Curves

I go to a now family, used-to-be women's gym. The addition of men was disappointing. But that's not what I'm here for. Right now, I want to discuss health. Health is not just something you are, or have, but something you need to work for, and maintain your entire life. It's an attitude, a state of mind, and a life-long goal. I am blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of people who "practice" health. My Mother, for one, has gone to the gym for years now. She has always had weights and a rowing machine in the house; every house we ever lived in. I remember using that rowing machine since I was little. She used to take my sister and I out on walks every day, little did I know then, that we were walking to the University I would one day attend, and then back home. Every day ... 6:30am-ish, with a banana before-hand and a bowl of porridge afterwards. And we are a healthy family in terms of eating habits. More carrots and zuchini and pasta (Atkins be damned) through the years than burgers, that's for sure! And sports; baseball, sports camp for years, girls' hockey for at least 1/2 a decade, skating, skiing, walking, now gym memberships ... sigh. The adventure is on-going, and supplemented by extensive reading and healthy recipes.

There are also those I know who have quit things or changed the way they are to regain health. I know - and commend - several young women, peers, actually, who have had the strength to quit smoking, either on their own, or through the support of their peers, and one extremely beautiful woman who has lost significant weight through changing her eating patterns, joining weight watchers and Curves, going to her doctor and a nutritionist, etc. This woman is incredible. I love the way she has learned to love herself.

There is one thing, however, that continues to bother me. The affects of smaller things, like picking your lips, biting your nails, picking at cuticles, etc. These, albeit bad habits in and of themselves, are possibly signs of health that are less examined in this society, where physical health is being emphasized. In most cases, this is wonderful! In some cases, could it be more a sign of work better, achieve moremoremore, than an active approach of treat your body with love and respect, for it is the vessel that carries your soul? I don't know. My Mother, I would say, has learned to love her body, and learn to listen to it, but she had a horrible problem with her nails when she was younger. With my sister, it was biting her nails for a decade; me, my cuticles. Nervousness? Anxiety? Lack of confidence?

How does one lose the weight of such problems, and regain their outlook on a healthy life?