Going for a Tune-Up
I have a full medical check-up scheduled for tomorrow at NYU Hospital. And it is freaking me out. Nothing makes me more anxious than getting updates about how my body is keeping up with the beating I give it. Yeah, I know that every bit of bad thing I do my body takes a toll. That piece of grilled ‘liempo’ and that chunky bagoong that accompanied my mom’s mouthwatering kare-kare all were justified when I was vacationing for the holidays. Those chocolates at the office were great, too and so I've had more than a handful. In reality it doesn’t take a genius to know that there is also payback for such indulgence. And talking about indulgences, I still will not eat vegetables.
Like everyone else I know, hey, I don’t want to live forever. My vanity dictates that the time to go is before everything gives in to gravity and when all life has been sucked out of me that I am half the person I am– wrinkled, grey and incoherent. But in my journey through that stage of life, I certainly wish that I can enjoy a quality of life that would be with at the very least some hint of dignity. I hope not to die of some lingering illness when I lose bits of myself piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle. I don’t want to be drooling, hooked up to machines and slowly wasting away. THAT is not the way I want to go. Though there certainly is no good way to go, I’d wish to peacefully leave life in my sleep.
Heredity has the odds against me though. From both sides of my family I am opt to get something bad. Name it we have it - high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer. But in true Filipino fashion I can always shrug, chuckled and utter: bahala na.
At my age, I’ve outlived a husband, grandparents and some uncles and aunts, maybe even some cousins. My parents continue to have good health except for the usual aches and pains and only because they have consciously opted to stay active with their lifestyle. I don’t smoke, only drink socially and when I am home in New York try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have recently discovered the power of yoga and mediation to steer me away from stress and anxiety to which I am prone to. I walk around the city a lot in the weekends, run the treadmill at the gym and around Central Park's Reservoir when the weather is good or play tennis in the spring and summer. I try to make sure that I maintain a diet that is about moderation – not deprivation.
I know it is never enough but I really can't promise that I can do more because that would seem too obsessive – when every waking minute is spent on trying to be healthy. When I get lazy I will stay in the apartment the whole day or take the bus for a mere few blocks just because. Some nights I might stay out until the early morning partying with friends but it not something I do all the time. A few lapses now and then. Right now I do what I have to do with the best in mind.
Tomorrow I will know the verdict on how I’ve done with myself so far. Too bad I only have one body and there is “start over” button to re-do all the bad I’ve done to it in the past. Moving forward I hope I can be kinder to it, though. It’s the only one I’ll ever have anyway.
Like everyone else I know, hey, I don’t want to live forever. My vanity dictates that the time to go is before everything gives in to gravity and when all life has been sucked out of me that I am half the person I am– wrinkled, grey and incoherent. But in my journey through that stage of life, I certainly wish that I can enjoy a quality of life that would be with at the very least some hint of dignity. I hope not to die of some lingering illness when I lose bits of myself piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle. I don’t want to be drooling, hooked up to machines and slowly wasting away. THAT is not the way I want to go. Though there certainly is no good way to go, I’d wish to peacefully leave life in my sleep.
Heredity has the odds against me though. From both sides of my family I am opt to get something bad. Name it we have it - high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer. But in true Filipino fashion I can always shrug, chuckled and utter: bahala na.
At my age, I’ve outlived a husband, grandparents and some uncles and aunts, maybe even some cousins. My parents continue to have good health except for the usual aches and pains and only because they have consciously opted to stay active with their lifestyle. I don’t smoke, only drink socially and when I am home in New York try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have recently discovered the power of yoga and mediation to steer me away from stress and anxiety to which I am prone to. I walk around the city a lot in the weekends, run the treadmill at the gym and around Central Park's Reservoir when the weather is good or play tennis in the spring and summer. I try to make sure that I maintain a diet that is about moderation – not deprivation.
I know it is never enough but I really can't promise that I can do more because that would seem too obsessive – when every waking minute is spent on trying to be healthy. When I get lazy I will stay in the apartment the whole day or take the bus for a mere few blocks just because. Some nights I might stay out until the early morning partying with friends but it not something I do all the time. A few lapses now and then. Right now I do what I have to do with the best in mind.
Tomorrow I will know the verdict on how I’ve done with myself so far. Too bad I only have one body and there is “start over” button to re-do all the bad I’ve done to it in the past. Moving forward I hope I can be kinder to it, though. It’s the only one I’ll ever have anyway.