A word or two on health

Hard to believe that after such a long hiatus without blogging, I would choose this topic for the next entry. Yet sometimes I feel compelled to write on a subject that interests me. I am currently in San Diego, California on a business trip and enjoying the scenery, the food, the climate, and the people. I spent a couple of hours in book stores yesterday and walked the streets watching people and experiencing the city life.

It occurred to me though that as I walked through the city and later along the bay, I did not see any overweight people. Of course it is certainly possible that those who are overweight chose not to be out in this area or chose to eat at different restaurants. But perhaps there is another reason for this. Before I go on, I must say that I am not critical of overweight people, having struggled with this problem myself. While I do not believe overweight is a disease or an epidemic, neither do I believe it is generally healthy. Obviously, dieting and surgery for weight problems is a major industry in our culture and one that seems to be growing not diminishing. One of our requirements as people is to remain as healthy as possible, not just for ourselves but for those who love us as well. When we are healthy, we are more productive and more giving. We serve society at a higher level, when our health allows us freedom to reach out.

I could go on and on with this thinking, but let's return to the current issue of people in San Diego seem generally smaller and yes healthier than people in Texas. Conjecture without basis in fact can be and usually is pointless and serves no purpose other than to give some weak creedence to the person offering the guesswork. Knowing this, however, I think I will proceed.

I believe after watching the people in San Diego, that there are three reasons for the general health in this area. 1) a diet consisting of fish, 2) smaller portions and 3) lots of walking. In the town where I work, these 3 events are rare. Portions are very extensive, fish (other than catfish) is rare, and walking is a lost art. So with this in mind, I am going to commit myself to more fish, smaller portions, and more walking. Of course this is nothing earth-shattering, and in fact this entire entry is rather dull, but I felt like writing it anyway! Time to go for a walk.