A CHOICE FOR GROWTH

I've been reading from the book YOUNGER NEXT YEAR, By Chris Crowley and Henry
S. Lodge, M.D. again. As I read, I am reminded of their main theme of the book, a choice that we make each day once we reach our forties, our fifites, and beyond.
The choice is between "growth" and "decay".

Tonight, I reluctantly chose GROWTH. Now, the procrastination was not because I did not want to "grow", instead it was because I did not want to exercise my body...I felt tired... I meant to work out earlier, but I spent the day with my 89 year old Dad who was making a move from one apartment to another one, just down the hall. My job was not to move him, but to hang out with him while his things were moved and rearranged. We had a nice day as I brought him to our home, fixed him lunch and then ran a couple of errands together before returning him to his new apartment. I came on back home after that and meant to work out and instead, got busy around the house...laundry needed folding, dinner preparation, you know the drill.

So before I realized it, the time had slipped away and it appeared to be even more unlikely that I would give myself the gift of a workout today.

It was then that I remembered the book mentioned above...GROWTH or DECAY?

I mean if you look at it like that, how can you possibly choose decay?

So I grabbed my free weights and worked my arms, went through my squat routine to strengthen my legs, and gave my heart and lungs a chance to shine on the elliptical machine.
Returning my thoughts to my very first blog post on April 8, 2009, I am reminded of the reason I was motivated to do this blog entitled: 50 something woman.
I was interested in this because I finally made the conscious decision to take care of myself, to put myself on "the list" as often as possible.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make ultimately are our own responsiblity."

The above mentioned book reminds us that "...the key to overriding the decay code are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition, and a real engagement with living. But it starts with exercise." (see p. 36)
So let us engage ourselves in life and remember that every day matters.
Yes, LET'S GROW TOGETHER!