Lexington, KY - They say your body is a temple, so you should treat it like one, since it houses your spirit. This pearl of wisdom, which has endured a couple of millennia worth of the children's game Telephone, has been handed down from numerous religious entities, spiritualists and metaphysicists - from Buddha to the Bible to Henry David Thoreau to B.K.S Iyengar (an icon in the modern yoga movement).
Somewhere along the way, however, people with a health-conscious agenda took the mystical out of the adage and replaced it with the nutritional. Now when you hear somebody say, "you should treat your body like a temple," they're politely saying you should stop eating crummy food or you should refrain from sitting on your keister all day long.
This is a hard subject for me to discuss, let alone pontificate, since I can be accused of handling my body more like a frat house or a rental property than a temple. It's much easier to talk the talk than walk around the block a couple of times.
Instead of listening to me, maybe you should pay closer attention to this month's "Well-being" section, which includes two packages dedicated to diets and running. If you haven't already embraced the February malaise and abandoned your New Year's resolution to "get in shape" or "lead a more healthy lifestyle," these are two excellent starting points to help you make more informed decisions about how you want to start handling your temple.
Fellow editor Saraya Brewer spoke with some of the city's leading nutritionists and dietitians to produce a concise look at some of the benefits and drawbacks associated with current diets and lifestyles, as well as provide some quick, healthy tips for eating at and away from home.
Frequent contributor Esther Marr introduces us to some of the familiar faces in Lexington's running community - both competitive and recreational - while showcasing some of the communal, and enticing, aspects of the sport.
For Esther, a running enthusiast for the better part of her life, the activity became more of a catharsis in the past few years. After her college roommate, Dawn, succumbed to a battle with leukemia in 2008, instead of wallowing in despair, Esther sought the assistance from the local chapter of Team In Training (TNT), a nationwide organization that provides training to individuals who wish to raise money through pledges for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by participating in half or full marathons. "I tried to think of something I could do to honor her memory," she wrote on her fundraising page.
In 2008, Esther raised more than $3,000 for TNT by running in the Kentucky Derby half-marathon. In January of this year, Esther ran her first full marathon (26.2 miles) in Walt Disney World and again raised more than $3,000 for TNT - as well as a few blisters on her feet, I'm sure.
Instead of idly taking care of her temple, Esther has put her body to work for the betterment of those who need the help - and I'm certain that's going to be good for her mind, body and spirit.