Is This about Fitness?

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Before publishing my blogs, Allison edits them. Sometimes, she asks me how what I’ve written for the blog has to do with fitness.

“It doesn’t,” I usually answer.

But that’s not true, or maybe it is.

See, I just learned this term today.

Reification.

It’s treating something that isn’t concrete, like an idea or thought, as fact, when in reality, it isn’t.

The example most commonly used is a map.

People will trust the map more than the ground they are standing on.

So does it mean to write about fitness?

Do I need to use physiological terms when 90% of the time psychology is at play?

If the foundation of fitness could be described as education, motivation, inspiration, and accountability (my definition), shouldn’t I be “allowed” to write about human behavior that doesn’t have to do with levers or physics?

Let me take the long road of where I’m going with this, if you will so humor me.

A couple of weeks ago, I witnessed a certain type of reification (in my opinion).

While standing on the sidewalk with friends after dinner at a restaurant, a beautifully dressed, older woman in her late 80’s (she’s actually 90, I came to learn) came up to us and said to Allison: “You are so beautiful.”

Allison smiled, thanked her, and returned the compliment, and the woman staggered, zig-zagging off towards her car.

Allison immediately said “Wow she’s really drunk,” and raced after her as the woman was trying to figure out how to unlock her car.

After a minute of conversation, Allison waved me over and said, “She’s agreed to let me drive her home.”

The wife of the couple we were with joined Allison in the car with the woman, and the husband of the couple drove me as we followed behind.

For two hours, the women sat, chatted, and shared stories while we waited outside.

After a series of funny and not-so-funny events, a call between Allison and the woman’s 60-something son, a medication check, some good laughs, and some poignant tears, the night ended. Allison followed up the next morning, and she and her friend now have a dinner date planned with the woman.

This 90-year-old woman was lonely and had gotten herself up and out of the house for a dinner out, but she had too much to drink for her 75-pound frame.

I told Allison that 99 out of 100 people would not have taken it upon themselves to stop the woman from driving home, completely, dangerously, intoxicated.

Allison waved me off and told me that’s absolutely not true.

But it is.

Most of us are paralyzed by what’s not real.

We have concrete beliefs that cause us to choose behaviors based off of our own belief system, rather than the concrete truth.

Doing the right thing in a moment’s notice, or thinking rationally when the pressure is high, are rare, simply because these things aren’t practiced, and years of irrational self talk have caused us to sometimes lose touch with what is real.

From allowing minors to drink alcohol when we know it will affect their frontal-lobe development, to wearing brand names for social cache, to telling ourselves our workout will undo a string of bad nights of eating.

I’ve always thought that Allison possesses the ability to see black and white without being overly distracted by the grey.

I have developed from exposure to this a desire to, whenever possible, align my beliefs with verified truths, rather than unsubstantiated opinions.

Challenging your belief system against facts is an interesting journey.

I highly recommend it, and who knows, you might make a decision to save someone’s life without even knowing it.

Have a great weekend,

TJ