Beside the obvious health benefits, which should be the foremost factor of this topic, the afore mentioned title words are always on the minds of most people. And why not? Most of us want to live a long, healthy life—or at least it’s something to which we should all aspire. Such a delicate, yet important matter must be handled with wise discretion and fortitude.
Most of us will admit we could stand to shed a few unwanted pounds for several reasons, not the least of which is to look good, or at least better and have our long abandoned clothes fit again. I would love to lose 30 pounds; well, okay, even10 pounds.
This desire especially happens as climate is nearing warmer weather when we can’t so easily cover up with bulky clothes and staying cool can better be accomplished with shorter pants and sleeves. I’m not talking about road-map legs here; a vein clinic is needed for that. I’m referring of course, to the extra flesh we once did without in the good ole days.
Of course everyone knows that some strange scientific phenomenon happens when our clothes are left neglected and unworn in the closet for too long. They shrink. I still haven’t figured that one out.
Never-the-less, I see the advantage of exercise. Not from personal experience, but I understand the logic and principles: boosting metabolism, burning calories, causing the blood to surge through the arteries and unclogging them—all that stuff.
Since there has also been a lot of validation given to the benefits of visualization, I’ve found the perfect combo which I will pass along to you. Get someone to video you briskly walking around a block or two or doing something equally as rigorous, like walking on a treadmill or using other gym equipment. Then when you wake up in the morning, have the video or DVD ready to watch. You don’t even have to get out of bed for this. You roll over toward the TV, grab the remote to switch it on, watch yourself and start envisioning. It’s vicarious exercise but it has to have some value if all that is said about envisioning has any credibility. After a little practice, you can actually watch enthusiastic exercise tapes of others and envision yourself doing that workout too, but I think it would have more value to begin this practice to get into the swing by first watching yourself. Then you can get out of bed and start your day.
In the meantime, be happy with yourself. Don’t hate yourself. There are some advantages to a little extra weight. According the Dr. Mike Moreno, author of “The 17 Day Diet’, osteoporosis (fragile bones) isn’t as much of a threat to larger folks with more padding. It stands to reason too, of course, that if one falls, he has greater cushioning anyway, in case a bone is tempted to break. Fleshier people also don’t look as gaunt, drawn and wrinkled as skinnier people because the wrinkles are filled out. It is also said that women with larger thighs have lower risk of heart disease because greater muscle mass of the lower body increases metabolism. A 2008 study found that fat accumulated around the hips and thighs can lower the risk of diabetes. Dr. Moreno also says that
underweight women are more likely to miscarry within the first three months of pregnancy. He says larger people also have a faster metabolism because it takes more fuel to burn something larger.
His book is very good, but don’t read it while you are eating Cheese Curls because it makes the pages all orange and also kind of sticky.
There is a TV program about to start right now talking about sensible eating and exercise. I really wanted to see it, but if I don’t get to the oven, my pizza will burn.
