The path to a healthier way of life includes another signpost that some may embrace and others may not. Watching our portions and how we get our calories isn’t enough. Participating in some type of physical activity is important to maintain a balanced way of life. Jumping to conclusions doesn’t count as a physical activity.
Hercules is a great signpost that points out how we can accomplish this labor. We must move a little more during our journey. Now, I’m not suggesting we take on a herculean feat and become superwomen or men with bulging biceps. This would require an intense regimen of exercise. We may not be able to spend hours in a gym. Hercules wasn’t perfect and had to atone for his bad judgement. However, if we make a bad choice, it’s not necessary to perform twelve feats of labor for atonement. We just need to move a little more than the previous day.
Exercise can seem like a harsh word, so I prefer to use the term “physical activity.” I suggest we increase our physical activity a little more than what we’re doing now. When I started my journey, I couldn’t walk three miles within 51 minutes. I started out slow and built upon the previous day.
Whenever I struggle, it seems that I forget to watch my physical activity—again, being reminded how difficult it is to follow Libra’s path to find the proper balance.
Society has made it very easy to be a couch potato. We can have what we need delivered to our home with just a few keystrokes. We can walk fifty steps to our cars, drive to get coffee, pick up lunch, go to the post office, get cash from an ATM, and drive back home … and never step out of the car. The fifty feet back to the couch makes only one hundred steps. It seems to me there should be a simple process to be a little more physical.
Gyms aren’t accessible for everyone. I encourage you to find simple ways to increase your physical activity. If you’re watching one of your favorite shows or sports, get up and walk around the house during the commercials. If you’re doing errands, park your car in the last row in the parking lot. You won’t have difficulty finding a space. Try using the stairs instead of the elevator. Even walking in place will work. It may seem you aren’t getting anywhere, but you really are making progress. You know your limitations, and with the existing support network you have, try to find ways to increase your physical activity.
Hercules’s reward for accomplishing his feats of labor was immortality. When we achieve a healthier lifestyle, we won’t become immortal. However, we’ll be adding years to our longevity and enhancing our quality of life—and that’s not jumping to conclusions.
This is part nine of the multipart series, “Aim for the Stars.” In my next blog, we’ll look upward to the constellation Mensa.
Missed the beginning of our journey through the constellations? Check out the rest of Aim for the Stars.
