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Today's
Meditation:
How much
we neglect these bodies of ours! These vessels that
host our spirits while we're here on this planet are
absolutely miraculous works of art, yet we often treat
them as if they were as disposable as the paper cup that
we crumple up and throw away as soon as we take our drink
of water. Our bodies have very specific needs, yet
many of us don't attend to the needs of our own bodies as
well or as carefully as we attend to the needs of our
pets-- some people's cars get better treatment than their
bodies do!
If
there's one thing that I want to make sure of, it's that I
don't end up having problems with my body through my own
fault. I know that any number of diseases and
ailments can strike me at any time, but I also know that
many problems can be avoided if I simply take good care of
my body. That means exercising regularly, eating
well (and not excessively), and doing other things like
stretching and taking breaks from heavy activity when
necessary. If I do indulge myself in something like
eating sweets, then I need to balance that out with
exercise.
I try
to stay at pretty much the same weight all the time,
though winters take their toll. I do this because I
know that extra weight causes extra strain on the heart
and lungs, as well as on the joints (especially the
ankles, knees and hips). If my blood pressure goes
up through my own neglect, then it's time for me to bear
down and bring my blood pressure back down so that it
doesn't cause even more damage. And I don't want to
learn this lesson the hard way-- there's far too much
information out there already for that to be necessary.
We
face tons of advertising and other media that like to
encourage us to constantly indulge ourselves in new foods,
many of which have many more calories than we ever will
need for one day's worth of sustenance. We face a
world that keeps us so busy at work that it's hard to find
time to exercise. So it takes a great deal of effort
sometimes to make sure that we're eating well-- not just a
lot-- and getting the exercise that our
hearts, minds, spirits, muscles, and cardiovascular
systems need for us to be healthy. Finding the time
and making the effort will be well worth it when we're
able to enjoy this planet and its wonders with a healthy
body that allows us to do things we couldn't do if we
weren't healthy.
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