I try to walk an hour daily, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 in the evening, or whatever my schedule will permit. Often, I get comments from people about my consistency because it isn’t necessarily about weight loss and I appear to be in reasonably good health.
I realize they are well-intentioned, but what they’re missing and I try to convey is what you can see on the outside is only part of what should concern you if you care about your health. What isn’t visible to them is that I’m predisposed to diabetes. And like approximately half the population, predisposition to this condition makes me a prime candidate for other serious health issues if I choose to ignore the facts or take for granted that maintaining good health doesn’t require extra effort. So, I walk–not because of what you can see, but what you can’t—in order to prevent the implosion (train wreck) speeding along the tracks inside a frame that doesn’t reveal its vulnerability.
Scientific studies now show we don’t’ get sick and die because of age. We get sick and die because of toxic build up in our bodies. Years ago, there was an often cited phrase, “death begins in the colon”. I tend to agree, but think the damage starts further up the intestinal track. Years and years of buildup leaves our cells susceptible to every conceivable toxin introduced to our bodies, whether through food that has been treated with pesticides, growth hormones or other agents that are not easily digestible, to liquids containing hundreds of pathogens, to lubricants added to the skin containing dyes, chemicals and rendering oils. When you think about it, scientific evidence is actually backed by common sense. God designed our bodies to breakdown amino acids and enzymes used to provide nutrients and fuel our bodies. When nontoxic foods and beverages are ingested, the digestive system can perform as our Creator designed it to. Since God did not design our bodies to break down harmful toxins which have no nutritional value, they tend to build up in our cells–and thus in the organs necessary to sustain good health and life. Since it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure to all of the pathogens that invade our bodies, a consistent regimen of exercise, proper hydration and the cleanest, healthy diet possible can aid in ridding our cells of much of the toxicity that breaks down or destroys them over time.
Even with all the evidence pointing to the culprits that contribute to poor health and early demise, many choose not to sacrifice what I have come to refer to as the 3-Cs: Comfort, Convenience and Cravings. Trading sugary, salty, greasy tasting food for healthier food choices, consuming more water and less sugary drinks, getting off the comfy cushion below the back and above the thighs to begin and maintain a regular exercise regimen is a sacrifice many choose not to make. After all, it’s easier to forego these small sacrifices when society as a whole places such a low premium on any payoff that doesn’t provide instant gratification. And so the impending train wreck speeds along picking up steam and taking no prisoners as it bears down on the tracks for the collision in its path.
Each of us has a choice to make. Making the right choice will help to ensure a better quality of life. Short-term, there will be some adjustments and perhaps some pain points as you give up some of the comforts, convenience and cravings you once thought you could not do without. Long-term, you will help your body to prolong quality of life by promoting a healthier lifestyle that will help you to avoid the train wreck that otherwise looms ahead.
It’s certainly my motivation…and so, I walk.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge”
