3.35
The chapter of another year of wellness is almost closed, and it's time to dig into 2017's goals, wishlists and great intentions. Do you have a couch-to-_______ (5k, half marathon, Spartan Race) goal, or an ideal weight you've been pursuing, but maybe haven't gotten there yet? Maybe 2017 is your year.
I have three races in my sights already, and I'm contemplating others. The Garden Spot Village Marathon and Half-Marathon is the first up, on the first Saturday of April. Then Easter weekend is the Sauder Egg Run, in our exceptional home town of Lititz (this is a race we've enjoyed doing as a family for several years... we'll see who we can rally to run this year.) And then there's the Spartan Sprint and Super Races in Palmerton, PA in July. I did the Sprint this year, and I'm seriously considering the Super... we'll see.
There is a whole year ahead of us for training adventures, long and short runs, nutritional edits to our diet, weigh goals and exercise accomplishments. Take some time to make plans now. Put some things on your list that you know you can complete, and add a few things a bit more challenging (medium goals) and even put something on that's a bit crazy (a stretch goal).
Will Durant said, "...we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.." Make 2017 the year we do something differently excellent, and simply repeat throughout the year. When we do, we'll see excellence grow in our lives and flourish into a habit.
By the Way
When goal-setting for the future, start simple. Capture some good areas of growth you really feel called to pursue. Then hold them loosely and be willing to go with the flow. You have no idea what twists and turns may show up on your journey. When they do, no worries, take it as it comes, learn something from the journey, and press on.
3.34
We all have some level of ill-health which we would love to be relieved of... or are willing to tolerate. And that has been the truth of pursuing wellness for centuries, and probably millennia. And what if the underlying truth has always been that our bodies will heal naturally when given the right opportunity and nutritional circumstances to do so? It's interesting that concepts credited to Hippocrates thousands of years ago, are also closely held beliefs of other wise influencers in our American history.
I remembered that Thomas Jefferson had strong opinions on the body's natural ability to heal, and in looking up his perspectives, came across the fact that Thomas Edison believed similarly, and doctors should guide the process. Jefferson was convinced that our physical makeup was too complex for broad-brush solutions, and what we needed were natural approaches which responded specifically to our needs and circumstances, to give the body the chance to heal.
Edison said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." Isn't it interesting that brilliant minds like Jefferson and Edison followed the simple logic that as complex as our bodies are, what we really need is guidance in diet, general care, and tools to understand and prevent disease. The fundamental truth: we will heal naturally when given the right circumstances.
Don't get me wrong, there's a place for modern medical solutions. We have eradicated innumerable diseases, ailments and trends of poor health because of brilliant minds in our modern era. And humanity can confidently grow into a future of longevity and thriving because of so many beneficial medical advances.
Any yet, medical wisdom is sometimes not so wise, and it needs to be balanced with a discernment of good nutrition and cause-and-effect review of disease and ill health.
So as we approach a new year, maybe it's a great time to open our perspective to the relationship between nutrition and lifestyle choices, and the health condition we find ourselves in. The more I study and benefit from good nutrition and wellness choices, the more I realize how simple it is to gain energized, clear-thinking, well-rested health... it may not be easy, but it is very simple.
By the Way
Check out these resources for further perspectives from Jefferson and Edision, on simple wellness and natural healing:
- Jefferson's convictions on Medicine as presented by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation here.
- Edison's quote on health, as routed out by Snopes, proving its validity here.
