Everyday Olympians

Posted on by Paul Turek, MD

Who are your favorite Olympians this year? Gosh, what a panoply of miracles, upsets, world records and letdowns! Maybe it’s the once-in-a-lifetime-stars like motorized Michael Phelps, soaring Simone Biles or unstoppable Usain Bolt. Possibly, it’s the silent but seriously talented home grown Brazilian beach volleyball players Bárbara Seixas and Ágatha Bednarczuk. Or maybe it’s the underdog U.S. women’s field hockey team that, for the first time in 32 years, played a medal-caliber game. What a nail biter of an Olympics!

Everyday Heroes

But there are other Olympians in our lives. In fact, you may know them. They are those who work hard to pull it all together. The guys who make it a point to take care of things. Need some examples?

  • The man who, tired of feeling like crap, decides to change his diet and lifestyle and lose 40 pounds… for good.
  • The man who takes one for the team and gets the vasectomy.
  • The man who, worried that his erections have worsened, seeks care that ends up saving his heart.
  • The man who, for love of family, splurges for a vasectomy reversal.
  • The man who figures out that a great way to relieve stress is exercise and not alcohol.
  • The man who, tired of having to explain why he has only testicle, gets the implant and transforms his quality of life.

So, three Olympic cheers to those guys out there who do not need to have their lives physically threatened or to be in pain to take better care of themselves. Hats off to those that realize that their health is their single best investment in life. And like the Olympics, this is greatness in action, albeit a bit more unsung, and very worthy of celebration. Because, in the words of who-knows-who: “Greatness is a lot of small things done well everyday.”