Lexington, KY - Health and fitness have always been nonentities in my life. Not that I don't care about my general well-being, but I've always necessitated fitness with being athletically inclined or overweight - of which I'm neither. In fact, whether I was living high on the hog or eating stone soup, I've weighed within the same 10 pounds since high school. No amount of Ramsey's country fried steaks or weeks upon weeks of scrounging on top ramen noodles has had any effect on my bulk.
I've even tried to fatten up before the holidays to avoid the incessant heckling from family members about my puny physique. Back home, a little girth is the barometer of health, and bacon fat will give you shiny hair (or chest hair, if you're a man).
But recently, as my chest hair has started encroaching on my neck and shoulders, I've come to realize that my body isn't the well-oiled machine it used to be - namely, there's a lot more pops and pains when I need to look for my shoes under the bed, my back will hurt without provocation, and I can't do that reverse slam dunk on an 8-foot rim anymore. Clearly, changes are in order if I'm going to maintain my street cred at the playground.
As Sheila Kalas points out in her monthly fitness column, "only about 10 percent of the U.S. population identifies itself as 'liking' exercise." (Interestingly, this is the same percentage of people who identify themselves as being gluttons for punishment.) I'm clearly not in this camp; I like being active (walking, riding my bike), but don't want to ruin these activities by equating them with exercise.
Kalas also outlines what your body and muscles endure as you get older, and makes the case that if you don't like exercising, too bad - you probably like being healthy and looking younger, and you can't have one without the other.
To help prod you off the couch, visit us online (www.chevychaser.com) for a rundown of public bike and pedestrian trails (chances are, there's one right around the corner from you). Also, since love will be in the air in the coming weeks, read from the experiences of couples who work together; they have a very interesting take on mixing love and business.
In keeping with our health and beauty theme for this month, Dr. Maria Boosalis, the director of the division of clinical nutrition in the department of clinical sciences at the University of Kentucky, has laid out some daily eating habits we should all be incorporating into every meal; local skin experts have chimed in with some quick tips to make sure our largest organ, and protective shell, is properly maintained; Katherine Shaw profiles a new business which makes beauty products using their hands and local ingredients - which is healthy for your body and the environment; and Saraya Brewer shares with readers a profile on Body Structure, a local medical fitness facility with a unique approach to health.
I also hope you enjoy seeing Saraya's name in our pages because you're going to be seeing a whole lot more it; she's now one half of our editorial team at Chevy Chaser Magazine. She does an outstanding job, and she cares deeply about our community, so be sure to contact her about any comments or complaints you may have about our content or life in general. Of course, compliments need to be directed in this direction.