Thanksgiving

Nothing much to report today except for the fact that another year has gone by and it is time for Thanksgiving. As we all know the first Thanksgiving didn't actually involve turkey, they hadn't quite thought of that back in 1621. Originally a three day feast, Thanksgiving was made an official holiday by Abe Lincoln, and then later given an exact day by FDR. One sad note about why Thanksgiving was made to be on the fourth Thursday of the month of November is that part of FDR's motivation was to create a day that would encourage early holiday shopping. This was our first step towards the wanton consumer orgy that is Black Friday... I won't go off on that tangent today but I will say that it's a sad thing to think about.

However, I am still thankful for this, my second favorite, holiday. Any time that we can get together with your families and share a meal is a very special time and we should all be happy we still have the luxury of a good meal. The only thing I will try to say to you today is please eat local, buy your turkey and veggies from local farms, and remember that you are all part of a complex system that needs to be responsibly maintained. The more we do to bring days like today back home and back to our local farms makes it more and more likely that we will have these gatherings in the future.

"Thy bounty", is our bounty, cherish it.

"Americans Sedentary Lifestyle"

That's politically correct talk for "Americans are a bunch of lazy fat-asses!"

We have a serious problem here in America and this problem isn't exactly my usual soap-box fare. The way we live our lives is very unhealthy. We get up in the morning, sit in the car for a half hour munching on our breakfast burrito, then we sit at a desk for 6-8 hours, get back in our cars and sit for another half hour with a big mac, once we are home we sit in front of our TV's, laptops, and video games for another 4-5 hours before bed. That makes about 10 minutes of actual walking between the house to the car, car to work, trips to the bathroom, back to the car, back home, and in between commercials for another bag of chips.

Hells yes that sounds like a great relaxing day!! But did we ever consider what all that relaxing is doing to us? Our bodies? Well according to nationmaster.com and also held as common knowledge we are the fattest country in the world. Thirty percent or almost one out of every three people in America is considered obese (thats a BMI of 30 or higher). Annnnnnnnnd do many people really care? No, not really. Should they? YES!

What do you get for being so fat? Well cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, respiratory problems, muscular atrophy, and even hemorrhoids. Thats right ladies and gentlemen, even your ass hates you for being fat...

Sure your thinking I'm being a little harsh. True, I am. But this is seriously one of the greatest health concerns we've ever seen! Yeah worse than swine flu or SARs or whatever scary super bug has been drummed up this year. The effects of obesity claim more people a year than smoking!! For people over the age of 35, 20% of all deaths are caused by the effects of a lack of physical activity.

Your body is no car, it doesn't get worn out from being used. Instead as a body is used it gets healthier. That doesn't mean over exerting yourself is good. Don't jump up and run ten mils a day, that might be bad, but by all means go for a good walk out in the sunshine! As you move your body gains a lot! You move oxygen round your body, your body becomes more flexible, you move lymph fluid through your body, you keep your heart healthy and you keep your lungs in good shape too! Your body will even pay you back for all the work!!! As you exercise your body releases chemicals to make you feel good, and a little serotonin is good for everyone!

How hard can it be to go for a walk?