I eat, therefore I run. This is the mantra written on my RoadID tag on my running shoe. What does this have to do with sex?
I have been listening to several podcasts during my runs on health, weight loss, nutrition. There are common themes as anyone would guess: eat right, get enough sleep, get regular health checks, watch your stress, and exercise. The one thing that people have a hard time doing, I think, is the last one. Each of these is linked one way or another and each contribute to the benefit or demise of each one. For example, when we are stressed we eat badly (or emotionally — chocolate anyone?) and sleep fitfully. When we don’t sleep well, we don’t have the energy sometimes to work out. When we don’t work out, we gain weight and then stress out about that. Then we don’t like to see our doctor because we have gained weight since our last visit, and our blood pressure is up because of the stress. You get the picture.
However, I have been known to be a cockeyed optimist and so the converse of the above is true. When we eat healthy, we feel better. When we have less stress, we sleep better. I am a big believer of moving. I think the word exercise sometimes makes people stress out. But I think it is my duty as a healthcare provider to ask what they are doing to move. It doesn’t come easy for anyone. But it has to be done as part of a healthy lifestyle. Cutting down on calories and eating healthy is great, don’t get me wrong, but we all have cravings and we can only avoid bacon and chocolate only so much (my particular downfall). But moving allows us to have an occasional craving (or two), lets us sleep well, keeps our weight down, and is a great stress reliever. Moving makes us feel good, endorphins are released, and if the side effect is a little weight loss, most of us will tolerate this. It is indisputable that all of the above makes us feel good and makes us feel better about ourselves, our bodies, ergo more sexy. This phenomenon has been reported in studies and by my patients’ own personal experience, regardless of whether weight loss actually occurred.
So maybe the next shoe tag should read: I run therefore I have sex.
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The following is feedback received for this blog:
great blog-
nice to see that these things are interlinked. cannot wait to read more of your writings/blog
- kim t. |