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Show Here's Some Fitness Tips Fitness Tips by Dr. Dale Nelson We often say that health in a free society is an individual responsibility. respon-sibility. We have to choose for ourselves, whether we take good care of ourselves or, as some take pride in doing, do-ing, take bad care of ourselves. Yet, on second thought, it is not quite that simple, because not all disease and decay are self-induced. Many sick and dying had no choice in their predicament. predica-ment. As a consequence, conse-quence, we must recognize that responsibility respon-sibility for ones health life can extend only so far, and beyond that comes a yielding and an acceptance, always remembering the limit of responsibility. Most of us don't always display that compassion and understanding for poor fitness that I'm suggesting we all need. High Mortality Rate As one author has said, "Somewhere in all this push for self-responsibility self-responsibility we see a basic contradiction. No matter how purely we eat and drink, no matter how carefully we guard the air we breathe, no matter how much we become involved with our doctors and they with us, the mortality rate will still be 100 percent." per-cent." Being responsible should not suggest that we are in control, that we can prevent all that is potentially bad in our lives. What I am really saying is that we need to develop compassion and humility toward ourselves and others in this finite state as far as responsibility for our. health is concerned, but I hasten to add that acceptance ac-ceptance of some responsibility with all of its limitations is required. re-quired. Keep Forging Ahead As we accept responsibility respon-sibility and choose in areas where we have a choice in our quest for fitness, we most often meet with some success, then rest on our laurels. The point is that the game is never over, the fitness contest never ends. We should not be interested in past successes, suc-cesses, but in doing routine things well and ordinary things better. There is no room for complacency, no time to settle down and be content. con-tent. Indeed, there comes a time when we must rely on our own resources for day-to-day growth and to build up a new energy, a new vision, vi-sion, maybe a new person per-son to forge ahead. We must seek and find ways to be vibrant and growing grow-ing in our fitness involvements. in-volvements. It's a little like the comment from one of the old Green Bay Packers, Jim Taylor, who was told by a fan that he had just played a great game. Jim turned to him and siad, "By the time Lombardi gets through with us in the locker room, we'll tl.ink we lost the game." You see, the fitness game in our finite state is never over and we should never think we have it made. If you don't use it. you lose it. Eternal vigilance must light your travel down life's highway. |