Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

TheWayneReport

Blog 10

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics ~mark twain

Lies
I’ve never been a very good liar. I was probably at my worst when I was a youngster. No matter how good I thought my story, it always seemed to have just enough holes in it to get me in trouble. Sure, it’s funny now, but it was terrifying as a kid.

It’s hard to choose just one story to share. The time I drove by my mother and my sister while skipping school. I denied the whole thing until it was abundantly clear that I was caught. There was also the time when the cops knocked on my friend’s door because we were hitting golf balls onto a golf course from his parent’s backyard, high upon a cliff. We denied the accusations, until the officer asked us about the two golf clubs sitting by the door. Stupid things for sure.

It doesn’t matter which one of the many of my youthful lies I choose. It will probably always go in the same order. When confronted with the lie: 1) deny, 2) when caught – confess and 3) after its all over, feel a sense of guilt and/or a sense of relief.

Damn Lies
As an adult, I have learned from the unpleasantness of being caught in a lie, so I avoid it. Why bother? There are too many other things to worry about, other than being caught in a lie.

Sure, there are necessary “little white lies” that one must use sporadically. You know, like leaving the dinner party, that I didn’t want to go to in the first place, early because “I’m not feeling well”. But this is truly harmless in the big scheme of things.

There is no point in my world to tell any lies. The biggest ones that I encounter are the ones that I tell to myself. These are the ones that can do the most harm. Probably because after the denial and confession, the guilt can eat away at me. It leaves a sense of personal disappointment. It does not bring much relief.

I have never called in sick to work without actually being sick. As a kid, I may have faked some sort of illness to stay home from school but, as an adult, I own my responsibilities of going to work. I wouldn’t want the responsibilities of owning the guilt of calling in sick and then having to own up to it at some point.

Life’s too short for that stuff, man.

So, then, why is it that I struggle with the promise I made to myself to be healthy? To take my wellness serious? I may have been lying to myself about how I really feel. Just maybe I’m not as concerned about my health and wellness as I initially thought.

It’s so easy to start something and not finish it. It’s so easy to say I’m going to do something and then do something completely different.

I’m late on this blog. I know there’s only 2 or 3 people who actually see my brilliant ramblings, but it’s only me that I’m really letting down. It’s only me that I’m telling the damn lies to.

Statistics

Now, I’m not going to lie. I don’t think much of statistics, but some people do.

When it comes to how many people stay with their fitness program, the numbers are all over the place. Generally speaking, they are pretty low.

I live right next door to America and, since they seem to have a wonderful connection with statistics and a huge population base to draw from, I will use numbers from the Land of the Free.

I can not verify the numbers from the sources, but….

According to realbuzz.com (http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/10-shocking-gym-statistics/):
– 80% of the people with gym memberships don’t use them.
– In January, there is a 12% increase in memberships but after 24 weeks (6 months), most people have quit or stopped attending.

According to statisticsbrain.com (http://www.statisticbrain.com/gym-membership-statistics):
– 67% of people with memberships never use them.

According to Quora.com (http://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-new-gym-members-in-January-stop-coming-after-February):
– Only 16% of Americans that have a health club membership.
– Of the 12% of January sign ups, 80% will drop off by the second week of February.
– Essentially, 1 in 5 will use their membership for longer than a month.

An additional source for the statistic-minded individuals:
http://www.fitness.gov/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/

So, WHAT does THIS mean?

The journey into health and fitness is full of peaks and valleys. The simple fact that I’m still thinking about it, and trying to stay the course when I don’t really feel like it, speaks volumes. Sure, not the same volumes that the gung-ho do-gooder is accomplishing without any signs of faltering, but volumes nonetheless.

I am feeling proud of that.

Next week, it’s back on course. Back to the gym. What the hell, I might even answer the personal trainer back and book another torture session or two.

To hell with the lies and damn lies – statistically, I’m already ahead of the game.

Did I mention that I don’t like statistics?