Honestly, right now, I think that I am physically healthier than ever, and it seems to keep getting better. Previously, as a forklift driver and an office guy (sitting on a forklift or in a chair in front of a computer all day), I was putting on the pounds and getting out of shape. I wasn’t exactly eating well since most of the food was the over-processed grocery store type, and my intake of energy drinks probably wasn’t helping. It was probably still a good step in the right direction from being drunk and high ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, like I used to, but it certainly was still not the best lifestyle for me.

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The following reasons are why I am aging great and am physically healthier than ever.

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LOTS OF HARD WORK

I don’t mind saving time and effort, but I still often do things the hard way. These are the main tools that I use for clearing the land that we are buying. I also use an axe, but no chainsaw, bulldozer, or heavy machinery, yet. They’ll have their time and place, but clearing land this way is a great workout and I have no overhead to accomplish the task, like buying gasoline. Whether it’s carrying 5 gallon buckets full of soil and newly planted seedlings or chopping down brush and trees by hand, I’m always hard at work, burning calories and working out my muscles is the natural byproduct, plus the cardio workout. If you’ve seen some of the Crossfit exercises, it almost looks like they are pretending to be doing some sort of hard, manual labor. I opt to just do the hard work, and it’s paying off. Where we get free mulch and compost, they will fill your trailer for free with a loader. However, sometimes there is no one there or the machine is broke. I have both shoveled trailers full with my bare hands and also with a shovel when I had one. The price of the mulch was still free, it just took more effort and a little longer. At least I didn’t waste a trip though.

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FAITHFULNESS IN MY MARRIAGE

I realize that others in the world and on steemit have varying ideas about what is and isn’t appropriate in a relationship. Personally, my wife and I are fully committed to loving one another. This means that we are completely faithful. I add this in here, because if I had continued on my previous path I can almost guarantee that I would have caught something by now, and that would certainly play a role in my overall health, if it didn’t kill me. By being in this kind of relationship, not only are things like peace of mind and trust exponentially increased, there is no possibility of us catching something from someone else and bringing it home to infect both of us. That’s good for peace of mind too.

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EATING WAY HEALTHIER

This has been one of the most drastic changes in my life. Cutting out unnecessary sugars and sodas is one thing, but so much of the food that I was eating was just so processed. They’ll break some things down to nothing so that they have to “enrich” it just to make a valid source of food again. It's terrible. This plate is some pretty common snacks for me right now; fresh Noodle Beans, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Ground Cherries, Lambs Quarters and Prickly Pear Cacti Fruit. I even picked a Pear right off a tree the other day. I’ve been supplying a lot more of my food intake with gardening and foraging this year, and I’ve been having a healthy blast doing it. No more GMO, Chemical and Pesticide laced, fruits and vegetables picked a month or two ago and covered in wax to make them look nice and shiny. I’m glad that I got sick of it before I got sick from it! Those fresh, raw foods taste so good, and it’s great to shopping in the garden when it’s time to cook too. Plus, we’ve been catching some fresh fish, which is both entertaining and edible.

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NO MORE DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

This is another seriously significant change for me. For about a decade I was basically drunk and high all day, every day. If I woke up sober I’d have to hit the reset button and start drinking or smoking something right away. Not only am I glad that the need for alcohol and marijuana has been removed, but the rest of the other drugs are a pleasant absence from my life too. Also, the cigarettes! I smoked a lot of those. Multiple packs a day often. My lungs will probably never be the same, but it has been almost 10 years since I quit smoking them. The financial savings are one thing, but the physical saving is another. Makes me wish that I had never started. I’m clean and glad to be.

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LOTS OF RUNNING AND PLAY

Running and playing is a great activity too. In our neighborhood, there are a lot of children. A while ago we found out that I was the fastest. One 15 year old girl did beat me, but it was her first race and I had already ran seven or eight of them. Anyways, the kids are often playing, and often I’ll jump right in the mix. My dad was always like that and he still is. He’s sixty something but in great shape, and always down for some activity. Often, the neighborhood kids would stop over and see if my dad could come out and play. He might still be able to beat me in a race. There are a few reasons that I like to jump in the mix when the kids are playing. For one, it allows me to help supervise them and keep them safe and out of trouble. Also, it has been a great way to get some exercise in. Plus, if I can’t beat all the neighborhood kids now, how will I ever be able to win against my kids later? I didn’t start having children until I was 30, so when the oldest ones are in their teens, I’ll be in my mid-forties. I won’t be giving up that easily. To be of real use to them later, I’ll need to be here, so I’ll do what I can now to help make sure that will be possible. Also, much like my dad, I’ll want to run around and play with my grandchildren.

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NO MORE HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

Once basically all the sodas switched recipes, I’d had enough. Sugar isn’t much better, but I’m not sure what the current agenda is or what the long term effects will be. I opted out of soda consumption and drink water and juices mostly now, besides tea and coffee. Opinions vary, but if I’m not sure why they are putting it in the soda, I’m not sure that I want to be putting it in me.

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LOTS OF WATER

With the lack of both beer and soda, that leaves plenty of room for water. Seriously, I crave it down here. I don’t specifically remember the weather when I lived in New Orleans, (probably because I was always drunk and high), but I do know that it is really hot lately down here, and I’ll drip sweat just about all day. Somedays it seems like if I don’t get the garden weeded before sunrise, I won’t get it done. Still, I’ve got a lot to do and I can’t stay inside all day. If I sweat when I’m working so be it, just give me some water. With as much as I’ve been leaking out, I’ve been certain to be dumping a whole lot in. Water, one of my new best friends.

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SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS

I think that just leaving the city and moving out to the country has been a good change too. It certainly is more laid back and I am spending a lot more time in the woods and in the field. It’s where I want to be anyway. If it wasn’t for steemit, I doubt that I would be online at all. The air might be fresher and my exposure to certain environmental contaminants may be less. I’m out in the sun and in the breeze, with my bare feet on the earth, and I’m enjoying it. Probably good for the soul to be out in creation too, but I think that it’s benefiting me physically.

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And now, time for what I plan to do to keep getting even healthier

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LESS STEEMING ALL NIGHT

It is currently closing in on midnight. I went to bed last night at about 1am and woke back up at 6am. That gave me almost 2 hours worth of working on steemit stuff before I had to leave for work. I’ll awake again tomorrow at 6am. It’s been almost two weeks of sleeping less than five hours a night, and working really hard the rest of the time. Right now I’m trying to make money to buy some housing materials, so I’m pouring out a lot of effort into steemit and laying hardwood flooring during the day. I’m exhausted, and it’ll probably start affecting my health shortly. My Goal – I’ll steemit, but not so late and so early, everyday…

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JUST A FEW PUSHUPS AND SIT-UPS

I’m certainly not going to join a gym or workout lifting weights and running on treadmills. However, a few sit-ups and pushups every couple of days will definitely help. I remember a few years back when I realized that I could not do 50 pushups in a row. I thought that there was something wrong with that, and kept doing them daily for quite a while. Now, I think it would be good to start doing that again.

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MORE SLEEP

It is mostly steemit, as I mentioned earlier, that is making the different in the amount of sleep I get. I’m extremely blessed to be a part of the steemit community, but I’ll need to sleep more. There is obviously some overlap here with the goal that I mentioned earlier, because these two issues go hand in hand for me right now.

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CONCLUSION

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Just a few months ago I still weighed over 200#. Earlier today, I was less than 185#. I think around 175# would be good for me, so I’m just about there. The best part, I’m not even focusing on losing weight. I’m just living clean and healthy and eating great food. I’m enjoying my life, family, and friends and playing with the kids, as I relax outdoors in the country. The life itself is a blessing, the health just makes it all the more enjoyable.

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