A Personal Sacrifice or a Planetary Sacrifice - You Choose

Our gym hosted its first annual "CrossFit Games" last Sunday.  It was pretty exciting to see participants from ages 16 to their mid-forties stretching their athletic skills to limits unknown to even themselves.  Each athlete competed in three tough workouts that had them lying on the floor afterwards for longer than usual.  I was saved from having to test my own limits by virtue of the requirements of parenthood, which involved driving my kids around to various activities. But I got to watch for a little and cheer my gym-mates on.

While standing on a street corner cheering during the final two-mile run, I struck up a conversation with a competitor who had already finished the race.  Naturally, we discussed what it takes to be a CrossFitter.  This athlete, who happened to win the overall men's category and is an amazing athlete, is in training to be a Navy Seal.  Humbly, he spoke in admiration of another athlete who is totally committed, body and soul, to achieving the highest level of fitness possible for a human being --  and believe me, this person, of whom the future Navy Seal spoke, is indeed a Boy Wonder, a superhero in the making.  His utter focus and dedication practically paralyze others, and have involved many sacrifices in his life.

So, how much is someone willing to sacrifice for super fitness?   Many of the athletes last Sunday would answer,  "Sure, I'm willing to sacrifice doughnuts, beer, wine, cookies, chips, pasta and junk food, if it'll help me get 40 pull ups."  (As I mentioned in my last blog, achieving elite fitness, according to CrossFit, involves adopting the Paleo/Zone diet, where you eat only meat, nuts and seeds, vegetables, and some fruit.  No starches, sugar, alcohol, or junk food are allowed.)  But do they know what else is being sacrificed?

The day before the games, I taught an "Eco-Cooking Class" to a group of ladies who, by the way, have nothing to do with CrossFit.  While making penne with chard and fennel and lemon cream pie, we talked about the impact of our food choices on the environment.  According to a 2006 report by the United Nations, more than 18% of greenhouse gases are produced by livestock.  This is more than all of the cars, planes, ships and other modes of transportation put together.   Of course, most of this is due to factory farming, leading some to think that "sustainable" livestock management (grassfed beef, etc.) is benign.  But think again. Cattle still produce methane, a pollutant whose impact on global warming is twenty-times worse than CO2.   According to the report, as meat consumption worldwide increases, the damage could double by 2050.  A little nugget for thought is that the acreage needed to feed someone who consumes meat twice a day is about 7 acres; the acreage for a vegan is one.

I know most folks take global warming seriously.  We recycle, drive less or drive hybrids, buy locally and do other things to minimize our personal impact.  All of this is important. And believe me,  I am no treehugger angel -- I recently took one of those "What's your global footprint?" tests online and discovered that even as a vegan, living in a house with solar panels and radiant heat, driving a hybrid and frequently buying clothes in consignment shops, that if everyone in the world lived like me, we would need two-and-a-half earths.  My lifestyle choices are, simply put, just not good enough. 

I know that I want to be as healthy and fit as I can be.   Many folks I know will sacrifice personal vices to achieve those darn pullups. But should we go as far as sacrificing the environment to achieve them?  I guess that's a personal choice.