There's a thread on SDF's bboard right now about healthy
habits. My issue is, I mostly have un-healthy habits, and so
I don't have much to add to the thread...
The thread mentioned people dying of cancer. I lost my dad
to cancer last year, and I have to admit that I've thought
more about the risks of cancer myself since that happened.
Maybe I shouldn't say "thought," since all I've really done
is worry. In any case, it's been on my mind.
My dad had pancreatic cancer. As far as I understand,
there isn't a super strong genetic component, so that is
comforting. I recall there being a study last year that
seemed to conclude that it was largely a matter of bad luck.
Don't quote me on that, as I'm sure the actual conclusion
and wording were far more scientific, but I believe that was
the gist.
Even if it is somewhat a matter of luck, I'm interested in
doing what I can to avoid health problems, including
cancer.
I think my biggest issue is something that others have
already mentioned, and that is my overly-sedentary
lifestyle. People pay me to sit at a desk and do stuff on a
computer, and so I do that, a lot. No one pays me to go
outside and work in the yard, or to go on hikes, and so I do
those things less frequently.
A few years back, in 2014 if memory serves, I spent a ton of
time outdoors, fishing and walking. It was active bass
fishing from the shore, with constant movement. I took my
laptop with me to work while I was out there. Mostly I was
combating some mild depression in my own way, and it
worked. That year, I felt healthy.
But that couldn't last, especially since I really couldn't
get that much work done. And so here I am now, in 2018,
feeling guilty about my re-sendentarified life.
My main health problems, as I see them, are lack of
exercise, and too much sugar in my diet. My wife is mostly
vegetarian, and we tend to eat pretty well when we don't go
out to eat, but I am absolutely addicted to sugar. I think
it's clinical.
Perhaps I'm lucky in some way, or perhaps I'm just normal,
but too much sugar for too many days in a row triggers
horrible headaches for me. After a few of those, I start to
wake up, and tell myself that I'm through with sugar. I stay
off it for a while- usually until I start feeling great for
long enough- and then I fall off the wagon again.
On the exercise front, I really, really prefer to do
exercise that is productive. Yesterday, I spend more than
half the day finishing projects in the back yard, trying to
get it ready to list with a Realtor (it's FSBO right now.)
Weeks ago I started putting in a path, which I finished up
with the kids yesterday. Lots of moving dirt and pavers
around, and lots of digging.
After the yard work, the kids and I drove up to a nearby
mountain, Porter Mountain, which is actually a cinder
cone[1], and had some fun. Unless you've played in cinders,
it's a little hard to explain sensibly, but here's what we
do: we drive up the service road (there are radio towers on
top of Porter Mtn.) until we reach a hillside that is
entirely cinders. We park, and climb up as far as we safely
can, then proceed to either slide or hop down the hillside.
Both climbing up and sliding/hopping down, the cinders give
way beneath your feet and create a tiny sort of avalanche of
cinders which you ride on. It's difficult work climbing up,
but a lot of fun coming down.
I took a few pictures, including one that shows all three
kids climbing up[2]. No, I'm not insane, and no, the hill
isn't nearly as steep as the picture makes it look. It's a
safe and fun activity, but a little dusty. There are a few
geocaches right in the same area that we like to visit and
sign as well.
Of course, if I spent all of my Saturdays like this, then I
might not have quite as much to worry about, but I don't.
Yesterday was enough exercise to make me sore; which is good
I suppose, but I didn't do enough that I feel I should be
sore. You have to start somewhere, I realize, but I do wish
that I had more of a pattern.
It could be that the patterns are my problem. In eating and
in exercising, I don't have enough of a pattern, and
certainly not enough of a focus on my health. The solutions,
I think, are simple ones in theory- it's the practicing that
I have an issue with. Productive exercise is great, but I'm
not always feeling productive, nor do I always have manual
labor that needs to be done (though, I once toyed with the
idea of shoveling a pile of gravel from one place to
another and back again just to exercise. You'd be amazed at
how fast that builds up your shoulders and core, if you do
it right.)
As for the sugar... after a very unpleasant headache a few
days ago, I swore it off again. I'm holding up OK for now,
but with addictions, sheer will power is not really the
answer. Right now, I think I will settle for trying to find
a sensible sort of abstinence. It might be all I can hope
for, without getting help. Especially in my sugar-laden
society.
[1]
gopher://gopherpedia.com:70/0/Cinder cone
[2]
gopher://grex.org:70/I/~tfurrows/art/beauty/playing_in_cinders.jpg
