But then again, living is hard, but we don’t stop doing it as a result.

Or do we?

I guess when it comes to some things, we do, or at least some of us do.

This whole “hard” thing makes me think about Don Cornelius, who passed away a few days ago from a self-inflicted gunshot to his brilliant brown head.

Did he quit because his whole life was hard? Or did he quit because certain parts of it were hard?

Or did he quit because while things were OK now, they were about to get hard. I have read reports that he was experiencing early signs of dementia, so maybe he called it quits not because it was hard, but to avoid how hard it would eventually become.

A family friend did that once. He was an accomplished physician with a loving family and grown children. All of his affairs were in impeccable order because that’s how he was. Everything had a place, and everything was in its place. But when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, suddenly, not everything was in place. As a physician, I suppose he knew what was coming and he didn’t like what he saw.

It was going to be hard on him, and hard on his loved ones. He would be a burden and a drag for everyone. It was about to get hard, so to his way of handling it was to simply avoid the whole process forever.

Perhaps if the diagnosis were some other disease that was not as hard to live with, he would have made a different choice.

So, here’s what I’ve concluded about why people quit.

Why People Quit

People quit for these reasons:

1. Everything is hard all the time. I suppose this is the case for people with severe and untreated depression.

2. Everything is hard sometimes. I suppose this is the case for people with severe depression that is treated.

3. One thing, or a a few big things, are hard all the time. I guess our family physician friend felt like living with Alzheimer’s was the one hard thing.

4. One thing, or a few big things, are hard sometimes. This is where I find myself when it comes to health and fitness (and a few other things happening in my life right now that I’m not writing about here). Specifically, healthy eating habits are hard for me to create. Regular exercise habits are hard for me to create. I have done both sometimes. I have done one but not the other sometimes. But I’ve never done both at the same time, for any sustained period of time.

But I do hard things every day. I maintain a successful business. I take really good care of my children. I pay my bills. I wash clothes when it’s hard. I help my children with their homework — now, that’s hard!

So I do all of these “hard” things. Why do I do them? Because I want to do them? Hmmmm. Because they are the right things to do? Hmmmm. I kind of thing it’s more of the latter. They are things I must do in order to make a meaningful contribution to society — to carry my own weight so to speak.

So what about health and fitness? Is it a drag on society if I don’t exercise or eat right? I suppose if you stretched enough, the answer would be “yes.” I eat meat and the meat production business in this country is a drain on society. Therefore, my choice to eat meat is in some small way a drag on society.

Is it a drag on society that I don’t exercise like I should, consistently? Again, I suppose it could be, right? I’m quite healthy now and I pay a ton for my family’s health insurance. Thankfully, we don’t have to go to the doctor much, so I’m not a drain yet. But I suppose I could be in the future. That sucks.

Why Do I Quit?

Or should I say, “Why do I quit this?”

Well, I’m not sure, I was just thinking about it and thought I’d write it down.

What do you think?

Anyway, my treadmill workout was great, and I ran for most of it:

Calories: 427
Miles: 2.47
Duration: 1 hour
Average Pace: 25 minutes/mile
Average Heart Rate: 138

I followed it with 30 seconds of jump rope. My goal is to be able to jump rope for a full minute without stopping by this time next week. I’ll let you know how I do.

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While running, I watched The Today Show and saw this segment featuring Mark Bittman. It shows how to make vegan burgers, a delicious looking dish made with sweet potato, coconut milk and apples, and a barley side dish. They look delish and I can’t wait to try each one. I think my kids will enjoy these too because they can be seasoned so well.

What do you think? Can you see yourself making these dishes as substitutes for higher fat options at fast food and other types of restaurants? They look mighty yummy to me.

You might also enjoy Mark’s recent New York Times article: We’re Eating Less Meat. Why?

Here’s what I ate for lunch.

1. There is a place specifically for water. While that makes perfect sense, I’ve not seen it with it’s own place of honor on any other eating plate graphic.

2. There’s barely a mention of dairy. Notice that dairy is sort of a sub-category of water, which seems to indicate a recommendation to consume dairy only when it’s in liquid form. As in no cheese, no yogurt. I’m wondering why Greek yogurt with all of its low fat content and high amounts of protein and probiotics. No more Fage?

It’s odd to me that the plate says “avoid sugary drinks,” but does not specifically mention milk and cheese, which are American diet staples (rightly or wrongly). The plate does not seem complete without mention of them — what do you think?

3. Over on the veggie side, I understand omitting french fries, and white potatoes. But what about sweet potatoes, also low fat and a good source of fiber (when not slathered in butter and/or marshmallows).

4. I think the plate needs to mention herbs, don’t you? Culinary herbs are fat free, have no adverse side effects, are readily available, plus they add so much flavor to food. I think herbs deserve a place sort of like the water and healthy oils. Not a staple, but an integral part of food preparation and intake. Plus, cooking with herbs if fun and makes the house smell good.

So what do you think of this plate?

* Source: Harvard’s New Guide To Healthy Eating