On the Eve of Resolution

I could not let this year pass without a few simple comments about health and fitness.

Like many people I know in the northern hemisphere, winter brings with it a time of weight gain and exercise laxness. Throw in back-to-back holidays characterized by rich foods, cakes, pies and candies, and excessive alcohol consumption, and many of us find ourselves relaxing our belts, dreaming of diets, and redefining flab as love handles.

What did Rene say: I eat too much; therefore, I am fat.

Having a few extra pounds in colder climates might seem like prudent insulation. But the stress of trudging through deep snow and trudging through the deep stress of Xmas and New Years can put a lot of strain on the cardiovascular system. A few extra pounds doesn't help.

And I am not pointing fingers. I include myself in the category of those who may have indulged and bugled too much whilst exercising too little. In fact, this trend didn't start with winter or the holidays. I have been slowly gaining weight since my all-time adult low weight of about two and a half years ago.

What happened?

Well, I got happy. No joke. I was at that all-time adult low weight because I was experiencing a lot stress about a family member in the midst of medical crisis. I wasn't eating well or enough, and I was exercising incessantly in an attempt to preoccupy my racing mind and reduce the negative effects of stress. Needless to say, I wheedled down.

Then almost two years ago, the crisis seemed to be (relatively) fading, the stress began to lift, and I became involved in a very happy period of my life. Needless to also say, my relaxation wasn't only mental; my waist relaxed as well.

In the year 2008, therefore, I hope to reclaim a diet and exercise ritual that is healthy, safe, and effective. By the latter I don't simply mean in terms of losing weight, but instead, feeling and being healthy. I owe it to myself, to my family, and to my community. Happiness should beget healthiness, not hedonism.

And so, bring on the New Year!