Not so much today. So here goes: I've come to the realization that exercise
and religion are a lot alike. You're
going to have to bear with me on this one for a minute.
I see a lot people that seemed to have
"discovered" exercise. They
become obsessed by it. If they aren't
exercising, they're thinking about what they're going to do the next time that
they do exercise. Or what they will
wear.
They can tell you what their VO2 max is while bragging about
their percentage body fat, their latest PR, or their resting heart rate and
belong to not one but two gyms.
Often they extend that to their diet as well. One day it's burgers and fries and the next
day it's bean sprouts and tofu. And if
you were with them yesterday enjoying that burger, well today you might get a
lecture on the sins of fat grams.
I see some religious converts act the same. They've gone from a life of doing lots of
wrong things to one of sanctity and piety.
Now, don't get me wrong, that's definitely direction that they should
have taken and it is far better sooner than later.
But they are totally consumed by this new-found religious
fervor. They'll tell you all about it
without being asked (which, again, is not necessarily a bad thing). And their life is consumed in converting you
to their way of thinking (which might very well be a bad thing).
They've not really changed but they've found an
"answer" to everything in their life.
See where I find the similarities?
I think there is a better way. A middle ground, if you will.
About a month ago, I gave the advice that if you would exercise
daily and remove the one single worst thing from your diet, that you would be
healthier and live longer. That's what
I'm talking about here: not a radical
change about everything you do but substantive, important changes in the
basics.
There isn't one single way of exercising and eating that
works for everyone. Some people run
marathons. Others need some sort of
competition to stay motivated. You've
just got to learn what works for you.
And it will only work for you if you do it. If you cannot sustain it, you need to move on
to something else. No one has found
"it," that perfect exercise (or the perfect life, for that matter) that
works for all.
As for food, I find that those that deprive themselves
completely from too many things end up with a whole new set of problems. Sure, there are some things that are
healthier than others, but you can get to the point to where the only thing
left to eat is cardboard and melba toast (which are about the same thing
anyway).
Besides, if you just wait around, the food that is bad for
you today will be found to be healthy for you tomorrow (although I've been
waiting for bacon to be found to be healthy for a long, long time).
I also believe that The Golden Rule is a too often forgotten
message about how we should live our lives.
I don't have to always agree with you about religion and politics,
although too many people live their lives that way. My late father-in-law was that way. You could either agree with him or you could
be wrong.
Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you-- to me means that if you want to be treated
with understanding and kindness that you need to always treat others with
understanding and kindness. You don't
wait for someone else to be nice to you, you get to go first.
And if that understanding and kindness are not returned to
you, well that just has to be OK too.
Do not be consumed with revenge or retaliation. Those twin criminals will consume you.
If your kindness is not returned with kindness, just move on
down the line. Your reward is going to
be found somewhere else.
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