Thoughts for a Friday . . .

This statement “If I didn’t have a healthy body, I wouldn’t have anywhere else to live” by Wayne Dyer in his book Excuses Begone! gave me pause today – I do make a concerted effort stay healthy by exercising, eating well and keeping a positive outlook / frame of mind, but I never thought of my health from that perspective.

I do know that if I don’t make the effort I won’t be healthy and live as long and as well as I plan and that statement presented me with a different perspective about it.

This statement might actually help those people who are not maintaining or even making an effort to be healthy get themselves in gear to make the changes necessary to get healthy. After all, it is us who make the determination of our health by what we eat, our attitude and perspective on things, whether we get out and walk around the block at lunch time or continue to say, “I can’t exercise, I just don’t have time.” Is that really true? Is your day so jam packed that you just can’t fit 5 minutes in to put on the radio / cd and dance? Or take the stairs instead of the elevator? There must be something you can do to at least begin . . . the road of 1,000 miles begins with the 1^st step and does not have to be accomplished in 1 day.

Same thoughts about eating well. Do you eat “real” food? Foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, butter instead of the various margarines, use half-n-half or milk in your coffee/tea instead of the various chemical concoctions, sugar instead of the chemical substitutes or even the some-what natural substitutes, why not just use the real thing?

Some people say that their families won’t eat whole grain bread, a real cereal or these types of foods, they will if you don’t provide them alternatives. I have been through that with my family and if they wanted toast or a sandwich, then they ate the whole grain bread, if they didn’t want to eat that type of bread, well, no sandwich or toast. We can all learn to incorporate new foods into our diet - - yes, even me, I have learned to eat brussle sprouts and turnips again.

At a recent meeting one of the presenters was speaking on health and he reminded us that there in basically no real food in the middle of the grocery store – mostly packaged products that have a long list of ingredients that include only a small amount of actual food. I had not thought about the food buying from that perspective.

And some days, the best time for me to exercise is at lunch, besides it is great to get outside after having been inside all morning. It gives me the fresh air I need and actually energizes me for the afternoon.

Now as you think once again about the statement, “If I didn’t have a healthy body, I wouldn’t have anywhere else to live” what comes to mind for you? What changes might you take today to begin to have a healthier place to live?

I would really like to hear your thoughts . . . .