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Saturday, September 06, 2003Surely, there are other alternatives to "fat and happy" than "lean and miserable"--how about lean and happy or fat and miserable. I fear your new responsibilities are getting the better of you--I have seen thousands of patients over the years and can only recall a few who are genuinely happy being fat--they may be happy but it is in spite of being fat--obesity need not dominate your life but I can assure you that during those quiet moments, when we have only ourselves to talk with, very few feel good about being fat. Leanness guarantees nothing but leanness, but obesity is a slippery slope to many places I would not want to go. And... Well, you know as well as I do that there are choices besides "fat and happy" and "lean and miserable." I have thought a lot about walking, and I have decided that that is what we are meant to do. I am afraid of getting diabetes (I am overweight by some 30 lbs); I don't like the feeling of growing weakness; I know that if I don't get some activity, I will begin to suffer from osteoporosis. So, there are consequences to our sloth. Yet, I can understand full well that almost all of us (the sane ones, I think), don't move unless we have to. Thus, all those joggers and exercise buffs are always going to be in a minority. I saw, the other day, a tourist in Whitehorse who was horrendously overweight. I have seen a lot of that - much more than I have ever seen before - we are talking more than 50 pounds of extra weight. These people could solve this huge problem - and it is a huge health problem - by knowing that a simple walk could make all the difference- that parking the car at the far end of the parking lot; walking to see a friend (a mile is not a long way, really). Carrying one's groceries as far and as much as possible (maybe shopping for them more often, so it becomes feasible to carry them instead of putting them in the cart). You don't have to jog, or run upstairs. Just take a walk. I have seen people who think that walking 2 blocks is out of the question. And that is what the medical profession could be telling their clients! So there! posted by Sydney on 9/06/2003 04:22:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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