I’ve been thinking for probably the past couple months about my health and what habits can snowball to make my health worse. I am about to enter middle age, and I’ve heard at entering midlife that the body changes and starts to slow down, and I would very much like to discourage a rapid decline of health. What am I going to change to ensure longevity?
This is “momento mori” at its finest. What things will I change with death in perspective, so what discipline do I need to practice more? Even then, I must remember that I am going to die, or, more relevant, I am not in control of aging in my body. My body will change physically. Remember there is always a need for acceptance of the things that I can’t control.
I have taught myself loads the previous few months by observing my weight drop as it relates to what I’ve been eating. If I have access to delicious food, I am encouraged to eat a bunch because I know I will get some form of pleasure. Once I realized this, I’ve changed a few of my eating habits. Once those habits were changed, my weight dropped quickly. It was as if I shed off things that didn’t need to be there.
The holidays recently passed, and I observed that I was very willing to eat more than my fill. So, to an extent, I think I still need to discipline my eating habits. There are certain cues or triggers that would still encourage me to eat things that could eventually snowball. I still got pleasure from eating a good amount of food.
I think I could practice mindful eating. Encourage myself to enjoy the food and not the sensation of so much eating. That would be a hard one to override since eating a lot of food is so engrained in my childhood. Additionally, I can make a bigger practice into fasting. If the science is true, I’m going to need to give my body time to clean out while the day sets. My body can’t clean if it is processing food.
I do sit almost all the time. I need to put a heavy emphasis on exercise for me. In particular, I may really need to work on my cardio fitness. My heart is going to have to be strong if I want to live long.
I really enjoyed the docuseries that Chris Hemsworth made called Limitless. I found myself agreeing with a lot of the perspectives that Chris Hemsworth had. I want to be able to make many wonderful memories with posterity and people, and I can’t do that if I am disabled or dead before they happen.
How wonderful would it be to bring children or even great grandchildren to Paris when I’m old? That would be amazing! It doesn’t even have to be Paris, it could be where ever they want to go. I’m easy to please. As long as I can enjoy time with those I love.
So I will try to be more conscientious of my personal health. Aging is going to happen, but I can reduce the likelihood of rapid aging by doing the obvious: routine exercise and dieting.