BATTLE OF THE BULGE When did you last see your shoes? Of course I mean while you were putting them on! If you lose sight of the shoes you are wearing each time you stand up, chances are you are facing the battle of the bulge. Don’t give me this stuff about you hailing from a long line of people with tiny feet because I am not accepting that excuse. You are obese, full stop, and you need to do something about it, pronto! There are some people out there who have a natural propensity to be overweight. For such guys let me quickly add that there is no one to blame for this natural endowment. All you need is to do something positive to prevent all those calories you ingest from expressing themselves in terms of biomass! The most positive solution that comes to mind is exercise and make no mistake this calls for utmost discipline. The great beauty of exercise is that it creates a self re-enforcing cycle whereby the results encourage you to increase intensity thus bringing forth more and better results. It is the most highly recommended method of weight control and, unless done recklessly, is deemed to produce the best results such as more beautiful looks, good health, increased self esteem, more self-love (the mirror becomes your friend), more fashion consciousness and many other positives. Exercise is like nutrition and, all else permitting, needs to be done throughout our livelihood. The other methods of weight control tend to send a chill down my spine. Some people have to go under the knife of a surgeon in order to achieve this control. Others have to take substances and some others just need to be put on leash so that they stay away from the food bin! The latter include the compulsive eaters and gluttons who have developed this dangerous habit of taking out their stresses and frustrations on food! I do not claim to have a six pack on my tummy (though I am trying hard) but I believe that my partial success over the battle of the bulge has been assisted by correct nutrition plus a modicum of exercise imposed on me by fear of the return of this cruel affliction called gout. This disease has caused me the deepest level of physical pain and it has dragged me kicking and screaming to the exercise bicycle and any other vice or device that can keep this malady away. If scientists could manufacture and package gout and be able to inject it into a person at will I have no doubt that it would have been the world’s number one instrument of torture. I blame gout for all the times I have failed to go out on Fridays! There are very few things I would not do for you if you threatened me ( convincingly, of course) with a return of this affliction. Can you believe this “cruelty” has been the most positive influence on my weight control? Discipline is the watchword when it comes to weight control and the penalties for lacking it are many and plain for all to see. What bothers me is this group of people who seem able to consume a cow for breakfast and wash it down with a barrel of beer and never put on a gram of bodyweight! These are a blessed lot for they never have to change clothing size after every meal like the others. They do not have to lose sleep over body weight and they have the Almighty to thank for this natural saving on gym fees and medical bills. However these people are not entirely exempted from the need for some form of exercise because there are some diseases that have no respect for slenderness such as stress! Some people are kept slim by nagging spouses and please don’t let me invite smart sanctions by mentioning which gender prevails over the other on administering this type of weight control. I do not know anyone who prefers such a method of weight control. Let me advise that this is not a recommended method and actually causes a whole cocktail of downstream psycho-social problems which go beyond the scope of our discussion. The beauty of weight control is plain for all to see. You tend to feel good all round and you develop a glow about you that is open for the whole world to see. Your capacity to enjoy life is enhanced and your self-esteem shoots up which translate to a good all round healthy lifestyle. Even your performance improves and that applies to any “task” you set out to perform. The downside of weight control is when it becomes an obsession and ends up leading to harmful excesses like substance abuse, injury, disability or complexes like anorexia nervosa. Some people just lack the fortitude to carry on the exercise mantle and eventually give up leading up to unfortunate consequences like recurring illness or even death. I do not mean to scare anyone but I am not ashamed to warn you of possible dire consequences if you ignore or abandon your responsibility to keep the bulge controlled or to get rid of it altogether. Good Friday to you all.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 07:09:18 +0000