Page 12 | Michael T. Miyoshi

Health Takes Time · 25 July 2013

I know it sounds obvious, but getting healthy takes time.

Whether we are trying to lose a few pounds, or take time off our personal records in some road race, or just being able to get out and play with the kids more, we need to remember that getting healthy takes time. Fortunately, it does not take the same amount of time to get healthy as it did to get unhealthy. After all, usually we let health get out of control one day at a time. One TV show at a time. One bite at a time.

We sit down at the computer or in front of the television instead of exercising. Or we overeat a little. Or we eat the wrong things. Or we do a lot of the things that get us to a place we do not want to be – unhealthy. Then weeks, months, or years later, we step on the scale or go to the doctor’s office and find that we need to do something to get back in shape. To get back to healthy.

The problem for most of us is that we want to get in shape immediately. We want results right now. Even though it took years to get out of shape.

In reality, we need to remember that our beautiful bodies did not get in whatever shape they are in overnight. And they will not get into whatever shape we want them to get overnight either. It will take time to reshape our bodies. And our lives.

Fortunately, eating right (need I say plant-based, whole foods) can give immediate, if not drastic results. The weight will practically fall off. Of course, weight loss will vary from person to person and it will mostly depend on how much processed foods and animal products you keep in your diet. However, cutting down or cutting out processed foods and animal products will start making internal changes immediately. And eating properly will certainly kick start the process of getting in shape.

Running or any sort of exercising takes more time to get results than eating right.

Sometimes people who only need to lose a little weight will often give up exercising when they find they have gained a few pounds. They do not remember that muscle weighs more than fat by volume and they think that getting heavier means getting fatter. In reality, if they are doing things correctly, they are often getting fitter not fatter because they are gaining muscle and losing fat.

For those who need to lose lots of weight, the thought of doing a bunch of push ups or sit ups or any sort of ups is ludicrous. Walking down the street can even be out of the question for others. But we all need to remember that health must start somewhere. Even if it is just doing one push up or walking one block.

I have been doing push ups and core strength exercises for many years now. But when I started running a year ago, I thought I ought to be able to go a couple miles without any trouble. After all, I was somewhat fit. Unfortunately, I could not run very far. And certainly not very fast. Almost a year later, I am still not going very far or very fast, but I am going farther and faster than when I started.

In September 2012, I was ecstatic that I could run two miles. It took me twenty-eight minutes and I was excited because I had gone down a couple minutes from the week before. Now, I am excited because I can run more than three miles in less than twenty-eight minutes. I am still not breaking any land speed records, but I am running. And I am getting healthy. It is just taking time.

When it comes right down to it, time is the key to every worthwhile endeavor. Especially, health. Whether it is taking the time to learn to eat properly or making time to exercise, we must invest time in doing what needs to be done to be healthy. We need to remember that it took time to get out of shape and it will take time to get into shape.

I know it sounds obvious and a probably a bit preachy, but getting healthy takes time.

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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy · 24 July 2013

Speak what you want because words have power. Incredible power.

God spoke to create the universe. We speak to create our own little universes too.

I tell people all the time (especially, my students) that they need to speak properly. Not often, grammatically. And certainly more than merely refraining from swearing. I tell everybody who will listen that they need to speak what they want their life to be. We all need to speak our universe into existence.

Motivational speakers like to say that we ought to refrain from words that sound like self-fulfilling prophesy. They tell us not to say things like, “I was scared to death” or “I always have bad luck.” They give us the positive side too, telling us to say, “Today is a great day,” or “I always get the sale.” While this is all great advice, we ought to look at everything we say as self-fulfilling prophesy. We need to speak as if what we say matters because it does.

A friend of mine likes to say, “Make it a great day,” instead of “Have a great day.” I have not made the transition, but I understand the sentiment. We need to choose to make the day great and it will be. Saying so helps get us going in the right direction.

In fact, whatever we say can and often does come to pass. We do create our own universe with our words.

We do not need to be writers or public speakers for this to be true. We all speak. And we all hear what we say. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how we are speaking, we are also the first and greatest believers of what we speak. That is really why we need to be careful about the words we say. Especially, the words about ourselves, our health, our attitudes, our circumstances.

When it comes down to it, we all need to watch what we say because we create our own universe with our own words. We need to remember that we create our own self-fulfilling prophecies just by speaking. We need to remember to speak what we want because words have incredible power.

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Seconds and Thirds · 23 July 2013

People have always been amazed at how much food I eat.

When I was a teenager, I never had to worry about how that eating affected me. Like most kids that age, I was active enough to burn whatever calories I ate. And at least in the short term, it did not really matter what kind of calories they were. I could eat and eat and eat. And people would marvel.

Even today, people are amazed that I often take seconds and sometimes even thirds. And I do so without feeling guilty or wondering how it will affect my weight. Or my health. As long as I stay away from processed foods and too many animal products. As long as I keep eating greens and other plant-based, whole foods.

Today, I know that the main benefit of eating the good stuff is that I can stay healthy. But it is nice being able to take second and third helpings at dinner. And it is fun watching people be amazed at how much food I eat.