Spent the day resting and reflecting

8:00 a.m. CST – Today, I had a chance to reflect on the past 3 weeks and 5 days. Because the Tour de France is in full swing right now, I wanted to write about that race and mention the similarities it has to what I’m doing. With Lance Armstrong going for yet another record breaking win of the most grueling race in the world of bicycling, he is not only trying to beat the odds, he is also sending a message to the world that you can win against cancer. With the Tour de France lasting 3 weeks through grueling terrain and a fast pace, it takes a very savvy and well-prepared athlete to not only finish the event, but also an incredible one like Lance Armstrong to win it all.

Now, coming into the 4th week of my push across America, I am also sending an important message. My message explains that if communities begin health initiatives, and if a majority of the citizens use these initiatives to maintain a healthier lifestyle, then we can win the war on obesity. Since the beginning of the Tour, over half of the people we have seen are overweight or obese. The problem of obesity is real, but it is not unbeatable.

When I was injured in the grain elevator explosion and left paralyzed from the chest down and confined to wheelchair for life, I had to use proper exercise and nutrition and apply principals of health and fitness to get my active lifestyle back. What I observe now, is a great number of people who are letting their bodies become overweight and obese because they do not have anything forcing them to be healthier and more active.  What they do not realize is that some day in their future they will suffer due to their poor health habits, from injuries like bad knee’s from carrying so much weight to health-related diseases like diabetes, heart diseases etc.

I also want to mention  the four points I talked about with the two high schools in St. Louis and how they relate to Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France, and especially how they relate to our Health and Fitness Tour of America.

The points were:

1. To NEVER give up.
2. It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you choose to respond to what happens that is important.
3. The only failures are the ones who don’t learn from their mistakes.
4. Greatness is all around you.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who is successful at something that you want to do.

 

Applying these four points is working for Lance and the other athletes in the Tour de France. The points are also working in Armstrong’s personal fight against cancer. I am using these same principles in the Health and Fitness Tour of America.

1. To never give up.
   a. I’m not going to give up until I’ve made it all the way through  and reached out to communities all across America.  I’m pushing through all 13 states paralyzed from the chest down to inspire and motivate and to demonstrate that health and fitness is for everyone.
2. It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you choose to respond to what happens that is important.
   a. In the case of being overweight and out of shape, it is not over until you are dead.  As long as people get the information about health and fitness and start applying it, they can get back to leading healthy, full, and enjoyable lives.
3. The only failures are the ones who don’t learn from their mistakes.
   a. Right now, we’re in the process of working with the communities across America to create lasting health and fitness initiatives for
    all Americans.  These initiatives can help people learn from past errors and use that knowledge to start a new lifestyle.
4. Greatness is all around you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who is successful at something that you want to do.    
   a. By providing all communities with information from the top fitness trainers and registered dieticians and nutritionists, we are providing them with access to the best information they can get.  In addition, we are making it easy to understand and apply. 
   b. By the community embracing health and fitness, people can get the support of others in their community until it takes over like a revolution. 
   c. By doing these things they can win the war against obesity.

“Side Notes” by Andrew Guzik
I have been riding a bicycle alongside Kevin and taking pictures throughout the Tour. While there may be some similarities between what Kevin is doing in a racing wheelchair and what the cyclists are doing in the Tour de France, there are also a great deal of differences. Both tours take a great deal of physical strength and determination, but the physical activities are vastly different. I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes in Kevin’s racing chair today and I can tell you that it is nothing like riding a bike. If I had to choose a sport to compare it to, it would not be cycling. The sport of rowing is a more accurate comparison. It takes a tremendous deal of coordination to be able to make your hands hit the push rims of the wheels exactly on time. If you lack this coordination and miss the rim, you run the risk of getting your hand caught up in the wheel of the chair and pulling your arm under. Although pushing the racing chair is more like rowing than it is like cycling, it is not exactly like rowing either. The posture is a great deal different than it is in rowing. In rowing, you are able to sit up and use the leverage to push through the water. In the racing chair you must lean forward at all times to avoid tipping the chair backwards.  This puts a great deal of stress on your neck and back. Even a slight stretch backwards will tip the chair, something I learned the hard way.  It takes a bit of practice just to get the chair to move, to turn, and to avoid falling out. I think I’ll stick to the bike for the remainder of the Tour.

*Note from Kevin: I’ve gone through one pair of racing gloves and two tires pushing from the Detroit/Canadian border to the Southern IL/Missouri border.

2:00 p.m. CST – For the rest of the afternoon, I did some maintenance work on the racing chair and washed the truck and trailer. We also worked on thank you letters to the people we have met along the way.