Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Thanks, world! I’m so glad that my legs and arms and lungs and heart and head all work. They work really well, even though I left them dormant for so long. Sometimes they ache from the effort, but they keep moving.

Sometimes I think about people who can’t walk or dance. I am so grateful that I am able to move my body to the music and run on the sidewalk. I wonder how I would feel if I could no longer run or flail. Would I regret all the miles I ran on the treadmill because I could have been running outside? Would I regret all the dancing on the dance pad with DDR because I could have been dancing in a club? Would I just be happy for all the moving that I got to do before I lost it all? What would it feel like? I am so grateful for my strong legs and arms.

I have daily reminders of how it is for people who can’t breathe, yet I still find myself taking my healthy and strong lungs for granted. When I’m breathing heavy with exercise, I tend to concentrate on the effort rather than feel thankful that my lungs work. I can sing and hold a note for what seems like forever. I am so grateful for my lung capacity.

When my heart is beating in my ears, I never panic. It’s just the exercise and I know it. Unlike those who know that they need to get to a hospital when they feel their heart over-reacting, I am one of those lucky few who has a strong heart that keeps beating on its own accord. I am so grateful for my healthy heart.

My head is the only thing that gives me trouble. Sure, I can calculate and figure and communicate with ease, but I find my mind wandering into areas of thought that are unhealthy for me. Keeping my emotions and intellect in control has been the biggest obstacle. Thank you for all the things that work so well, Universe. Can you do something about my attitude?