The brim of the nation's news coffee cup was reached last week
when history was made by SCOTUS passing the Marriage-Equality Act, and the
already-embattled Confederate flag came under attack again. Peace lovers,
such as myself, were filled with mixed emotions - on both counts. I've
been active in the women's rights movement for quite some time. Given
that, I tend to take a different view than most when history is made by giving
specific sects of the population an increase in beneficial rights or
privileges. When others may not, my constituents and I understand the depth of
the impact - not only for the current generation, but also for those yet to
come - when basic human rights and privileges are withheld, diminished or
denied.
I'm not big on being denied anything that improves the quality of
my life; and, for that reason, I took a long hard look at my health this
weekend. I wanted to assess the merits of my current existence vs. what I can
expect to have over the course of the next few years. While I wasn't
excited about either prospect, I wasn't discouraged either. I think former
president, John F. Kennedy got it right when he said, "Physical fitness is
not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of
dynamic creative and intellectual activity." My biggest wish for my body's future is continued mobility. What's yours?
I am a writer by profession. As a full-time vocation,
writing can extract a huge chunk of solitary time from an otherwise social day.
And writing is, for the most part, a sedentary activity; and, for that
reason, the bones and joints of writers tend to "stiffen up" quicker
than those of most other people. Most of the writers I know are very
careful about what they put in their saucers or bowls to be used as fuel to
keep their creative minds and fingers in synch. We can spend countless
hours at our desks, writing tables, or laptops spewing out the best of words,
while we snack or gnosh on .... whatever. As like-minded people tend to
do, we also celebrate loud and long the accomplishments of those in our
community. That usually includes food - and lots of it.
So, as I see it, if I want to ensure my "continued
mobility," the key to altering my eating behaviors is not only planning
and watching what I eat, but ensuring I take regular breaks during the course
of a writing day. In keeping with JFK's philosophy, those "breaks"
translate into social activity; and, more importantly, exercise of the mind,
body and spirit. As you know, I currently have some restraints of my
physical activities caused by a severely sprained ankle - an injury occurring
only 11 days ago. I'm certainly not up for any running marathons, but I'm
not crippled either. In addition to Qigong, I'm acquainting myself with
several different exercise routines that serve to increase motor skills,
strengthen balance and burn a considerable amount of calories. And as
soon as I'm able, I'll get back into my usual walking regiment. Chattanooga has recently garnered, for the second time in a row, the title of "Best Town" by Outside magazine - so this should be relatively easy. Was there ever
any doubt about what a good walk can do for your overall health? Not for
me.
Now, having said all of this, I'm going to ask a favor or two of
you. If you're a binge-eater, night-eater, or over-eater, think about
what you do, or can do, to calm your nerves and soothe your spirit during the
times that stress dictates your eating behaviors. Think about what you
want most for your future lifestyle. And, finally, stay in touch with
your "dynamic creative and intellectual" dreams and do what you must
to make them come true.
But, most of all, realize that eating behaviors don't
have the right to dictate the quality of your life - ever.
Copyright © 1/1/2015 - , CB, Bed Warrior
Copyright © 1/1/2015 - , CB, Bed Warrior
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