I get a lot of questions about how I stay in shape. My answer, in simple terms, is that I work hard at it. But it’s not for the reasons you might think. It’s not because I want to look a certain way. It’s because I want to live a certain way.
During my ten years taking care of patients in the emergency department, I got the bird’s eye view on human health. I saw people who abused their bodies and people who cared for them meticulously. I saw educated people making harmful decisions and uneducated people who intuitively knew that “eating the rainbow” was healthy.
But one thing was clear in all situations: we, as humans, get one body, and one only. Having stood next to hundreds of people moments after their spirit has departed their body, I can say that it is a machine like any other. When it is maintained, it has the best chances of performing well for its owner, for a longer time. When it is neglected, systems will start to fail, and no matter how alive the spirit is, the machine will fall apart more quickly.
I don’t know what happens when our spirits leave - none of us do. And I’m up for whatever adventure, if any, lies ahead of this one. But until my time comes, I’m going to take care of this vessel I’ve been given, and do all I can to keep it running strong.
With that mentality, eating well and keeping my heart and lungs strong doesn’t seem like a chore. It’s my privilege and my responsibility to nourish it, like any other treasured gift.
One body, and one only.
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#healthylife #onlyonebody #exerciseyourprivilege #healthyself #noexcuses #takethereins #modernmedicine #returntoyoursenses