I've been on a health kick since January 2nd, when I found myself fifty years old and fifty pounds overweight. It started with a diet and evolved from there. A few weeks later, healthy eating became a resolve. There was a marked reduction of processed sugar, between meal snacks, and going out to eat. And of course there first seemed an accompanying reduction in the "fun factor" of life, but that's the price one pays to live another year. About a month into the process I began to exercise. It started with exercise items easily and economically obtained. First was a set of resistance tubes which seemed to work quite well. I also got one of these huge inflatable balls and accompanying exercise video. But I felt kind of stupid trying to follow along with all of these skinny and beautiful women, and the male ego in me decided this must be a "chick thing", so the ball has been deflated and will soon find its way to e-bay. I settled upon exercise with a Total Gym, figuring if it was good enough for Christy Brinkley and Chuck Norris, then it would work for me. I bought mine locally from craigslist, and it has worked well. I do the weight training in the mornings and a brisk power-walk in the evenings, and I want to emphasize with all sincerity that the last three months have been really good for me both physically and emotionally. Energy and strength has increased, and I feel my mind has sharpened- Lord knows such was needed. And there is a more positive outlook- maybe it's the endorphins, or perhaps the compliments from others, or just feeling good about taking action to meet a personal need. But I encourage you to join me with a renewed commitment to personal health- life is short, it should be experienced to fullest possible, and we really should take care of ourselves.

And, so I come to the subject of colon cleansing.

Somewhere I heard the average person has five pounds of undigested red meat in his colon. (The "expert" source was, much later, found to be Detective Rosewood of Beverly Hills Cop) That's pretty sick. And I know for a fact, since an ongoing part of my job is to connect with those who are struggling with health problems, that a lot of Americans have digestive and colon problems which most likely are related to personal lifestyle choices. So, turning fifty years of age and awakened to the need for good health, this supposed factoid about red meat popped into my mind. Five pounds of junk, just hanging around in my body? That can't be good. So I got to checking around for an internal cleansing product that would be healthy to use. And I will tell you that the internet is full of ads for products of a dubious nature. I would say to be very careful about digesting stuff that you order from the internet; I don't want to put into my body something Joe Blow manufactures in his basement.

My wife, Deb, sells supplements and vitamins for a living. She expects me to pop about twenty "natural pills" per day. At one time I protested such regimin, but now it is simply part of the routine. She was excited when I asked her to find me a safe product for my newest venture in health. She came home with Total Body Rapid Cleanse, "A Complete 7 Day Internal Cleansing". It is interesting stuff, purporting to detoxify liver and organs, provide natural fiber, and bring about a deep colon cleansing. This is my fifth day. It is certainly providing more exercise, inducing frequent trips to the "meditation room" at assorted hours of the day and night. One thing I find interesting about the product is the accompanying video by Dr. Brenda Watson, founder and president of the company. It is certainly inspirational to watch someone speak with such energy, sparkly eyes, and a wide smile about intestinal elimination. Truly this woman could sell anything.

Well, if you have read this far- highly unlikely- then I might as well throw in another thought. What would Jesus think about colon cleansing? I'll bet you have never heard a sermon on the subject. It is probably blasphemous to many for me to make the point, but Jesus had a natural body. He probably had a diet that was a bit more healthy than we ingest today, and did not deal with as many of the digestive complications that we face. As far as I know no one in the Bible ever did a colon cleansing, although I will defer to the scholars of the SBC for the final word on the subject. But Jesus did fast, which is no doubt a wonderful cleansing experience for the body. And we are instructed that our body is to be turned over to God as "a living sacrifice". "You are not your own; you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your body..." So, we should take care of our bodies. Doing all we can, to facilitate good personal health, is a matter of spiritual as well as physical exertion. It is a crude, but I think true, philosophy that I have heard many times: "We do not have a whole lot to say about the hand that we are dealt in life. But what we choose to do with it is our personal responsibility." Makes sense to me. Let's take care of ourselves.

This will not be the subject of Sunday's sermon.

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (9:42 am)

Aw come on. Preach on it Easter Sunday... (Then start looking for a new job Monday.)

I asked a doctor about that "five pounds of undigested food" thing once. He laughed and went into an explanation of the way our colon and elimination system works and said it the whole idea of food stuffs "clinging" to the sides was preposterous. I took him at his word and haven't given it much thought ever since, even going so far as to delete the spam emails associated with the products promising to "cleanse" me without reading them.

I do know that my own familiarity with such ideas usually came to me from people who also did a lot of astral traveling and past lives searches, so perhaps I was dubious from the get-go.

Make sure you don't get dehydrated while you go through the regimen as "cleansers" tend to be diuretics as well as natural laxatives - this, for what it's worth, once again, is according to that same doctor and gleaned during the same five minute conversation a decade or more ago.

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posted by: auntconi (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (10:11 am)

And, I agree completely with the comments of surrogate regarding 'colon cleansing'

As for the change in diet and exercise regimen ~ that is a good thing, no matter what age one is.

However, I must say that I do not live what I 'preach' here ~ that is just the generalization of doctors and such ~ and as for the endorphins and positive comments from others; ALWAYS a GOOD THING!

Keep up with the regimen and enjoy the 'new you' ~ you've worked hard for it!

Happy Easter!

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posted by: kurtmaddox (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (11:22 am)

I'm a believer in these wholistic health strategies, incluing colon cleansing but I'm not yet a very consistent practitioner. Good for you, PD... maybe we can both find the secret to radical life extension and keep our blog debates going for another 50 years or so at least!!!!

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (11:59 am)

Reply to: surrogate
That was a very beneficial five minute conversation, worthily stored in your memory. You have the opinion of a physician, and I a statement from an Eddie Murphy movie. Obviously my source of expertise is superior. Actually, most things I know to be true I have learned from movies and the internet. And, once I achieve my health goals, astral travel will my the next endeavor. Wnat to join me?

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (12:03 pm)

Reply to: auntconi
You do not live what you preach? Except for almost everything that comes from my mouth, I must say my life to be different. Actually it used to bother me that my life was so far removed from the ideal presented by the scriptures. I've found peace in realizing I'm but a fellow sinner, also living but by the grace of God. One beggar, telling another beggar, where to find some bread?

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (12:07 pm)

Reply to: kurtmaddox
I do appreciate your staying with t-blog, and resuming of more consistent posts and comments. You've been missed around here as you have pursued wealth and fortune- hopefully you are now fantastically embedded in both. My 403B plan inches forward, and I think of you when I study the progress and/or lack thereof.

This company I've mentioned offers all sorts of internal cleansing programs- liver, skin, lungs, etc. I'll most likely do some more, along the way. Trying to be healthy is a pretty good pursuit.

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posted by: kurtmaddox (reply)
post date: 04.06.07 (3:22 pm)

Reply to: PastorDave

You got it half-right, PD -- I've been helping OTHERS pursue their fortunes, even meager ones benefit from competent counsel! My life doesn't require very much in the way of money. Of course, I have financial goals which I'm working very hard toward accomplishing -- but, I'm much more focused on becoming the human being I want to be than I am on generating anything approaching wealth. For the record, I do not have material wealth by any common measure used in the world I inhabit daily. I do have a very blessed life by almost any other measure and I'm very humbled by my good fortune relative to other 6 billion or so of my kind who are walking around on this big blue marble with us. "My cup runneth over..." is certainly a true statement in my life.

Happy Easter!

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posted by: LadyG (reply)
post date: 04.07.07 (12:30 am)

I am very inspired by your post PD as these are all things that I am interested in. congratulations on the progress you are making.

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posted by: fractalmom (reply)
post date: 04.07.07 (6:21 am)

oh Pd.....ARRRRGGGHHHHHH !! what are you trying to inspire us oldies or something????

i hate getting older. i have to think about things like longevity and all that. yuck !

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posted by: Cuz (reply)
post date: 04.07.07 (8:45 am)

Good going cousin! I'm proud of you. Now if I could only get myself inspired to take some physical action toward an improved health regimen. Did you miss the infomercial about colon cleansing?...it tells how much John "Duke" Wayne's colon weighed at the time of his death! You might find it very inspirational.

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 04.07.07 (5:46 pm)

Reply to: Cuz

I'd never heard the thing bout John Wayne's colon so after reading your comment I did a yahoo search on the very thing... Gross, but what the heck. Saw figures from 40 pounds, 67, 80, and 82 all on the first page! (I knew the web was good for something...)

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posted by: ruined (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (5:35 am)

I have a friend who is trying to get me to do the whole colon cleansing thing. I've been really putting it off, as I really can't be in the little boys room a million times a day while attempting to perform my work duties. The way I've always heard it explained, I will need to set aside a little additional "personal time". On the other hand, as much red meat as I ingest, I'm sure there are a few pounds of extra baggage that may need to be expelled...

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posted by: bawdy (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (11:56 am)

I knew you were full of it, but I had no idea just how much!

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (1:36 pm)

Reply to: LadyG
Keep me posted as your interest evolves into action.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (1:37 pm)

Reply to: bawdy
Full of wisdom, wit, and fun...Is that what you mean?

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (1:40 pm)

Reply to: ruined
It's not that bad! Certainly does not have the power of the "remedies" given to me as a kid. I remember, well, Castor Oil and Syrup of Black Draught. They worked all too well. It mattered little the ailment. Headache? Toe hurts? A couple of spoonfulls of Castor Oil was the remedy. I learned to just keep my various injuries to myself.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (1:43 pm)

Reply to: Cuz
Sick, sick, sick. And, I wonder, who went about weighing the colon of this dead man? Perhaps, the experts quoted in said infomercials.

I'm thinking this will not be a regular blogging subject here on PastorDave.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.08.07 (1:43 pm)

Reply to: fractalmom
Wait until you are 50 to declare yourself to be "old". Oops....

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posted by: drforbush (reply)
post date: 04.09.07 (5:03 pm)

Hey PastorDave,

Glad to hear that you are eating healthier and exercising more.

I'll share with you a little secret. I started blogging here at t-blog as a sort of "cleansing and rebirth" action. It wasn't religious or out of fear of death or anything like that. Instead it was part of reflection on my life and the state of the world. And, now more than three years later I am happy to say that I have stuck with my action to turn my life around.

Of course I still have other things to work on, hence why I haven't been writing as much since November. But, I am still exercising as much if not more than when I first started. I have lost the 50 pounds that I was over weight about 18 months ago, but I have continued to maintain my weight build muscle and stay healthy. I have continued to examine my life, dedicate time to religion, reading and my family, the things that are truly important to me.

Sorry, I didn't mean to brag, but instead to encourage you to keep it up. I was thinking that I started to go into "preach" mode. But, the thing is that I am so happy with how my life has changed that I felt the need to share it with someone that might share the same outlook.

So, Dave, I was 46 in February and I feel as healthy as I did in High School. In fact I have run some 10K races, which would have been too long for me when I was in High School. So, keep it up because I know that you can do it, I just pray that you (and anyone else that is reading this comment) will stay with it and turn their life around....

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.16.07 (6:42 am)

Reply to: drforbush
I've followed as you have often written about your journey toward better health, and it has been an encouragement to me. I'm finding that losing weight and building muscle mass is a slow process, but I think it is the best way to go about long-term success. I'm trying to stay disciplined with healthy eating and exercise. I work out 5 times per week, usually with an exercise machine called a Total Gym. It's a good little contraption, a sliding board with cables that uses gravity and one's own weight for resistance. I've been using it for a couple of months, and getting a bit tired of it. So, tomorrow I'm going to start using resistance bands for a while. I've used them enough to know, when properly used, they will do a good job. And, I'm also doing aerobic exercise five times per week, which for me is a power-walk of 3 miles in fifty minutes. My goal is four miles in an hour, which I understand to be the basic standard for the military. I'm afraid to reach that goal will require some running, which is not good on my knees an I also very much do not like. I've been thinking about a little hobby that looks, from the outside, to be interesting. Kayaking. I've watched the kayak club go through their rigors on Lake Lanier. It appears to be a healthy and demanding exercise. Of course I would not try to be the fanatic required for these olympic trainees, but I think it would be a good hobby. First, I'll rent a Kayak and do the Chattahoochee, the local river around here. If it's still fun, then I'll head to Bass Pro Shop or craigslist and get me a boat.

Thanks for the encouragement. Staying with a course of self-discipline and self-improvement is a good thing. It leaves you feeling better about yourself, I'm finding. And, I think there is a valid spiritual dynamic concerning the stewardship of our health that I keep in mind. Thanks again.

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posted by: drforbush (reply)
post date: 04.19.07 (5:42 pm)

Hey Dave,

Kayaking is fun. I did it for the first time only a couple of years ago. They rent kayaks on the slough near where we live. We were able to see a wide variety of wildlife that isn't so easy to see from shore. It also works your upper body quite a bit. It's even more difficult if you throw a couple of kids in your kayak and they don't paddle much. We rented two three-man kayaks and took the whole family.

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posted by: Alex (reply)
post date: 04.22.07 (12:57 pm)

Thank You

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posted by: Alex (reply)
post date: 04.23.07 (10:23 am)

Thank You

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.23.07 (10:32 am)

Reply to: Alex
You are welcome?

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 04.23.07 (10:33 am)

Reply to: Alex
You are welcome? - redeaux.

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