Lifestyle
I am feeling fairly virtuous this week. For the past two weeks now, I have gotten up at 5:55 am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and run 3 miles, each day, on the treadmill.
This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but for those who know how much I love my bed, you will know that it has taken a willpower I did not know I possessed. But I have been faithful. And I feel pretty good.
The runs are hard because I am not properly hydrated after a night of sleeping and a day of insufficient water consumption and the occasional supper hour cocktail, but it feels so good to have it done, it is making me keep going. It makes my day feel longer because I am not trying to squeeze in a run in the evening, but also because I have more energy, most nights.
It means I probably drink more alcohol than I used to, though, since I can have a glass of wine with dinner as I am not desperately trying to hydrate for a run. And it means my nutrition is probably less than optimal, since I feel like I can snack on whatever comes around (I just had 2 brandy-filled chocolates from a box that a patient brought to the clinic). But of the major health-affecting areas of my life (nutrition, hydration, exercise and sleep), I do pretty well at at least two and better than average at the other two.
I watched Super Size Me the other day. For those who so not know, it is a documentary about a man who ate McDonald's food three times a day for a month. It was a fairly scientific endeavour, and it obviously damaged his health. I felt quite virtuous watching that, too. Lots of good statistics and things, but it made me realize that the lifestyle my family leads is probably healthier than the average North American's. Good for us. At work I see too much of what happens when people don't make an effort (I refer you back to my smoking diatribe), and truly, the major illnesses we treat do not very often happen to people who actively reduce their risk factors. For me, now, it's a lifestyle more than a choice, and it's not even that hard anymore. I can even do it at 6:00 am.
When I got a failing grade in Grade 9 gym class, who would have thunk it?
This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but for those who know how much I love my bed, you will know that it has taken a willpower I did not know I possessed. But I have been faithful. And I feel pretty good.
The runs are hard because I am not properly hydrated after a night of sleeping and a day of insufficient water consumption and the occasional supper hour cocktail, but it feels so good to have it done, it is making me keep going. It makes my day feel longer because I am not trying to squeeze in a run in the evening, but also because I have more energy, most nights.
It means I probably drink more alcohol than I used to, though, since I can have a glass of wine with dinner as I am not desperately trying to hydrate for a run. And it means my nutrition is probably less than optimal, since I feel like I can snack on whatever comes around (I just had 2 brandy-filled chocolates from a box that a patient brought to the clinic). But of the major health-affecting areas of my life (nutrition, hydration, exercise and sleep), I do pretty well at at least two and better than average at the other two.
I watched Super Size Me the other day. For those who so not know, it is a documentary about a man who ate McDonald's food three times a day for a month. It was a fairly scientific endeavour, and it obviously damaged his health. I felt quite virtuous watching that, too. Lots of good statistics and things, but it made me realize that the lifestyle my family leads is probably healthier than the average North American's. Good for us. At work I see too much of what happens when people don't make an effort (I refer you back to my smoking diatribe), and truly, the major illnesses we treat do not very often happen to people who actively reduce their risk factors. For me, now, it's a lifestyle more than a choice, and it's not even that hard anymore. I can even do it at 6:00 am.
When I got a failing grade in Grade 9 gym class, who would have thunk it?
posted by Cluttered Mind @ 4:39 p.m.
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