Health

I ran this morning. My asthma has been acting up, and I have a little foot pain for a few minutes until I've warmed  up, and then I'm OK. Still, I went a little harder than usual today; I'm anticipating having to work off some fun-sized Almond Joys next week. Just two or three of them. Maybe 15. Hard to say. My wife has been wise enough to hold off on buying Halloween candy until the last possible minute, lest we have a repeat of the Mystery of the Disappearing Milky Way Darks of 2004.

So now, with that little bit of an extra effort this morning, I'm tired and my legs hurt. And I ask myself, is this really worth it? And I see exactly what I don't need to see at a time like this -- a time when I don't want to get off the couch, a time when there are special orange creme-filled Halloween Oreos in my kitchen. I see an article that says a large federal study of obesity has been cancelled after 11 years, because the results weren't what they expected.

What they expected was that all of the people with type 2 diabetes in the study would gain health benefits from all of that smart eating and exercising that they were doing. Instead, they found that there was no benefit. No decrease in heart attacks. No decrease in strokes.

It's enough to make me want to get a big glass of milk and say farewell to an entire sleeve of orange-creme-colored Oreos -- and all the ghosts, witches, and jack-o-lanterns on the 5 special Halloween themed cookie designs.

But I won't. Because I know exercise is good for cancer patients, especially those who are going through treatment. It helps us physically, even giving us a little more energy. It helps stave off muscle and bone loss. It might even curb nausea.

And it especially helps us mentally. It elevates our moods. It changes our perspective. It gives us a sense of control. It helps us develop perseverance.

So I will not get additional exercise today by doing a pull up off the couch and a spring to the Oreos.  I will continue to run three days a week. I will be good today.

Today. But no promises for next week.