Vickie and I spend a fair bit of time daily, walking and talking. Usually between 3 to 5 miles, sometimes further, as we search for that “just right” distance. If one of us doesn’t quite have the gumption, we cheer and coax each other on. I think that’s what God had in mind when he created Eve from Adam’s rib; life’s just so much sweeter with a partner!
“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
More often than not on our walks, we discuss nutrition, exercise, fitness and health. As seniors we recognize that we’re well past the halfway point on our journey. We’re inexorably headed towards our expiration date, whether we like it or not – we’re mostly okay with it. We’ve been blessed and have made it this far, in good condition.
Live Long and Prosper
The bit that we’re not okay with is the decay and decrepitude that come with age. We understand it’s inevitable but we want to delay it as long as possible. And interestingly longevity has become one of the hot topics of the present moment. Heck, maybe if we can stay in decent shape for another few decades they’ll develop a serum or something, to eradicate physical decay and death.
Probably not though, and we don’t necessarily want to live forever, we just want to enjoy the years we have left. We want to stay as fit and strong as possible, which is why these topics tend to dominate the dialogue on our morning walks. So, the other morning the concept of “just right” came up and 60 minutes later we had rounded out, “The Goldilocks Principle.”
The Goldilocks principle is not a new concept. “Just right,” was probably an idea well before Robert Southey published “The Story of the Three Bears,” back in 1837. “Just right” is tricky to calculate though and varies from person to person and changes with environmental conditions. It also runs counter to the natural biological drive towards excess. I’ve personally always had trouble with moderation; part of the human condition, I suppose.
“The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom.” ~ Plato
More Is Not Better
If something’s good, then more’s obviously better, right? It took a long time for me to learn that’s a recipe for disaster. There are plenty of things however that the “just right” amount is none. Soft drinks, Ho-Ho’s, Ding Dongs, TV dinners and processed cheese slices. That’s just a short list, there are many other things, like all fast food, GMO’s, statins, hydrogenated seed oils, and high fructose corn syrup. The list is actually quite extensive – a topic for a future essay perhaps.
So, how do you know what “just right” looks like? Nature’s a good guide. Outside of man’s influence, nature constantly seeks a state of homeostasis – a just-rightness. Your body’s metabolism works the same way when it’s not mangled by a sedentary lifestyle and too much high fructose corn syrup or other ultra-processed foods.
The “Goldilocks principle,” is simple. Too much is bad and too little is bad – Just right falls somewhere between the two. A healthy lifestyle should follow the same principle:
- Too much food, bad. Too little food, bad.
- Too little exercise, bad. Too much exercise, bad.
And the same for the other drivers –
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Sleep
- Hydration
- Singing and dancing. Actually we’ll give a bye to this one, but you get the idea.
Balance Is Better
“The Biggest Loser” is a TV program that illustrates how folks get trapped in a twisted weight loss scheme that is the opposite of the “Goldilocks Principle.“ Eat less, move more” is the concept, and many weight loss programs are built around what seems to make sense but rarely ever works. Folks get caught in the “More is better” paradigm, probably because of the evolutionary instinct towards greed. But more isn’t better – balance is better. That’s what “just right” looks like.
“Your hand opens and closes, opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralysed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birds’ wings.” ~ Rumi
One of our mantras here at 3mph.org is; “Less is More.” It’s a simple expression that most folks have heard at some point and it has the potential to change so many aspects of life. You can apply it to almost anything. The problem is that it goes against our inherent nature to collect or store up for some future event – that never actually manifests. Then we’re overwhelmed by the clutter we’ve collected; physically, mentally and emotionally.
Clutter like corn syrup just needs to be removed from your life, there’s no “just right.” If it does not bring harmony, balance, sobriety, happiness and calm to your life, get rid of it. Whether it’s a thing, a thought, a belief, a judgement or a person, it’s robbing you of that just rightness that belongs to you. Question everything and test the boundries, like Goldilocks. Is it too hot or too cold? Is it too soft or too hard? Is it too big or too small? Or, is it “Just Right?”
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