Living Healthy, Learning Moderation

As I age, I realize that I can’t take my health for granted anymore. It requires a bit more work to stay fit and healthy now. Sure, the Army requires that I stay within a certain limit of weight and ability, so that helps motivate me for sure. However, as I rediscover myself, I find that I actually enjoy activity and healthy eating. I crave movement and nature. I savor the taste of natural foods. Now don’t get me wrong, I can still savor the taste of a frosted sugar cookie too! I am just more aware of the need to do it in moderation.

I think that is the key to most things – balance. If I can balance my food intake with my exercise, I can maintain a good weight that is within Army regulations. If I maintain a balance of work and play, I can manage to stay focused and handle stress. If I am creative and seek variety between adventurous events and quiet/calming events, I can find a balance in moods while discovering new things.

Moderation is hard for me at times though. After spending too many years in an unhappy relationship and a few other years deployed (with my life on “hold”), I am discovering that I am very passionate about life. Sometimes maybe overzealous. When I go out to take pictures, I can’t just take a few. I come back with double or triple digits of shots. When I started my blog, it turned into two blogs. (This one and another just for photography because I had so many pictures to share, lol.) When I start talking to someone (friend or romantic), I want to learn all about them and hang out. When planning my schedule, I tend to fill it up with a ton of activities that range from paddle board yoga to the symphony.

It is almost as if I am trying to make up for lost time. I feel the urge to seize the days I have left and fill them with zest and appreciation. I want to be present in each moment. I want to feel emotions to my core. I want to see new things. I want to do things I put off earlier in life. Basically, I want to LIVE.

The only problem with this though, is that all of this seems to be too much for some people. They tell me to slow down, don’t plan so much, don’t think too much. I wonder if they are right. But then again, I figure it is my life and not theirs. And, if they think I am too busy, too energetic, too talkative, too passionate, or too whatever, I guess that is their right and they can choose to not be around me. I spent too many years trying to please others and live for them. I held back my needs and desires to make them happy, and I can’t do it anymore. So in the process of learning to live healthier, part of that is learning how to balance what I need against the needs of others. My moderation in that area is learning that I am allowed to be me – even if that me is too much for others.

Kayaking has become a labor day weekend tradition for me.

For the Phoneography Challenge that is hosted by Lens and Pens by Sally. Click on the badge to check out her post on Black and White today.

View other entries from this week’s challenge:

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/photography-and-non-slr-digital-photo-challenge-black-and-white-natural-vs-manmade/

http://thoughtstalesandwhatnot.com/2015/04/20/phoneography-challenge-the-angkor-wat-in-black-and-white/

http://ohmsweetohm.me/2015/04/20/black-and-white-2/

https://claresphotospace.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/mannequin-bride/

http://luciledegodoy.com/2015/04/20/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-devices-photo-challenge-13/

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/phoneography-black-and-white-challenge-sweeping-landscapes/

https://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/teardrops/