I love to exercise. I use it as a way to relieve some of the pressures that build up each day. It gives me a chance to escape reality for a moment and go deep into my own thoughts. For me, exercising is a mental experience. I rarely notice the physical side of it.
Staying In Shape
As I age, I notice that I must do different things to stay in shape. I still consider myself an aggressive runner, but I can't run like I did five years ago, so I run at a new pace. The intensity of my workouts is changing, but the energy expressed is nearly the same.
One thing remains constant: a nutritional diet is a key ingredient to living a healthy life style. If I want to look good, then I must eat good. It is a pretty simple formula to follow.
Special K
Recently, there has been a lot of talk in our area, about the Special K diet. The claim is that if you eat a bowl of Special K for breakfast, another bowl of Special K for lunch and then, a sensible dinner you will lose the weight you need to lose to get into your skinny jeans.
The reason Kellogg believes that it can make this claim is because they say Special K has all of the nutrients your body needs. The theory is that if you put the right things in your body, then your body will be at its best.
The World Around Us
I have no doubt that the theory behind the Special K diet is correct and that if you follow the plan, you will see the results it claims you will get. I bet most of you agree with me, that when we put the right nutrients in our body, we are able to get in our best physical shape.
We understand the concept of watching what we eat, but for some reason, we give little though to what we put in our mind. Perhaps we do think about it, but we do very little to make sure we are not subjected to the garbage on our airwaves.
When I was a kid, I remember campaigns against questionable shows. If it pushed the envelope too far, our parents and grandparents wrote letters to let the network know that we were not happy. Now, it seems we are not happy if it is not pushing the envelope beyond previous marks.
It is not just the shows anymore, the commercials are full of suggestive material that is hard to describe without using the word filth. These commercials come on in the middle of good shows. Those in favor of allowing shows on diverse topics once said, if you don't like the show, then change the channel, but now you can like the show but still feel compelled to change the channel because of the commercials. There just is very little of high quality and standards on anymore.
What To Do?
I know we can't just hide our head in the sand, but we need to be aware of what we are allowing in our homes and in our minds. There is an impact. James Allen described that impact best when he restated a verse from Psalms – "As a man thinketh, so shall he become."
What are you allowing in your home?
How do you protect yourself and your family from destructive media?
Are your standards working to elevate your thoughts?
Our mental fitness is just as important as our physical fitness. We must be careful about what we let into our minds or we will suffer a decaying consequence. Virtue of thought is a critical part of our ability to become our best. I leave you with this quote from Benjamin Franklin:
"It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain, that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous."
Live Today! Love Today!
Dr. Andrew Thorn
760-559-3548
