I’m convinced that one of, if not the, defining element of current American (US) culture is OCD/ADHD.

It’s everywhere.  People want to count calories, count repetitions, count weight, count volume, count miles run, count times, compare times, compare weights, compare reps, compare sets, count cancer cases, count bees, count count count count.

And it doesn’t change anything.  In fact, I’m not sure it does much at all, other than to perpetuate the counting.

Let’s take exercise as an example, since that’s what this blog is purportedly about.

Do you burn more calories when playing a game on a playground than you do on a treadmill [most likely]?  What is the optimal work/rest interval to burn the most calories (on the playground or on the treadmill) [no such thing exists]?  Exactly how many pitches can little Johnny (or Beth) sustain before he (or she) suffers overuse injuries in the rotator cuff [one too many for him/her]?  How high must one be able to jump in order to be a pro basketball star [vertical leap is poorly correlated with basketball performance]?  When is the best time to start lifting weights [whenever you feel ready]?  How frequently should I workout every week [whenever you feel up to it]?  How much cardio should I do [as much as you feel like doing]?  What type of weight training should I do – bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, corrective exercise, fitness training, Crossfit type stuff [whatever floats your boat]?

I’m still trying to come up with a single answer to all of these questions.  I know it’s out there.  It’s something like this – “Do whatever you feel like doing.”

Now, there is a problem, in that many people will attempt to do things they have no experience with and get injured.  It’s like wanting to do some underwater welding, going out and buying the equipment, and jumping into the lake with it.

“What the heck?!  It can’t be that hard to figure out!”

So I’ll give you that one.  It is hard to figure out.  Especially when you have no experience.

But the solution to that part is simple – find someone who knows, and ask them.

Then you have to do something.  You either have to take their advice, and do what they’re telling you (for better or worse), or look for another opinion (for instance, find someone who says you CAN get washboard abs sitting on your couch!!!!), or do nothing at all.

I think what bothers me is that no one teaches THE BASICS.

Here are THE BASICS as I see them:

1. Understanding your body
2. Learning to listen to and hear your body
3. Doing things that are agreeable to your body

That’s it.  At any level, you can go as deeply as you choose, getting a PhD in each, if you wish.   But you must engage in those three steps in order to succeed – and success here, is being a healthy human being.  Beyond that, you don’t have to do anything.  You don’t have to count calories, or miles jogged.  You don’t have to have a workout log, or go to a class every week.  You don’t have to do anything in particular.  But you must do something.

Yes, Josh, but what does that have to do with OCD?  Well, once you practice those three things, you don’t have to count anything anymore.  You don’t have to obsess.  You don’t have to be distracted.  In fact, once you do those three things, you don’t even have to do those three things anymore!

Note – This post brought to you by the mother at Jackson Playground this morning who told her maniacal kids “If you don’t calm down, I won’t let you watch TV when we get home.”

Dear playground-mom, the solution to our shared misery is simple – you didn’t run them enough at the playground that you were then rushing to leave, only to sit their unexhausted minds down in front of the boob tube…