More Health

After the girls got on the school bus this morning, I did the breakfast dishes. Then, I scanned the fridge for any old leftovers that needed to be dumped. As suspected, I found some old rice, which I tossed into the trash can, and some fish and artichokes which was too stinky for the trash, so I put it down the garbage disposal.

A while later, I took some dirty clothes down to the laundry room and noticed the utility sink in the laundry room was full of dirty water with floaties in it.

“Pete,” I called out. “Come look at this.”

Pete tried to plunge the sink and it wouldn’t budge. “It looks like there is some sort of food in the water,” he said, after several minutes of unsuccessful plunging. And then it hit me: The slivery floaties were artichokes.

Ugh.

After an hour of snaking the pipe, Pete unclogged the drain and got things working again. But the clogged pipe got me thinking about something else.

Health.

I read a quote once—and my apologies to the author—because I can’t remember who said it:

“Health is not the absence of disease.”


Think about that.


As a society, we tend to think that we are either 1) sick—with obvious symptoms of illness, or 2) healthy. However, many people may look healthy on the outside, but not be living in optimum health. Many are walking time bombs, with arteries clogging up over time just like the pipe in my house. Inflammation building up. Stress building up. Bones and muscles wearing away…all under the surface where we can’t see what is really going on.

February is American Heart Month—and I’m challenging all the gals (and guys, too) not just to wear red and talk about it, but to take care of themselves and to EXERCISE. Not just for our hearts—but for our butts! For our attitudes! For our minds! For our overall quality of life!

Too often, women neglect simple lifestyle choices that allow us to live our best lives. Too often we confuse self-nurturing with selfishness. Too often we simply make bad choices when it comes to diet and health.

I can say this because I do it.

I neglect exercise.
I think about how I should start the day with a work-out and a glass of OJ with calcium—and then I choose the couch and a huge cup of coffee.
I put junk food down my trap, even when I know it’s not doing anything good as it makes its way to my pancreas.
I worry about osteoporosis, then fail to take my calcium and Vitamin D.

Why?

There are lots of reasons—but in reality, most are excuses. I’m guessing yours are too.

So guess what? No more excuses. I worked out today! And I ate oatmeal and had a protein shake—(though I could probably use a detox after all the junk food I devoured yesterday). But, baby steps, right?

Here's another quote from an unknown author: “A lifetime of little changes can add up to a big impact.”


Health is not made—or lost—in a day. Yet, when we exercise, we tend to eat better, and when we eat better, we feel better, and then other good choices flow from there.

So, I’m in the pursuit of more health. Are you with me?