PRACTICALLY ACTIVE

Getting fitness writer, food reviewer on same page

“Don’t look to the people that you respect and expect them to do all the right things. Instead, look to the heart of the people and learn from their mistakes.” - Anastasia Blanchard

Hey, folks! I hope your new year is off to a good start. If it’s not, I hope you’re working through your challenges in a healthy way.

We all face setbacks. When disappointment affects me, especially financially, I want to be that confident, spiritual woman who works hard to get over it and get on with her life. But I have been known to harbor negativity. I have even let disappointment and hurt feelings shut me down.

Now I don’t mean that I lie around and mope all day. But I will, sometimes, get a bit of an attitude and tell myself I don’t care about anything, so why should I try doing anything because, by golly, nothing ever turns out the way I want it to and nobody cares about me so I’ll just pout and … Well, you get the picture. And I’d hazard a guess that I am not alone in those feelings.

I have support from friends and family, and that does help, but it’s up to me to move on.

So while I think it is OK to respond to real disappointment by being disappointed. It would be weird to go bouncing merrily through life no matter what bad times came our way. I also know that if I wait to be happy with myself until I am what I’d like to be physically or financially, I might never be happy.

Every day is a gift.

MODERATION

I had an email from a reader that gave me pause and, after I got over being indignant that I was being judged and mad because I felt picked on, I realized she had valid points.

She told me that she reads my column about being healthier and then saw a restaurant review where I wrote about eating eggs, bacon, sausage gravy and biscuit, and hash browns. I also mentioned something about cheese dip and a fried pie. Ack!

I think part of the problem there lies in the fact that, even though I write a column about trying to be healthier, I love good food. And I will splurge every now and then.

When I visit a restaurant I’m reviewing, I often take part of my food home or split it with whoever goes with me. And I usually budget the meal into my day and eat lighter beforehand. I can’t always review places that offer the “healthier” types of food. But I do find that most restaurants these days try to offer better-for-you options. I can and should make better selections when ordering.

She took me to task about being a role model for a healthier life and that I was not being a good one. And that I also should eat better for my son’s sake.

She’s right. I should. But bear with me here; I’m getting to my point.

I remember back when Charles Barkley made the statement that he was not a role model. He said that just because he can dunk the basketball, it doesn’t mean he should raise your kids.

Like many, I was taken aback, but now I see what he was saying. Folks can be put into the “role model” position even when that is not their intention.

I did not set out to be any sort of role model, guys. And that’s what I tried to explain to the concerned reader.

I’d rather be an example, though, not a role model or the poster child for anything. I’m a human being made of tissue and bone who is striving toward a goal I may never reach, but I will continue trying nonetheless.

I really am working toward making choices for myself that are better for my health and well-being. And I can use encouragement as well.

I also don’t want my words ever to sound like “do as I say, not as I do.” Although I’m sure I’ve used that in parenting through the years, it’s not how I want this column to come across. What I want to do is to offer encouragement and sound information, and to share my struggle and my progress, because we are in this together.

Since I started Practically Active, I have personally gotten so much good out of what I’ve written and learned. It’s a blessing.

I’ve also met some neat people in person and through emails who have enriched my life. One reader even asked me to speak at a Kiwanis Club meeting. To say I was apprehensive would be an understatement, but I did it and enjoyed it.

The listeners were receptive and asked questions that, thankfully, I could answer. But the most important thing to me was that I be honest and speak from the standpoint that, while I write this column, I am no expert on or role model for “good health.”

As I wrote earlier, I want to be an example for people like me who struggle and often fall down. What sets many of us apart is that we get back up, brush ourselves off and get back on the right path.

ONWARD

Here are some things I am going to do:

I will be nice and positive to others in a supportive manner.

I will embrace my flaws and work to make changes in a way that will not cause me to be stressed out. I want to feel hopeful, not helpless.

I will work to be a better example to my son and readers of this column. But please know that I will make mistakes and take missteps. It’s how I respond to those things that makes all the difference in the world. Your patience is appreciated.

And last, but probably most importantly, I will pray without ceasing for strength to stay on a healthier journey. I’m like a ball of clay on a potter’s wheel that needs to be molded and shaped into a useful vessel. I may be delicate and crack easily, but with time, effort and patience, I can become quite durable.

Email me at:

rboggs@arkansasonline.com

ActiveStyle, Pages 28 on 01/13/2014

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