Saturation Point
Exercise - It’s For The Bugs
By
Oct 11, 2007 - 8:49:13 AM

I should exercise.  I find myself running for long distances in my dreams, waking up and trying to recall the last time I actually ran.  Or sprinted.  Or moved at a quick pace.  It has been a while to say the least.  The rest of my family exercises daily; cardio and weights for everyone.  Not me.  The last time I really, truly was in great shape was about a decade ago when I played college soccer, ran every day and swam on the off-season.  Once my college career was over, so was my fitness.  I have a bicycle that I like to ride sometimes, I hike on local trails and on occasion bob around in my pool, but I need to get motivated.

 A lot of times I find the inspiration I need from the animal kingdom.  I study animals and habitats to figure out what the best ways of keeping them healthy happen to be.  This time, I am taking a cue from the animal world about getting in shape.   After doing some research on insect sites and wildlife magazines, I found out some pretty intriguing stuff.  For instance, I used to be able to lift weights, do bench and leg presses with an impressive amount of weight.  But nothing can compare to what the Rhinoceros Beetle can do.  Imagine being able to carry something 850 times your weight?  I am not just talking about a quick lift, but actually carrying it across the room or down the street to your house.  Let’s break it down—a 200 pound man would have to be able to carry 170,200 pounds to equal 851 times his own weight and beating out the beetle.  Not to be outdone, most ants can lift up to 40 or 50 times their own weight.   I think I’ll pass.

 On the other hand, there is nothing like a swarm to get you moving!  The bee population has been at the forefront of a lot of scientific conversations lately.  According to the research, the killer bees are starting to take over and this is dangerous.  However, it definitely could motivate me to run and keep on running.  You see, killer bees don’t usually start off in a swarm.  Perhaps you irritate a single killer bee and it stings you; that sting and the release of the venom signals to the other bees that they need to come and find out what’s going on, and they swarm.  I could just see myself sprinting down the street with a swarm of killer bees on my heels—similar to the cartoons.  The only problem is these bees don’t give up!  It has been documented that they can make chase for up to .8 miles. That is a lot of running and sure to get my heart pumping and my muscles tingling.  If a bee were the size of an average human, it would be able to fly carrying up to 30 tons!

 I think I find my kindred spirits in the mammalian form.  The animals that spend the most time sleeping are armadillos, opossums and sloths.  Spending about 80 percent of their lives in slumber, they are the most well-rested of the bunch.  It seems as if the bugs take the cake or energy bar (in this case) for being the most motivated to move.  Although insects are genetically destined to carry heavy objects because of their exoskeleton and be able to fly with speed and endurance, it is still motivation for me to possibly jump rope or take a stroll around the block—baby steps.
 

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