​​​​​​​​​​​​LEADING WITH CHARACTER!

​​“Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself.”
Chin-Ning Chu

Listen to Story 1. 

Introduction 

When we listen to the opening story, we marvel at the “superhuman” endurance of Douglas Mawson and, perhaps, think that we could never survive an experience such as that. But, upon further contemplation, we realize that he was a human, like us, and what separates him from us could be that he was more prepared than we are to face such an ordeal. 

We have a tendency, in our world today, to ignore the possibility that we might some day find ourselves in a situation where our endurance will be put to the test. At the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the first year Midshipmen (Plebes) are required (At least they were in the late 1950s.) to memorize information from a little book called “Reef Points”. One bit of information in the little book was a poem, “The Laws of the Navy”. One of its verses has been impossible for One Marine to forget:

On the strength of one link in the cable,
Dependeth the might of the chain.
Who knows when thou may’st be tested?
So live that thou bearest the strain! 

Words to live by! Who knows when our test will come and our teammates will be depending on us? Perhaps we should be prepared for that eventuality, so that we can bear the strain. In the ensuing paragraphs, we will explore the meaning of endurance, and how we get from “where we are” to “where we want to be” in the endurance race. 

“Unless you have courage, a courage that keeps you going, always going, no matter what happens, there is no certainty of success. It is really an endurance race.”
Henry Ford 

Endurance 

What is Endurance? - According to Wikipedia, endurance is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. 

There are four measures of fitness which determine our endurance capability: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility. 

Cardiovascular Endurance  is the ability to exercise the entire body for long periods of time. It requires a strong heart, healthy lungs, and clear blood vessels to supply the body with oxygen. 

Muscular Strength is the amount of force we can put forth with our muscles. It is often measured by how much weight we can lift. People with strength have fewer problems with backaches and can carry out their daily tasks more efficiently. 

Muscular Endurance is the ability to use the muscles, which are attached to the bones, many times without getting tired. People with good muscular endurance are likely to have better posture, have fewer back problems, and be better able to resist fatigue than people who lack muscular endurance. 

Flexibility is the ability to use our joints fully. We are flexible when the muscles are long enough and the joints are free enough to allow movement. People with good flexibility have fewer sore and injured muscles. 

The key to endurance is to Start With a Healthy Body and Train That Healthy Body​.

Listen to Story 2​.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing,
 but to turn it into glory.”
William Barclay

Start With a Healthy Body. – The Marine Corps' weight and body fat standards are health and performance based. According to the Marine Corps, a healthy body is one that is free of disease and fits within certain age, gender, height/weight, and body composition categories.

For example, One Marine, at his current age of over 51 (way over) and height of 70 inches, should weigh between 132 - 191 pounds (He weighs 150 pounds.) and should have maximum body fat content of 21%. (His is about half that.)

Body Composition is the percentage of body weight that is fat compared to other body tissue, such as bone and muscle. People who have a high percentage of fat are more likely to be ill and have a higher death rate than lean people. They also tend to have less endurance capability.

As of 2017, Marines may have their body fat composition disregarded if they master the Physical Fitness Test and the Combat Fitness Test with an almost perfect score, not an easy task to accomplish.  

Those who fall in the category “non-Marine” are certainly welcome to make their own decisions, but they should keep in mind that these “suggestions” continue to work very well as a starting point in improving endurance.

Listen to Story 3​.

“The winners in life treat their body as if it were a magnificent spacecraft that gives them the finest transportation
and endurance for their lives.”
Denis Waitley 

Train That Healthy Body. – Cardiovascular endurance is increased by doing exercises that elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate for extended periods of time. As we keep stressing the cardiovascular system, it will adapt and be able to pump blood more efficiently. It will make better use of the oxygen being delivered, and eventually grow new capillaries into the muscles being used. 

Muscular endurance and muscular strength are interrelated. The more we train for strength, the less endurance we will have at that workload. The more we train for endurance, the less strength. They counterbalance, so while we might only be able to lift 250 pounds once, we might be able to lift 50 pounds for an extended period of time. 

The most popular exercise for improving our flexibility seems to be yoga. It requires us to assume body positions or poses that stretch our muscles, and hold those poses for, what may seem, an uncomfortable length of time. Good, old-fashioned stretching before and after activities will also help to improve flexibility.

There is a difference in training between pure strength, pure endurance, and flexible body control. Mixing them effectively for increasing our endurance readiness will depend on our specific individual goals. 

Listen to Story 4​.

"Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."
Gautama Buddha

Conclusion 

​Any lifestyle change is a “work in progress.” Lasting changes take time. So, we begin by setting small goals that are easy to add to our daily lives. Then we set ever more far-reaching goals as we achieve our smaller ones. 

Wellness and fitness involve taking personal responsibility for, and making healthy choices about, diet, exercise, and staying positive. This is the most important investment we can make in our lives. We strive for the best results we can have in all areas of our lives by making mindful, healthy choices. 

In the endurance race, we start where we are and, if we aren’t satisfied with where we are, we take action to get ourselves to where we want to be, remembering:

On the strength of one link in the cable,
Dependeth the might of the chain.
Who knows when thou may’st be tested?
So live that thou bearest the strain! 

“If you don't take care of yourself, the undertaker will overtake
that responsibility for you.”
Carrie Latet

Listen to Story 5.

​

“To struggle when hope is banished!
To live when life's salt is gone!
To dwell in a dream that's vanished.
To endure and go calmly on!”
Ben Jonson

 

​Endurance

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