Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
By Shantibaba
It is evident for all people who wish to listen that doing all things within moderation is better for both a person’s state of mind and body. But how do we define moderation?
What for some is moderation is for others not enough or extreme. So moderation seems to be defined differently for each and every one of us.
It is an individual thing to be self regulating. It is easy to overlook and easier to confuse a routine event that is daily, for something that may not be moderate, since it is used daily. The most important aspect therefore of keeping a healthy mind and body is to simply define what is moderate for the individual concerned, based on what makes that individual feel well, healthy and happy.
Some people do not have healthy bodies from birth and therefore to maintain a healthy mind is with a little more emphasis. To maintain one’s body means not making it suffer extra from what you do, and even benefit from diet and some form of exercise. Mental health plays an equally important part and should be given equal importance as you need both to be truly happy.
As a smoker of cannabis for 30 years or more, I have had to deal with this issue and realise nothing comes without sacrifices. I always viewed it kind of similar to a car or motor- bike…must have read that book, `Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance` early on in my life, as it made a profane impression on me and keeping my balance.
Firstly, one cannot work properly if either the effects or daily use reduces any other system in the body to a debilitating state. Trial and error on myself lead me to know what moderation is and what abuse is. The variable in this equation is state of mind and this can often lead to quantity issues. Some days a puff on a vaporizer may work for 2 hours while other days a puff may only work for half an hour.
Secondly, diet plays a large role in health. So if you are smoking which we all know is not good for the body in large amounts, then putting time and effort into diet is very important. As a general rule it is better to eat less than too much so this is a constant adjusting balance according to what is being needed by the body and what is good for the mind. Again this element is an individual issue as our rates of metabolism, how we burn energy and what type of body we have all play integral parts. We need to moderate our food intake to our energy out- put for this to affect the body in a positive way. Fresh food contains more nutrition than processed foods and one should always try to use both in a way that is fair to the body.
Thirdly exercise is something that is necessary whether we like it or not! The body cannot or was not designed to do the same task day in day out. This can work negatively and often arthritic type problems originate from doing the same movements in work.
For me I always sort a balance, I tried so many different things to exercise my lungs and blood circulation in order to smoke daily. In the end and after reaching the 40s, you realise you need to do more to use the same as you did in youth. If you work out you smoke for half an hour in a day, then doing at least 1hour exercise to compensate for this would be a fair solution. Failure to balance this aspect of a person`s life will lead to consequences and it will have been you own choice…no matter whether you thought it was at the time or not! So remember next time you have a puff, do something active and not sit behind a computer.
If people were moderate, extreme measures would not be necessary, but we are not in general! When we are at ease with what we put in and what we get out of Cannabis use (and the method we use to administer it by) then things are roughly complimentary. Body, soul and mind act in a frictionless state. When we overdo using Cannabis we are causing dis-ease and it will manifest itself in a way that debilitates the body or mind. Consistently doing this and not being aware of the consequences will lead to serious issues just as it will with all things we tend to love too much like coffee, chocolate, and cakes…so be aware! There is nothing worse than hearing a person who blames all their ailments and conditions on their enemies or a situation or something else, when it is your own responsibility from birth till death.
Chronic emotional or physical stress and the onset of old age, sees depression set in and become an issue in ones daily life. The ability to find equilibrium in the daily routines of life is more a battle with oneself than anything else. These constant changes in mood make us human. No need to get down over it, but adjusting what you do is imperative. We learn a lot during our life but it does not mean we understand it all perfectly and this is the difficult regulating aspect we all need never to forget. It is a daily event maintaining our person in body and mind. No matter how old you are there are always methods to help.
I feel Cannabis helps me and has made me a better person in the ways I understand. However, exercising daily to compensate for the damage i believe i do by smoking is some- thing i have had to push myself into with age. I may have issues that will need more or less attention, but remaining awake to what I am doing to myself is the best method of controlling what I can do to balance things. Awareness is not always easy or fun but if you wish to be honest to your- self and not get caught up in stupid comparisons and futile examples of how not to live , then stay aware daily and take responsibility of all parts of life you consider to be important. This will already keep you with an understanding on how to make good decisions to keep a healthy body and healthy mind. It is all we have while we are here so it is your choice on how to live, make it for yourself!