a guide to transparency
It’s not a blinding discovery for me to tell you that most of my blogging is adapted and commentative summary of my life. Yet, on occasion I reflect a few steps deeper, “turn up the heat” on my blogging, so to say.
I’ve had to field many comments and statements in the past months, some in jest and others more so sober, regarding my stature. Such words as “thin”, “skinny”, and “obsessed” have been used to define my size and health condition. It’s also been suggested that I may have an eating disorder; that last one would be no more correct than classifying a minor scuffle, post-honeymoon, as reason for divorce. Yes, it’s true that I’ve shed approximately 10 pounds in the past year and have dropped two waist sizes as result, but I simply can not be persuaded that the outlook I have for myself is flawed.
America is fat, really fat. Who can tell me otherwise? The freedoms expressed in the Bill Of Rights seem also to carry a graceful ballet into our eating habits; anything goes. Fried chicken, 12+ ounce steaks, onion rings, pies; a list that has no end. Naturally, “all things are permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” There’s nothing wrong with a thick, tenderloin steak, but the regular consumption of such fatty, red meats is an invitation for heart problems later in life. Casting off a sense of self-control in our eating is foolishness; meals that leave your stomach bulging are a sign of sheer irresponsibility.
My case in argument has further support: consistent, strenuous exercise is pivotal for a balanced, healthy lifestyle. We need to sweat; our hearts, lungs, and muscles need that exhausting rush that solely produces the stimulus of adrenaline. While each person’s level of exercise should be tailored individually, it is safe to blanket my opinion by saying everyone needs to become more aggresive and active with their body. My fervency for this area is not out of a desire to watch America slim down and fine-tune their biceps; but rather, I hope that we will contemplate the millions of premature deaths caused by heart failure, diabetes, and stroke. Families, relatives, friends all suffer thanks, in part, to a person’s negligence to their health. That may sound too drastic, but let me say I do believe it is possible for anyone to add a few more years onto their lives with the right combination of diet and exercise. We should care and love others enough to notice the small inconsistencies in our own lives and fix them before they fester.
With that said, my beliefs regarding my own health can be understood, hopefully. I’m not trying to eat less to lose weight, I’m not working out to gain amazing pecs and abs; rather, I am watching my diet, training my body, and enhancing my mind so that I may enjoy a fuller life than those who lack such motivation.
My purpose for these habits is not selfish, but altruistic.
Ok, I’ve said my piece. My peace.
This weekend is over.