Happy Monday,

(I feel like giving tumblr a 12-hour advance on my usual…)

Before I dive into today’s “The positives about being positive” I want to address my recent blogging experience. Two weeks ago I did a pull-it-out-of-my-ass blog post regarding my “Current health advice” and I received my highest daily blog hits in months. Actually, I was this close to not blogging at all and taking another hiatus because I think I’m at another point in my life where I don’t need this blog as much (we’ll see what next week brings). But, something told me to keep going and I decided to just write a simple post which shared some obvious things to me but could be not-so-obvious to newcomers or sporadic readers. The post included a-day-in-the-life perspectives so it wasn’t too much sweat off my back, whereas last week I posted a no-commentary-figure-the-meaning-out-on-your-own interview between interviewer Bill Moyers and the late Joseph Campbell, a world-renowned myth-buster and saw some of my lowest Monday site visits. Honest to gad, I put so much more effort into simply listening to and writing down the words of that interview than writing some of the reoccurring themes of this health blog. Why? Because I got SO much more out of the interview with Joseph Campbell and to me, at this point in my journey, his perspectives had that much more of an impact on me than my olden days of reading health magazines for “fat-busting foods” or “calorie-burning work outs” or “muscle-building meals.” But, I think that’s where most people are at right now with this age of instant gratification. Information is in-demand to be short, concise, to the point, and in 140 characters or less. And so the post that I believe people can actually take a lot more from - i.e. self-awareness, self-discovery - saw the least amount of hits and the post that appealed more was in a bulleted form that a sheep could have provided. Interesting stuff. Onto today…

Two weeks ago I created an experiment that only I was aware of; it was an experiment of how positivity - being outwardly positive - affects a) myself and b) those around me. I didn’t have much faith on my possible mentality-shift with this little scheme but I, at least, wanted to see if I could brighten the day of those with whom I interacted (since I currently work at a hospital and that shit can get depressing). My day job (because my public health musings and my back-to-basics-warehouse-band guitar playing don’t quite pay the bills yet) has me interacting with a varied public on a daily basis. One by one people come and go, and as they come, I am provided an opportunity to greet someone first. “Hey, how are you doing today?” is my go-to greeting. I usually get, “Well, ok I guess” or an “I’m alright.” And when posed with the return question, two weeks ago I decided to respond with “I’m doing great!” This was a great stretch from my previous “Alright” default because I knew I didn’t feel great… I felt alright and the word “Great” better be backed up by a genuine smile and telling poise otherwise I’d be standing there like Chevy Chase in Memoirs of an Invisible Man. But I convinced myself to convince myself and wouldn’t you know it…

A week into this thing I noticed a few changes. I drew more smiles than usual, I created more conversation than normal, and I began to feel better about myself. Yep, and Bingo was his name-o. I literally felt better about myself - in my brains AND in my bodies. Sure, I had confidence my all-smiles greeting would bring some greatness into other’s lives, but I didn’t think it would do the trick for me. Perhaps I’ve been shat on one too many times or that I’m still wading my way through the sh-tuff, but Mr. Guru Perspective Shift Queen of Oneness over here didn’t have the confidence that a simple response of “I’m great!” really would have a profound internal experience and, thus, a perspective-shifting result! I’d be a Monkey’s Uncle if i said it weren’t true. It’s yet ANOTHER beautiful example of how the mind and body can act upon the same level.

In my seconds on this planet I’ve experienced a handful of people who consistently return with their versions of “I’m great!” and I’m sure you have, too. AND I’m sure you can count those posi-peoples on your fingers. I’m not off when I say that most people do not respond with “Great” - at best we provide a half-assed “Good” with a subliminal “I guess” lagging behind. I want to invite you all to do participate. Because we all know the whole P.M.A. talk doesn’t do a damn thing unless you start walking that talk. I’m on week three of the “I’m great challenge” (aka the IGC) and it’s done wonders for the way I hold myself and the way I am able to interact with others. Seriously. When someone asks how you’re doing, say, “I’m great!” and mean it (insert The Starting Line reference).

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Happy Monday internet,

Joseph Campbell: The real dragon is in you. That’s your ego holding you in - what I want, what I believe, what I can do, what I think I love, what I regard as the aim of my life and so forth. It might be too small. It might be that which pins you down. If it’s simply that of doing what the environment tells you to do it certainly is pinning you down. And so the environment is your dragon as it reflects within yourself. 

Bill Moyers: How do I slay that dragon within me? What’s the journey I have to make, you have to make, each of us has to make? You talk about something call “the soul’s high adventure”…

Joseph Campbell: My general formula for my students is “follow your bliss.” Find where it is and don’t be afraid to follow it. 

Bill Moyers: Can my bliss be my life? My love of my life’s work? Is it my work? Or my life?

Joseph Campbell: Well, if the work that you are doing is the work that you chose to do because you are enjoying it, that’s it. But if you think “Oh, I couldn’t do that.” That’s your dragon locking you in. “Oh, no I couldn’t be a writer.” “Oh, no I couldn’t do what so-and-so is doing.”

Bill Moyers: Unlike the classic heros, we’re not going on our journey to save the world but to save ourselves…

Joseph Campbell: And in doing that you do save the world. I mean, you do. The influence of a vital person… vitalizes. There’s no doubt about it. The world is a wasteland. People have the notion of saving the world by shifting it around and changing the rules and so forth. No. Any world is a living world if it’s alive. And the thing is to bring it to life, and the way to bring it to life is to find in your own case where your life is and be alive to yourself, it seems to me.

Bill Moyer: You say I have to take that journey and slay those dragons. Do I have to go alone? 

Joseph Campbell: If you have someone who can help you, that’s fine, too. But, ultimately, the last trick has to be done by you. 

Find your source. Die to it to be reborn. Departure, fulfillment, return. Losing yourself and giving of yourself. Transformation of consciousness - by trials, tests, illuminating revelations.

“It’s important to live life with a knowledge of its mystery, and of your own mystery.”

“When people find out what it is that’s ticking in them they get straightened out.”

“It’s the adventure of being alive; of living.”

— Joseph Campbell

Watch the entire interview with here. 

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Happy Monday,

My current go-to health advice when people call upon me to provide my most experiences words for their pursuit…

Mentality, emotions, spirituality

1. Be happy with yourself. If you’re not happy then take the necessary steps to discover the how’s, why’s, and why not’s to your happiness.
2. Do what you love to do. Do everything and anything that makes you happy on a daily basis.
3. Do what you don’t love to do. Try everything because there’s so much in this world to be discovered that you a) know you don’t know and b) don’t know you don’t know.
4. Love and be loved. Give, give, give, give, give, give, and give love. 
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff because the small stuff can quickly and habitually add up and become too big, too in the way, too “important” that you miss or can’t handle the true experiences.
6. Smarter, not harder… for everything in your life.
7. Set aside time to be alone, to be with your thoughts, to be with your breath, to just let go of yourself.
8. “Everyone should have themselves regularly overwhelmed by Nature.” - George Harrison
9. Discover who you are, why you are, who you are not and why you are not.
10. Do not force anything. Let it happen as the universe intends. Force = suffering.
11. “Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know.” - Lao Tzu

Diet and exercise

1. Eat more calories. We need energy to function. People deprive themselves of essential energy thinking their body’s will perform better. That euphoric, quick weight loss effect? It’s called stress hormones… and it’s not healthy.
2. Eat what you crave. Eat when you crave. Your body knows best… and sometimes the best thing is to eat shitty junk food at 3am.
3. Drink water as you need to drink water. There isn’t a math equation to your water intake. It’s called being self-aware.
4. Use coconut oil or butter for cooking. Saturated fats are extremely stable at any temperature.
5. Eat saturated fat, protein, sugar, salt, and dairy on an almost daily basis (hint: your body craves these things for a reason).
6. Eat animal proteins and animal fats. I’m sorry to the vegan’s (veggie’s can at least do dairy and eggs), but you get the most bang for you buck in terms of nutritional content, protein quality, protein bioavailability, and protein density. You can choose watered-down go-kart gasoline or high octane top-fuel dragster gasoline… the body will still function on both.
7. Eat fruit and root vegetables. They’s healthy and real pro-digestivity-like. 
8. Salad is only good if you want your body to do the maximum amount of digestive work for the smallest caloric reward.
9. Limit unsaturated fats, specifically polyunsaturated fats, as much as you can.
10. Rotate gluten in and out of your diet to see if you feel better or lose weight with/without it. Be sure to replace its carb source and not just eliminate carbs because that will not have the same informative effect.
11. Cut back on endurance cardio because it’s very degrading on the body and can decrease metabolic rate while increasing stress hormones. Cardio should be done in short burts (intervals) and used as a part of a well-rounded training program.

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Happy Monday,

Cut to me standing in line at Starbucks some months ago with two teenagers gossiping back and forth just one spot ahead. As their turn neared, one of the girls turns to the food display and began eying up the baked goods while predicting aloud their caloric value. She eyed and described them in succession, reaching what seemed to be the most unhealthy, ball-parked its calories, decided to purchase that good, she then turned to her friend, cocked her head to the side and exclaimed “YOLO!” I shook my inner head at the time and have since retold that story to my friends because I think it’s pretty hilarious that I was able to experience that reality, but there’s definitely something more to it that decided to stick with me…

Fast forward to my recent weekend where I ran into an old friend where we happened to be at the same event to share the day with a mutual friend. After we had our fun, the group made its way to a crappy sports bar chain that will remain nameless, but I will say that there are chicken extremities involved. Sports bars aren’t really known as healthy havens. I say sports bar and I think wings, beer, burgers, and vegetable oil. This bar was no different and with menu options of a burger topped with mozzarella sticks and tomato sauce, well it just doesn’t get any more sloppier than this, folks. Now, I’ve always been known as somewhat of a health freak, nazi, stiff, and all around weirdo when it comes to eating food or my eating habits. I’ve come to be rather lax about it, but in my days of yesteryear I would have macguyvered some sort of “healthy” meal at an “unhealthy” establishment by pairing big green salads with grilled-this or from-the-storage-closet fruit with poached-that just so I could maintain my diet. My old friend still had the mentality that I lived and breathed like this, so after we sat down and looked at the menu he promptly asked if I am ok with the food options, am I still eating super healthy these days, yadda, yadda, yadda. I came back with, “I eat whatever. I just don’t care anymore. It’s more of a mental health approach for me because I spent too many days caring so much and being so unhappy all in the name of health.” His reaction was floored, but so excited to hear my personal breakthrough. My close friends, this one included, can relate to not making a big deal, not making such a fuss, and just living your life as best you can because in 2011 we lost a very important person in our lives to an accident. He immediately brought up our late-great friend, agreeing whole-heartedly with my approach to stop giving a shit about… well, stupid shit. At that moment everything kinda clicked for me to be like, “Yeah man, you’re doing it!.” 

I’ve been practicing a “no diet diet” since September of 2012. One day I just had a perspective shift to stop giving such a shit about food and to take the necessary steps towards mental and emotional happiness; allowing for the physical to follow suit instead of the other way around. I can eat all of the healthy food in the world, but if my mind isn’t fully behind it, if I’m doing it because I think it’s better for me, or if eating turns into a chore then, my friends, I will get absolutely no where. And for a very long time I could not get close to where I wanted to be in terms of personal happiness because of this freaking food wrench I was throwing at myself on a daily basis. To show you where I’m at, I am not eating what I define as “unhealthy” food every day, but I’m certainly not limited myself when the opportunities present themselves to eat a few donuts for breakfast, to make an impromptu Wendy’s trip at 2am, to bathe myself in pizza, or to order a sloppy burger, fries, and a beer at some crap sports bar in the company of good friends.

“Suffering ends when we let go” is a quote that I just made up but I’m sure I came across something similar not too yonder ago that didn’t mean much until I was able to experience it for myself. Having said that, it’s time to bring back the YOLO girls at the beginning of this story. Perhaps they may have been just joking about it, but to some people, specifically me, that joke has been such a life-changing-for-the-better experience when it comes to eating and building a path towards my ultimate happiness. A lot of people poke fun at YOLO. A lot of people say it without much thought behind its meaning. I think it’s a damn good approach to living one’s life as the most fulfilling and most meaningful experience one could ever dream of… because we really do only live once in this body and for us to go through that experience unhappy WITH ANYTHING does not make one bit of sense to me at this point in my understanding. 

You only live once. Do everything and anything that you desire. Make the absolute most of our experience on this earth. 

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Happy Monday,

Live life like you’re gonna die.

- Bill Shatner

Let’s face it, death scares me a little bit. It’s been a hard subject to bring up with myself for as long as I can remember. When I heard death referenced in jokes, in movies, in songs and I usually brushed off my personal discomfort by simply avoiding the things that encouraged said feelings. It’s rather easy to avoid, to not deal with and push off, important life experiences (a lot of people do it their whole lives and never take responsibility for themselves). Death is one of those topics that I decided to address with myself because I will continue to hurt myself if I don’t (that whole avoiding = suffering thing). So, I have been on a journey of putting death into perspective: What it means as a part of life’s, existence, the universe’s big pitcure, and not just the end of my life. But my separating death from a personal to an expanded level didn’t happen overnight nor did I even think that concept right off the bat.

I began this journey with, “Why am I afraid of death?” and “Why do I have that fear?” And from those starter-questions, I am currently at this…

• Yep, fear is still not real.
• Confront fears; they hold us back from experiencing more of life’s offerings.
• Life is equally as mysterious as death.
• Life sustains life. We live in a world where death happens every day for life to continue. If we were not the dominant on the food chain, we would have quite a different perspective on things.
• We are an ant to a blue whale as a human is to our planet as our planet is to our sun as our sun is to our solar system as our solar system is to our universe.
• The body is its own universe with things continually evolving, changing, moving, shifting, forming, creating… and dying. Hell, immune cells literally commit suicide by wraping around and killing infected cells, bacteria, or viruses for the sake of keeping the big picture alive. We have death occur within us every day so our lives continue.
• Life is free-moving and flowing, much like water. Death is stiff and brittle, much like ice.
• Every single choice that we make changes the universe.

I picked up some things about death and along came some thoughts about life, the act of living, and the universe; which is really what I’ve been after all along. To understand death, you have to understand life. To understand life, you have to understand what houses life. To understand yin, you have to understand yang. Ya with me? It’s been a cool little journey - a very eye-opening journey - to today’s perspectives. As I said earlier, it’s easy avoid and it’s not easy to confront, but confronting what you fear is such a pay-off in the big picture of my universe to then affect the rest of the universe (that’s good to keep in mind when embarking on anything physical or mental.) 

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Happy Monday folks,

“The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other.”

- Princess Diana

Having said that…

“If each man or woman could understand that every other human life is as full of sorrows, or joys, or base temptations, of heartaches and of remorse as his own… how much kinder, how much gentler he would be.”

- William Allen White

I came across the above quotes earlier this week and sat with them a bit. I sat with them to really take in what they mean to me; my interpretations according to my understandings, which is one of my points today. Quotes mean what I want or need them to mean to justify or expand my reality, respectively. According to my definition, this intolerance that Princess Di speaks of exists because people do not have a reason nor an understanding for tolerance to have a place in their lives. Said people are quaint in their reality of self-righteousness and existence, not co-existing. I suggest that intolerance is not really the issue at play. The language that we use when approaching such universal subjects is what gets lost in the definition shuffle.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the late Princess’ approach to raise an awareness that we are so unaccepting, or perhaps impatient, and it is that which brings suffering to the masses. But, what struck a nerve for me is her use of the words, problem and intolerance. They produce such a negative connotation to such an inspiring perspective. What that quote says to me is that we need to be more tolerant. We need to be more able to put up with people’s shit. No where does it say how to do such a thing. No where does it offer an opposing approach. Not only do I read negativity, but I also read subjectivity because I do not believe that everyone can relate to intolerance. To relate to intolerance we all have to experience intolerance on the same level and I’m not so sure if that fits into everyone’s reality. Ya understand? This brings me to the second quote by Mr. William Allen White. I believe, with the help of White’s words, that the greatest reality (not problem) we face is what we do not understand nor care to understand, and not intolerance. It is from that foundation that breeds tolerance or intolerance. It is from that foundation that we accept or dismiss. It is from that foundation that can lead to joy or suffering for one or many. “How much kinder, how much gentler he would be” if we took the time to understand a reality that was not our own by using such relatable life experiences (sorrow, joy, temptations, remorse) that we all share to give oneself a glimpse into another’s journey. Sure, we don’t all have to live such cliche morbid lives, but the reality is that life can be tough if we don’t make an effort to understand nor give consideration to ourselves and others. 

What quotes say is one thing for us to understand. What they don’t say and imply is a-whole-nother ballpark that’s rarely sees the limelight. 

“Silence is the language of god, all else is poor translation.”

- Rumi

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Happy Monday students,

Four week ago I discussed generic health advice and how it’s a one-size-fits-all health advice crap sandwich.You know, the kind of advice that says we should consume a specific amount of calories each day, that we must weigh a specific amount in relation to our height, that we must drink a specific (copious) amount of water each day, or that we need to avoid or consume specific foods all to be “healthy.” Today’s post stems off of that - off of the blind advice we’re told on a daily basis by health professionals - by highlighting some of the marketing campaigns said professionals swear by. And I cannot help to wonder if they really know what they’re talking about: Have they done their research? Research as in not just Google-ing a few articles that all support the same claim. Research as in understanding the physiology of the body, it’s mechanisms, and how it acts or reacts. Research as in understanding the food, it’s properties, and how it acts or reacts within the body.

• Improves digestion
• Boosts metabolism
• Supports immune system
• Detoxifies
• Heart healthy
• Lowers cholesterol
• Improved mental clarity
• Increased sexual stamina

The first marketing campaign that comes to mind is “Cheerio’s can lower cholesterol in two weeks.” Does anyone know what that actually means? Does anyone actually understand the mechanism by which Cheerios - a cereal made out of genetically modified oats and corn, and synthetic vitamins - can lower cholesterol? Do most people understand what cholesterol is and its purpose in the body? Do people most people understand how food affects cholesterol levels? Or are most people on the level that high cholesterol is bad, low cholesterol is good, and to avoid food with cholesterol because too much is bad? Oh, then there’s my favorite campaign, “part of a heart-healthy diet.” What the HELL does heart-healthy mean?! System of systems. One food does not benefit only one part of the body. System. Of. Systems.

I would really like to see the studies that allude to such claims. I would really like to see all of the stipulations that go into a claim, too, because of a little thing called subjectivity: Who was the study done on? Male? Female? Child? Animal? What age? Other current health factors? Exercise program? Genetic factors? General diet? And, probably the biggest factor, who funded the study?

I want to open some perspectives on what we become numb to and sheepishly believe. Before you go reading food labels as scripture and devouring every last morsel to boost, support, lower, or improve something within your physical self, take a moment to gain perspective with your all-encompassing non-physical self as to who is making the decisions here… your better judgement or the company’s fancy label. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard two women of college age in a local coffee shop conversing about beauty products and superfoods, exclaiming how said factors can do wonders for the skin and metabolism and yadda, yadda, yadda. Ok, maybe I’ve heard it only twice BUT THOSE TWO TIMES were significant enough to stick and make me think… I can’t tell if they actually know what they’re talking about or if they’re really good at memorizing labels.

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Happy Monday (wo)men,

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Plato

I really enjoy this quote because I am able to apply it in my life and I am able to understand it in relation to my experiences. Throughout my trials I realized that advice… any advice… it could be the best advice in the world… will not make a difference unless I (emphasis on I) am able to create a connection to my life; until I am able to fit the words or perspective into my definition of reality. I have my share of hard battles and those battles certainly affect the way I see, hear, do, don’t do, act, or react to my experiences. There’s nothing wrong with me for being the way I am (and there’s nothing wrong with you, either). I have chosen my current path because this is what I feel that is best for me. I am doing things the way I need to on my own time and at my own pace as I experience life. My path may not be deemed “right” by some. It may be deemed weird, dumb, stupid, lame, odd, not normal, gay, or even loser-esque by some. And I may not agree with the paths of others, too. The difference is how I act or react upon other’s reality in relation to how the self-righteous act or react upon my reality… I am kind. I am considerate. I get it.

I experience life in a completely different light than I did two years ago; post some life-changing experiences that brought me to question everything about my life (hence the blog). These days my daily interactions with people have me silently eager to understand the person who speaks, the person who sees, the person who hears, who acts, and who reacts. I am curious as to what their reality is, who they are, and why they are. I am curious as to what battles they are fighting within themselves that may project outwardly. We all choose different projections or personality quirks or coping mechanisms or vices or reasonings. For instance, I am quiet, introverted, and retreat to the depths of my mind because that’s how I choose to project. Someone else may choose to be loud, to be angry, to want attention, or another reality that is completely different than mine. It’s really an interesting view for me. I analyze my reality of others all because of this Plato quote and the fact that I was able to relate it to my life. Going further, I have taken this quote to music and how I now listen to/relate to music. Last year I got lost in the blues. I got lost in another’s interpretation of music, of lyrics, of guitar riffs, of their reality and nothing projects more than broken men singing and playing the hell out of the blues. Music has come back into my life with such a bigger meaning than it ever did before.

I am generalizing a bit. I am suggesting that one must go through some shit in order for things to click towards the betterment of one’s path. This is how I do things. It tends to be the hard way, but the easy way was never meant to be for me (at least not in the big picture… although small victories do add up). Yeah, I probably could have done things differently, but I would have ended up back on the same path that brought me here (perhaps just delayed) because, again, advice or perspectives meant nothing until I was able to apply it to my life. If there isn’t an understood personal value in a proposed change then it will not hold water until that requirement is met. Hell, you can memorize math formulas all damn day and absolutely nothing will stick, nothing will hold value, until you’re able to apply it to and understand it in accordance to your problems.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Take other’s battles into consideration as you consider your own. Life is too damn short to go around judging, assuming, pushing, or projecting upon others. Be kind.

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Happy Monday cadets,

“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? The land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

“Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

“We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family.

“The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each ghostly reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

“The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.

“If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.

“Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the songs of the earth.

“This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

“One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

“Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

“When the last Red Man has vanished with his wilderness and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

“We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all.

“As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know: there is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man, can be apart. We are brothers after all.”

Chief Seattle 
via

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Happy Monday… we survived!

Where, oh where did we get the idea that exercise is a form of physical punishment, a real-life mulligan, a good-negating-bad choice, a means to self-worth, self-confidence, and self-love? And if we don’t exercise, do we not punish ourselves mentally with shame or through other physical reasoning such as diet restrictions or binges or vices? I’m certainly generalizing on behalf of a few, but I still think that a few involves… well… many.

Shit, I used to think or feel this way. I know a lot of my health-seeking peers share those thoughts or feelings, too… at least that’s the reality I peering-eye experience on my social networks; i.e. facebook prophecies, instagram progressions, twitter vents, and tumblr no-holds-barred’s. I experience people who hold exercise as the parting of the Red Sea to the healthy promise land. I experience people whom are publicly frustrated with themselves over poor diet choices. I experience people whom are up in a never-ending cycle of searching for themselves with external justification. I experience people whose achievements or success are based solely on hard-work, burning the wick at both ends, and pain.

I am aware that there is an extreme to this; one that is more in-touch with an inner peace as a means to reach outer satiety (as I have so novice-ly discovered along my journey). But not everyone is at that point, and there could be many drifting along in purgatory; searching for a quick-fix way out that could send them further down or a patiently-puzzle-pieced journey that may give rise to one of many epiphanies. I am not one to say who is right or wrong. I am no one to say my way or the highway. My point is to bring this constricted reality to light because it’s been on my subconscious radar for some time; that is, why does it have to be this way?

I do not have a black-and-white answer. What I have are some qualms. As long as work-out dvds exist, as long as diet-fads promoted by wolves looking to profit from sheep, as long as fitness buffs market an external body-image as the end and quick video clips of them exercising as the means, as long as specific advice is given to a world of individuals then this reality will continue to exist. There is, however, a growing awareness that health doesn’t mean pain, agony, stress, turmoil, punishment, or a daily kill-yourself. There is a growing awareness that health comes from within, from an awareness of one’s wants vs. needs, from an awareness that love and understanding precede permanent change (and not the yo-yo we may experience). There is a growing awareness of smarter, not harder to accomplish goals. There is a growing awareness that it’s ok to be less of an image and more of a path.

I am not bashing exercise. I think there is a time, a place, and an individualized need for exercise. I think that exercise has incredible benefits… when it is implemented properly. I think that people have built exercise up to be more of a reaction than action. I think that exercise went from a daily instinct to a daily grind. I think that if someone uses exercise for self-discipline, self-control, or self-confidence, I’d say there’s a lot more going on underneath it all that is in dire need to be addressed and not suppressed.

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