Do You Deserve It?

Do You Deserve It?

     Bad stuff sometimes happens to good people. We all know that. We did not deserve to lose our job – the employer went bankrupt. We did not deserve cancer – but we got it anyway. We did not deserve a broken heart – but our partner is just as gone. Some of us are able to look at the disasters in our lives and say, like Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day.” We pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. But sometimes it seems like bad stuff is just piling up on us, and there is no way to get out from under. That’s when we are likely to turn for comfort to food. Or caffeine. Or nicotine. Or alcohol Or OTC drugs. Or prescription drugs. Or something stronger and more deadly. We definitely do not deserve this!

     There is one thing that we each deserve, however. You deserve a second chance. No matter how messed-up yesterday was, tomorrow is another day. You deserve a second chance, and the only person who can give you that chance is YOU.

     You can put down the spoon, stand up, and start moving your feet. Put on some rockin’ music and dance, or just walk in place. Move your arms – swing ’em, pump ’em, stretch ’em up over your head, wave ’em around. Move your feet faster, lift them higher, and pretty soon you are pumping oxygen into your sad body. If you keep this up long enough and hard enough, you will cause the release of those same brain chemicals that are activated by comfort foods, drugs, etc., and you will be feeling better without damaging your health. Well, look at that! And it is all because you stood up instead of just sitting there moping.

     About that second chance. Look for a walking group in your neighbourhood. Sometimes you can find them in malls or schools. Look for free exercise classes. In Manitoba’s South Interlake, some of us are participating in free exercise classes in Lundar, Lake Francis, Woodlands, Warren and Stonewall. You’d be surprised how much better you feel when you connect with other folks like yourself. There are lots of others like you – you are not the only one feeling down. When we come together, we can lift each other up. We can get moving. We can start to eat better, not living to eat but eating to really live and get the best we can from our bodies and our minds.

     Keep your stick on the ice. We’re all pullin’ for ya!