Fit For Life: Will You Make A Difference?

Sunday, September 06, 2015

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

“Imagine that you are about to attend one of the most important occasions of your life. It will be held in a room large enough to seat all of your family, friends, business associates- anyone and everyone to whom you are important and who is important to you. Can you see it? The walls are draped with deep golden tapestries. The lighting is subdued, soft, casting a warm glow on the faces of your expectant guests. Their chairs are handsomely upholstered in a golden fabric that matches the tapestries. The gold carpeting is deeply piled. At the front of the room is a dais, and on the dais a large beautifully decorated table, with candles burning on either end. On the table, in the center, is the object of everyone’s attention. A large shinning ornate box. And in the box is - YOU! Can you see yourself there? Not a dry eye in the room. Now, listen. From the four corners of the room there are tape recordings playing of your voice. Can you hear it? You’re addressing your guests. You’re telling them the story of your life. How would you like that story to go?” - from Michael Gerber’s The E Myth.

This was the beginning of a chapter in a book I have been reading. I felt this was so powerful, I read it several times, and started thinking about life and what impact you can have, or what can you offer up in this lifetime. After hearing about the passing of a 48 year old guy who I recently became friendly with, and being around someone that recently lost a loved one, I decided to write on this topic.

Meaning in your life.

I feel that two things have significant meaning to your life, and how you live. 1) Did you have any impact on others? 2) How well did you take care of yourself? After reading my friend’s obituary this week, I realized that life wouldn't have much meaning, if you don't have some sort of positive influence on others. This guy was a good man, he was a loving father, and was very involved in his career and helping others, and will be sadly missed. He volunteered his time with Cub Scouts, and other groups, and did selfless acts of kindness to benefit others. Another dear friend of mine lost her dad recently and just had contact with his co-workers. Because he kept his family life separate, she never realized until recently that he had such a huge impact on other people's lives. Although she deeply missed him, she beams when she talks about his accomplishments, and was delighted to hear others speak of his greatness. These are just examples of how important it is to do good for others in the world, and to do them selflessly, even if not immediately rewarded. Know in your heart that all good deeds will be recognized. If it comes from the heart without ulterior motives, you will be known as a good person that has made impact on others.

Unfortunately, some great people's lives have come to an untimely end, due to lack of caring for themselves, and this is my next point. Taking care of yourself. Yes, it is great, satisfying, and commending to do for others, but you need to make taking care of yourself a priority also. I love my profession, and love the time I spend volunteering with kids, hoping to create impact on their lives, but I always make sure that I pay attention to my health and fitness. Although I need to lead by example, and keep fit, I realize how important good health is, and how it effects others, and this is where I start to preach to you.

I am approaching my 47th birthday, and although that may not seem that old, I have come to the realization that my life is more than 1/2 over. During my short existence on this planet, I have experienced losing friends from high school, family members, and general acquaintances such as work and gym buddies at way too young of an age. I am not a religious person, so I do not subscribe to the fact that God takes you when he is ready. I believe you go when your body fails. Although death can happen at any time, I believe that living a healthy lifestyle can help extend it, and being healthy will improve the quality of your life, regardless of how long you live. Therefore it is necessary to make this a priority and devote an all out effort to being health conscious, because it hurts the people you leave behind, regardless of how good you treated them.

In conclusion, I realized that well into my twenties I was a selfish person that didn't care about too much beyond myself. As I got older, I realized the satisfaction of helping others accomplish their goals. I also work out for different reasons now, and consider myself to be in my best shape ever. I watch what I eat, and give all out effort in the gym. I also devote as much time and passion as I can to helping others get fit, stay motivated, and keep a positive outlook on life. So along with success in health and business, I hope to be able to create positive impact on other people’s lives. When my time comes, I want to insure someone steps forward in that room, to say, "That guy made a difference in my life."

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!"

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

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Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android