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FitSpirit: Mind over matter
Posted on Nov 3rd 2007 7:00AM by Jacki DonaldsonFitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.
I'm getting the hang of this mind-over-matter thing. You know, that ideal state that is so hard to master at times -- like when I'm running and the urge to quit is so strong. I'd stop in my tracks in an instant if it weren't for finding that right frame of mind that allows me to push on through. Sometimes I don't find that perfect place. Lately, though, I've been doing pretty good -- when it comes to candy anyway.
A big bowl of Halloween candy sits in my kitchen pantry at this very moment. It's a combination of the junk my two little boys begged off our neighbors during trick-or-treat on Wednesday, and it's ooey, gooey, and oh so sweet. There's a little bit of everything in that gigantic orange bowl. There's chocolate, lollipops, chewy candy, hard candy, and lots of sugary gum. And I promise you, despite the temptation that will flutter through my brain on occasion, not one piece of that stuff will pass through my lips. I've been eating Halloween candy every year for as long as I can remember but this year, I just won't do it. It's a mind-over-matter thing.
I haven't eaten sweets since May. The longer I go without indulging, the easier it gets. It's become my personal challenge. Staying away from sugar makes me feel like I'm winning a challenge. And I guess I am. I'm winning a personal health match, and I don't want to get knocked out the game. If I stay focused -- and keep memories of sugar-induced headaches alive -- I won't cave in. The candy is merely matter. My mind is so much more than that. Yours is too. Put it to work and you'll see just how much you can overcome.
I'm getting the hang of this mind-over-matter thing. You know, that ideal state that is so hard to master at times -- like when I'm running and the urge to quit is so strong. I'd stop in my tracks in an instant if it weren't for finding that right frame of mind that allows me to push on through. Sometimes I don't find that perfect place. Lately, though, I've been doing pretty good -- when it comes to candy anyway.
A big bowl of Halloween candy sits in my kitchen pantry at this very moment. It's a combination of the junk my two little boys begged off our neighbors during trick-or-treat on Wednesday, and it's ooey, gooey, and oh so sweet. There's a little bit of everything in that gigantic orange bowl. There's chocolate, lollipops, chewy candy, hard candy, and lots of sugary gum. And I promise you, despite the temptation that will flutter through my brain on occasion, not one piece of that stuff will pass through my lips. I've been eating Halloween candy every year for as long as I can remember but this year, I just won't do it. It's a mind-over-matter thing.
I haven't eaten sweets since May. The longer I go without indulging, the easier it gets. It's become my personal challenge. Staying away from sugar makes me feel like I'm winning a challenge. And I guess I am. I'm winning a personal health match, and I don't want to get knocked out the game. If I stay focused -- and keep memories of sugar-induced headaches alive -- I won't cave in. The candy is merely matter. My mind is so much more than that. Yours is too. Put it to work and you'll see just how much you can overcome.
