I have cut my sugar consumption in half – I’m now down close to the national average.
Though I might do a little better than this, it is still a problem. I do know two facts about sugar: one, processed sugar is not good for the body; and second, it is addictive.
Our family has made major attempts to take responsibility for our health. I had my bouts with illness – the finger, hand, feet problems of the athlete, and torn cartilage in my left knee. At the age of 21, these ailments caught up with me and everything seemed to go wrong. For years I nursed a stomach problem inherited from my parents and spent several years on a prescription drug called Combid. A doctor took me off it after hearing I was on it for so long, his facial expressions communicated that it was not a smart thing to be doing. From this and other experiences with the medical profession, I became less and less trusting of the medical doctor. The recent studies that point out that the medical profession really knows what it is doing about 12% of the time does not surprise me.
In the mid 70s, we began looking more and more into health and health problems. One of the first areas we began to work on was our diet. Diet is an important part of our effort toward caring for our own health. We are basically vegetarians, though we still eat meat on occasion. Cutting back sugar, fats, and salts are three of the things we see as essential to good health. Though conscious of the problems of junk food, we still consume more of it than we would like, but we have had some degree of success. Our policy is not to be too rigid about any of our changes, and to change gradually. Diet is no exception.
My next real challenge is to eat more slowly and give my body a chance to assimilate what I do take in.
I have found stress to be one of the most harmful things to my health. It seems stress doesn’t cause illness; but aggravates the weakest part of our bodies. This, in my case, is my digestive system. It appears to be a hereditary condition, with most of my siblings suffering the same fate. Stress seems to center there and cause all kinds of havoc. Since I left Covington Community Center in 1978, I feel a lot better. Though as involved and busy as ever, the pressure is no longer there as it was then.
Exercise is a very important thing for me; I feel better, sleep better, and my family would probably say act better, when I’ve had sufficient exercise. The work I do usually gives me enough exercise in spring, summer and fall; but winter is a lot harder. If I can convince myself of the importance of exercise, a trip to the neighborhood community center and a game or two of basketball with the 19- and 20-year-olds usually suffices for a few days; though I must admit to rising a little slowly the next morning.
rjamesschenk.org 