Don't Let Your Body Down!

My father-in-law passed away recently at 95.  He was a remarkable man in many ways, sharp as a tack until the day he died, and I admired him a lot.  We had always shared artistic interests, and for the last couple of decades he’d been a prolific watercolorist, active in his local art club, with paintings much in demand.  I really thought he’d just never ‘quit’.  So when he died, I found myself thinking that his mind didn’t let him down, but his body did.

A part of me has always kept a vigilant eye on the future. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the most disciplined part of me!  Watching parents age, though, combined with a mirror and strong light, should be all that’s needed to get some self-discipline into high gear!  And yet, it rarely is. 

Every adult in my family has at one time or another, waged battles against Overweight, with varying success, but most have lost the war.  So, what does it take—especially for all of us pacifists!—to beat down obesity, not to mention becoming fit?  The secret, like so many things in life, I think, is something you have to discover for yourself . . . and what it takes to get started, and what it takes to carry on, isn’t necessarily the same.

I know that giving my body ‘status’, enough to give it the attention it deserves, is tough.  I can spend a lot of time thinking about how to treat my body right and not let it down, but well, it’s tough to remember to do, it’s tough to make time to do, and it can be tough sometimes just to do it.  I’ve found that this is one place where it’s good not to ask questions!  “Do I feel like it today?” opens the door for inaction and isn’t very helpful for sustaining a commitment to taking care of myself.  I don’t ask anymore if I feel like it, I just do it.  So far, there hasn’t been a time when ‘I did it’ and wished I hadn’t! 

When it comes to making changes—or sustaining them—I know that a decision isn’t enough, but it’s a great start.  I know that desire isn’t enough, but it’s necessary.   I believe that, to a degree, ‘timing is everything in life,’ so to make the stars line up so that the illusive ingredients are there, not only to jumpstart the initial enthusiasm, but sustain life changes is THE challenge.

These days, I’m always looking for ways to find the fun in taking care of my body, so that we’re in mutual agreement not to let each other down!