Tuesday, March 06, 2007

That Icing on the Cake




About the painting

Yup, its another cold, cold scenery. Brrr! I felt like having to wear winter clothing while doing this. I just love to paint in the snow. Perhaps I should join the bakery one day!

Some advice on physical exercises

Do you feel you need a new resolution on dieting after indulging in some heavy meals during the recent long holidays? Do you go to a gym? Do you exercise at all? Some people tend to put on weight if they don't exercise or cut down on their food after 2 weeks.

Exercising everyday is like increasing your computer processor raw speed and power (think Intel Dual Core) - more stamina and your heart pumps better. Its like putting an upgrade to the memory RAM and video graphic card (better mental well being and mobility of joints). Just like the latest upgrade to Microsoft Vista is said to provide more stability, exercising will reduce your chances of getting a nervous breakdown.

(Note: I'm not promoting Vista operating system. I think Windows XP is quite reliable for now, unless you are an addict gamer! It may give you a headache as some programmes may not run on Vista)

However, the analogy stops here. We cannot upgrade our body mechanism like a computer system. We can only slow down the aging process. If we do not learn to live a healthy lifestyle, we will fall prey to a multitude of irreversible disease processes many years later (for some, it may be sooner than you think!). Diseases that can cause your immune system to go haywire, clog up coronary arteries, induce abnormal cell growth - these are just the tip of the iceberg.

I run about 2 km everyday except Saturdays and public holidays. It takes just a mere 20 minutes effort or after listening to 6 songs, if you like! No point splashing on a massage chair or radiofrequency slimming programme. Not only does it make you lazier, you are slowly believing the advertisers' mantra that tells you there is no need for physical workout. Although the massage chair is evolving to become 'better and better' with all sorts of accompanying gadgets, the user is being led to believe that the cocoon of virtual relaxation reality is their ultimate salvation to health. The best form of rest is still sleep, and deep sleep you only get through some form of exercise.

Nature has a check and balance system as regards to our health. We do not gain better health and vitality by immersing in things that are antithetical to natural process. If we do not allow ourselves to do physical things, nature will determine a payback time at the end of the day.

Life holds no certainty. We are like foam froth, riding upon an infinite ocean. However, we have to make sure to take care of our God-given bodies and not to abuse them further. We just need to keep them in optimum good shape by regular exercises. Nothing more, nothing less and nothing else will do.