Kevin’s Log – The Big Push – “Revolutions”

For all the attention paid to America’s conflicts overseas, it sometimes gets lost that we’re fighting another war right here at home.  While this war might not be as prominent in the daily news, it’s every bit as deadly – claiming the lives of millions of us each year.  It can’t be fought with battalions or cruise missiles, and generals will never be able to lead us to victory or retreat.  In this war, the battles rage door-to-door, from one home and family to the next.  This is the war against obesity and unhealthy living and its one we dare not lose. It will take motivation, inspiration, the will to overcome adversity and the power to never give up if we are to succeed.

If it sounds like I’m being overly dramatic in describing America’s obesity and poor fitness crisis, then let me share some of the intelligence data with you.

Obesity has more than doubled in the US since the 1970’s, posing an unprecedented health risk to the general public; amongst children, it has nearly tripled.  (Center for Disease Control)

3.8 million of us are over 300 pounds. Over 400,000 people (mostly males) carry over 400 pounds and the average adult female weighs an unprecedented 163 pounds! (American Sports Data)

Approximately 119 million Americans, or 64.5 percent, of adult Americans are either overweight or obese. Estimates of the number of obese American adults rose from 23.7 percent in 2003 to 24.5 percent in 2004. (Trust for America’s Health Study)

Americans spend $117 billion annually treating obesity-linked diseases including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, arthritis and more. (US Surgeon General)

Over 100 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, which is one step away from having type-2 diabetes. (Alternative Medicine America)

15.3% of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 1999 and 2000 more than triple the average of 4.2 percent from 1963 to 1970. (Centers for Disease Control)

The trend is clear: Americans aren’t just getting fatter, we’re killing ourselves. The food we eat along with the exercise we don’t get is destroying not only our health, but our quality of life. I had to do something and the sooner the better. I decided to write a new book – “Revolutions”, focusing on the health and fitness problem in America and provide solid solutions to fix the problem. I also decided to do something more dramatic. I took a break from my many motivational speaking obligations and decided to push my wheelchair across America to bring attention to the problem and promote change.

When I decided to take on the monumental challenge of doing the Health and Fitness Tour of America, my goal was to raise awareness and to make a positive difference, something I’d done as a motivational coach and inspirational speaker and as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and help all people become healthy and fit by inspiring them to never give up because there’s always a way and sharing clear, concise, easy to understand information about health and fitness. As a Paralympian and champion wheelchair athlete I realized that in order to win the war against obesity, it would have to be done one community at a time. I formed the Kevin Saunders’ Health and Fitness Foundation, a non-profit foundation, to work with city and community leaders to provide resources and tools and help create lasting health and fitness initiatives in communities across America. I felt the organization that best exemplified health and fitness and was helping to win the war against obesity and unhealthy lifestyles was the American Heart Association.  I joined forces with various companies which sponsored me to assist in my efforts in putting together a national campaign to help America get fit. I realized we were going to have to visit key portions of the 13 states over the next three months if we were going to make an impact. One thing I realized from working with the media as a motivational coach, inspirational speaker, Paralympian and champion wheelchair athlete was that in order to get national attention for our efforts, it would take a major campaign. This major campaign came in the form of what we called “The Big Push.” The Big Push is just that. I am pushing my wheelchair from the Canadian border just outside Detroit to the Mexican border just outside Laredo, Texas, which is approximately 2,500 miles.

Part of the Health & Fitness Tour includes holding health and fitness summits with the city and community leaders to provide resources to help start health and fitness initiatives for all citizens.  I felt that building lifelong health and fitness habits must begin in the communities where people live, work and play. There is always a way when people pull together. That is where we will win the battle against the obesity and unhealthy living epidemic in America. If I could make it as a champion wheelchair athlete and Paralympian I believe anyone can reach their goal of good health and fitness, they just need motivation, education, and inspiration.  Motivational coaching, inspirational speaking, chuch speaking, sports speaking and safety speaking is what I do so I hoped with my encouragement and knowledge I could get the ball rolling.

I certainly knew this wasn’t going to be easy; I’d have to overcome a lot of adversity and being paralyzed from the chest down makes it particularly challenging. I’ll need all my inspirational faith to get through the journey. I have to keep my medical supplies and prescriptions ordered ahead, drain my bladder with a catheter every few hours, do a weight press every fifteen minutes (this is where I lift my body weight up with my arms and hold it for 1-2 minutes allowing blood to circulate back into my gluteus maximus in order to prevent pressure sores) in my regular chair and every hour when I’m pushing my racer (racing wheelchair). These are just some of the routines I endure that I never even considered before my accident. I have no core muscles so even balancing in my wheelchair is difficult.  When I’m giving a motivational speaking  or inspirational speaking presentation and people ask me what it’s like here is the answer I give to try to put it in perspective for those of you who are able to walk. Try sitting on a basketball with your legs straight out in front of you, with your heels resting on a carton of eggs. Then try to do some activities using your arms without falling off the basketball or breaking some eggs. That’s sort of what it is like for me as I go through my everyday routine. But we all have challenges. The key is to not let those challenges keep you from living an active, healthy life. This is what I teach as a motivational coach, inspirational speaker, educational speaker, church speaker, sports speaker, corporate speaker, Paralympic athlete and author. I know now that when I could walk, run, and play college sports that life was a thousand times easier; but I refuse to let my disability become an excuse. I refuse to allow myself to become inactive. And I know that if I can continue staying active, everyone can. All it takes is motivation, determination and a little inspirational faith.

For the most part, I’m like everyone else. I have a busy job as a motivational coach, inspirational speaker, educational speaker, school speaker, sports speaker, church speaker, college speaker, corporate speaker and safety speaker.  I have a college-aged son to keep track of, an elderly mother, my wife, Dora is the closest person to her elderly aunt.  I go to church for spiritual inspiration. We have two homes to keep up with. I’m also working on two books: “Blueprints for Success” and “Revolutions”, a book which details my tour across America and the goal of turning another person on to fitness with each revolution of the wheel.

I pushed approximately fifty miles a day in my racing wheelchair and met with groups to discuss community-based health and fitness initiatives. I also squeezed in a little motivational speaking when I could. This log is designed to allow readers to keep up with my progress and gain some insight into why I believe the Health and Fitness Tour of America is so important. I welcome your comments.