Wellness is like a four-roomed house that consists the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical rooms. As parents, we take our kids to the best schools, buy them the best video games, take them to church every other Sunday but what have we done to help them stay active and healthy? What have you done as a parent, teacher, guardian, caregiver or adult? It is unquestionably beneficial to take them out for a swim, walk them to school, wash the car with them, play with them in the field, enroll them in team sports just to name but a few. Children look to us for examples on how to talk, dress, act and lead a physically active or inactive lifestyle. Provide them with opportunities and encourage them to participate in physical activities that are enjoyable, varied and appropriate for their age. As fathers, we need to take the lead.