Why we do what we do

What did I agree to this time? Why did I say ‘yes’? Do you ever ask yourself these questions? I do at times after I commit to something I have never attempted and I realize what this commitment entails. I credit my sister for offering the latest challenge – a sprint triathlon in May. From the moment I said yes to this birthday gift, it gave me four months to train.

Sometimes we need a challenge to jolt us out of our routine. The beginning of a new year can have that effect. Lent too provides some prompting. We all know someone who made a resolution in January to exercise. By February some of these resolutions are forgotten. The animo wears off and we return to our sedentary lifestyles.

Sometimes it’s a health scare that brings us to attention and makes us take action toward living a healthier lifestyle. My husband had a stroke in December. We took this wake-up call seriously. We started making adjustments in our lives, thinking twice about the foods we eat and looking at how we could arrange our schedules to include more exercise.

Why do we wait for a health crisis to shock us into taking care of our well being? Being a good steward, includes taking care of our bodies. We have an obligation to care for the gift of life God has granted. In this Year of Mercy, we are reminded to reach out to others and help those who suffer. But how can we expect to be of service to others, to be God’s hands and feet, if our own health hinders us? As the U.S. bishops note, “As Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.”

It’s easy to find excuses not to exercise, to promise ourselves we’ll eat healthier tomorrow. How many mañanas will it take before we take action? Now that I am 50 I am certainly more health conscious. My husband’s stroke elevated our consciousness to full alert. To maintain a year-round focus on our health it helps to sign up for an event, such as the triathlon or other community sponsored run and cycling activity. They give us a goal to strive toward. I am thankful the event in May is not a full scale triathlon, but it’s a start. February, American Heart Month, is a good time to set some goals aimed at taking care of our hearts and bodies.

It’s encouraging as well to have a support system. Knowing my sisters and I are all training for the same event serves as motivation to stay on course, as do their weekly texts and phone calls. I know we have some exhausting, sweaty moments to endure, but together they will be joyful.

Another source of encouragement can come from tracking our progress. Our smart phones and now smart watches can log the number of steps we take. Most health websites recommend at least 8,000 steps. They say the average adult walks about 5,900 steps. Once I started tracking my own, I realized how negligent I had become these past two years. I had even ignored my weight gain, which served as an obvious clue to how remiss I was with the responsibility toward my health. Trying to reach a daily goal pushes me to find creative ways to build in physical activity throughout my day.

Setting goals is helpful. We need challenges, the carrot, if you will. Goals spur us to take action. Only by outlining a plan can we take the needed steps to see results. We also need measureable objectives to chart our progress, or if needed, to refocus. A friend and I laughed when on the same day our batteries died, which meant they could not track our steps, our interest in walking that day diminished.

Training to bike, run and swim for the triathlon in May are concrete steps for me to being a better steward of my health. I have had to make some changes in my life. Some mornings this means waking up an hour earlier. While some evenings it means cycling indoors at midnight.

There are varied reasons why we do what we do. Some are fed by obligation, some are doctor prescribed, some are tied to a challenge. In the end, we each have choices to make. 

(Originally published in February 2016 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)