Walls, Part Two

   

 We all put some kind of walls up.  We don't think we can do something, we don't want to get hurt, we have aches and pains, etc.
We build the walls to protect ourselves.  Are we really denying ourselves?
     Life is full of experiences.  Skydiving, rappelling, white water rafting, are things that might seem a little extreme to some.  Running up to the top of  "30 Rock", running with thousands of people at Peachtree in Georgia, striving to get my PhD, all accomplishments I am proud of, but may definitely be hard for some people to even consider.  Even though my hip gets achy, my back might get a little stiff, some days I don't want to study or write papers, I would not stop doing any of it.
      What wall do you have up?  Do you think you can't exercise, so you don't even try?  You don't have time?  You have some aches and pains?  You can't change your eating habits because you really can't plan ahead?  Time to start taking the walls down brick by brick and realizing that excuses are just that...excuses.  No one wants you to jump out of an airplane.  I just want you to live a little more.  If you have never done something, how do you know you can't?   I always say, a little is better than nothing.  Eating right at one meal a day is better than eating poorly or on the run at all three meals.  Taking a look ahead at your week when you go to the grocery store and making some healthier, more convenient choices will help you do better during the week.  One step can turn into 100.

All in all it's just another brick in the wall...

Change Your Attitude

    There are times that I am upset or angry and I know if I get out for a run, I can clear my head.  I can think things through and change my attitude about them.  I also know when I am feeling like I am overdoing it with eating or drinking, I can run every day and know that I am doing something about it.  My aches and pains aren't as bad.  My mood is better. 

     My wife struggles with her weight and her own aches and pains.  She knows if she gets on the treadmill, even for fifteen minutes, she feels more in control and more accomplished.  

     So, why don't we exercise?  Most of the time it's excuses.  Too much to do, too many places to go, too tired to do it.  We don't feel well, we don't feel like our joints are cooperating, etc.  The truth is, exercise helps our joints, helps us to feel better and helps our bodies to work properly.  Exercise makes us  more flexible and we have a tendency to eat better when we are exercising,   Begin with making fun choices like dancing or swimming, something you enjoy, then you might get out for a walk.  It's summer, so enjoy the weather and your time in the sunshine.  

     Also, Happy Father's Day to all of the Fathers out there.  Today is a good day to get outside and do something that you like to do while absorbing some Vitamin D.  Miniature golf or go-carts anyone?

Get out and do something for Father's Day!

Real Wealth

“It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.“ Mahatma Gandhi.

      Your health should be something that is most valuable to you.  You can work to gain money and valuables and possessions, but without your health, you cannot enjoy them. Of course, there are some things we cannot control.  There are genetic processes, accidents, cancers and illnesses that we have no power over.  Sometimes, even in some of these instances, it may be your lifestyle and your attitude that defines how you can heal and how you are able to live day to day.  
       It is a struggle to eat right daily and to get some exercise.  We are too tired, too busy and we don't have time in our routine.  You have to want to do it.  You have to face the day with an attitude that it is possible to eat better, to exercise a little.  Small changes can make big results. Give up the soda, choose water or unsweetened tea with lemon instead. Have the side salad instead of the fries.  Eat a few hard boiled eggs, instead of the cereal and the pancakes.  Start small and get results. Take a daily vitamin.  Park at the back of the parking lot and walk to the store, to the mall, etc.  You don't have to park next to the door. Walk up the steps for a floor or two.  You don't need the elevator for that, do you?
       Get outside a little bit. Vitamin D is very important to our every day health and we don't get enough of it without stepping out into the sunshine.  Eat fruit instead of chips. Yeah, I know it really isn't what you may want at the time, but when you have a big bowl of watermelon with some strawberries or cantaloupe, you will enjoy it and you will become satisfied.  And happier with your choice.  
         
Health is wealth.  

Be Proud of Yourself

     Are you proud of yourself?  Of your accomplishments in your lifetime? Of how you make it through every day?  We all did some things in our lives that maybe we weren't so proud of.   But usually, in the course of a lifetime, we have so much more that we can be proud of.
     Wellness is not about the destination, it is about the journey.  We take small steps and sometimes we stumble.  Marshall University is the home to the thundering herd.  When my wife and I go out for a walk or a fund raiser we call ourselves the "stumbling herd".  You have to be able to laugh at yourself  or you are taking life much too seriously.
     Often we fall.  That doesn't matter.  Success happens if we keep getting up.  We can't look ahead and say we are never going to be thin, or we are never going to be fit.  We have to celebrate what we have accomplished on our journey today.  Did you take a walk around the office building or parking lot at break time?  Did you pass up the office birthday cake?  Be proud of yourself.
     I had a few appointments today.  I ran for about 20 minutes on the treadmill, but when I came home, the outside was just calling me.  It was sunny and hot and I had to go to Nay Aug for a quick run to get some fresh air.  It's nice to get out, even if you just take a short walk to the store.  Don't buy the candy bar when you get there though.  Buy an apple.

It is all about the daily journey.

Walls

     Walls can keep people out or close people inside.  I guess it just depends on how you look at it.  Either way, people construct them for a reason.
     You can construct walls out of a lot of things.  They are not necessarily material.  You can use excuses and problems.  You can use time and the fact that you are busy as a wall against doing things.
Whatever you are using, you are closing yourself away from that which you do not wish to do.
      The sun is shining, the weather is getting nicer and you don't need to stand in the shadow of that wall anymore.  Convince yourself that life would be better with more exercise, with better food choices and with taking the first steps. Get some Vitamin D and check out all of the wonderful sites at Nay Aug or Lake Scranton or wherever you like to go where you live.   Life is too short to sit behind that wall.    



Time to get outside and get moving...

Don't Be So Negative

      Over and over again, I hear people say "I can't do it".  If you are saying that, you have already convinced yourself that no matter what it is, you are not going to even try to do it.  You have already lost.
     We need to change that phrase to "I'll try to do it".  Your body is an amazing, surprisingly strong vessel.  If you feed it the right fuel, it will feel better and you will look better.  If you move, a little bit at a time, you will develop stronger muscles and joints and become more flexible.  You just have to make a plan and start.
     A plan can be as simple as eating a salad today with your hot dog and walking to the store to buy the lettuce.  If you normally eat a hot dog on a bun, then you eat a hamburger on a bun, you might want to skip one bun and have some watermelon or sweet corn.  Or both.  Whatever your plan it is positive steps toward a positive life.
       In closing, please remember our veterans and active military today.  It's not about the picnic, the grill or the parties, it's about being grateful.

Make a positive plan.

Be Inspired

     I decided to run on the treadmill this morning.  We have a lot going on today and I didn't want to get aggravated by the people pulling forward into the crosswalks, the people not stopping at all, the not handicapped cars parked in the handicapped spaces and the cars parked all over the sidewalks.  These are some of the challenges I face when I go out for a run, when I go to the store, etc.
      I am hoping that I am inspired enough to do something about these issues.  They make me angry. You can't be angry and let them define you and eat you up inside without deciding to do something about them.  You need to act on things you are passionate about.
     I am hoping that challenges inspire you.  When you feel like you can't do something, you can.  You are defeated if you don't even try.  If you feel like you can never take a walk, you need to put one foot in front of the other and try.  Your journey begins with a single step.  Don't be discouraged by the fact that you don't feel like you can exercise.  It may be just that you need to be inspired.  Is there something you want to do or somewhere you want to go and you would like to look better?  Maybe you just want to move better and become more flexible.  Or there is something you want to wear, but you just can't fit in it.  If it inspires you to move, then move.  You will feel better about yourself and you will be inspired to continue.