Research points unequivocally to factors that lead to
longevity—namely, a healthy diet and regular exercise. Yet to many, the notion
that our bodies require attention to maintain good health is an aberrant or
even abhorrent thought.
We may be more likely to take care of mechanical objects like
cars and boats, in spite of the fact that they can be more easily replaced than
body parts.
As I think about the matter, I recognize the enormous complexity
of factors that impact our attitudes
toward maintaining our bodies. From early life, many forces impact us
like billiard balls on the pool table striking in haphazard fashion, hurling us
helter-skelter. These include intra-psychic, interpersonal, social, religious
and cultural factors.
Attitudes toward our body are instilled through our relationships
with parents or caretakers. In other words, if the body isn’t cherished, we
don’t learn to take care of it.
Perceptions of our body self change throughout our lifetime. Some
of my middle-aged clients describe the loss and disappointment as good health
no longer comes naturally. Now the body requires maintenance, including
exercise and dietary modifications to reduce calories and carbohydrates.
Religious upbringing impacts us, too. Mr. Q. was raised as a
Catholic and paid little attention to his body, which he regarded as a
necessary evil. In church he acquired the attitude that the body is lesser than
the soul and may serve as an impediment to the spirit. By contrast, people inclined to follow
the Eastern philosophies recognize the inter-relationship of the body, mind and
spirit in which health is perceived as a harmonious equilibrium between the
interplay of the body and mind, or emotions, and the environment. Exercise and
a healthy diet maintain the body and in turn impact the mind and spirit.
Interpersonal factors also
play a role. For example, the lifestyle of Mr. and Mrs. W. didn’t include
exercise. For recreation, they shared a gallon of ice cream a few times a
week. After they divorced, each
blamed the other for their weight problems. In the final analysis, the dynamics
of an unsatisfactory marriage was the obstacle that interfered with maintaining
their health.
Conclusion: We do well to unravel the complex blocks to “good enough” self-maintenance in
order to live long and healthy lives.
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