Punishment

It seems to me, that often people see something as punishment, when it is really consequence. Certainly punishment does happen, and I pay for my activity, but more often than not, it is simply a consequence of my behaviour.
I have mentioned it before, but we used to walk around with our shirts off up north. We acted like we could do so with impunity. But we couldn’t. We mostly did not pay a price at the time, (except for the occasional sunburn) but now my actions are coming back to bite me, in the form of skin cancers.
We see the same with sugar. So much of my diet has added sugar and then I add more. It is weird, but the inventor of a sports drink was determined not to add sugar. Few bought the product. Sugar was added, the tables turned, and it is now incredibly popular. Even popular “health” cereals contain a lot of added sugar. There seems to be no consequence at the time, but now diabetes is a huge problem. The unrestrained taking of sugar, seems to be one of the major factors in its growth.
I have recently been to a dietitian. I particularly liked their balanced approach. It was not like everything had to be given up immediately. Gradual I can handle. Sudden I baulk at. It is not like I have to, or I must, it is that I choose to. The next time I see the dietitian, he will look at labelling on products. I am looking forward to that session, as I am keen to know what it all means.
Now I am adding no salt to food. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the salt. I am learning to live without that though. Apparently salt takes about four to six weeks to get over. Down the track I will be consuming less coffee. Something happened today that seemed like a really good idea to me. I had a tea instead of coffee. That is good for a number of reasons. Tea does not contain as much caffeine, and I do not have sugar in tea. Works for me.
The ABC shows a show called “You can’t ask that!” So often, the questions seem to me, to be ones we think, but don’t ask. On the last show they featured a number of people with eating disorders. I really did not know there were so many different types. Whatever the disorder, they all had one thing in common. It controlled them. There are many reasons for such a thing, but for me it is a case of balance. I shy away from extreme anything.
There are many things that happen and for many reasons. Things are more complicated than being able to paint everyone with the same brush. I am so conscious of not wanting to call the kettle black. I have enough on my own plate (as it were) to deal with thank you. My reasoning only relates only to what’s in it for me!
So why do I pursue a healthy diet? Well, I know it is good for me, and I have seen the consequences of an unhealthy diet. To me, it is not punishment, but the accumulation of years of doing the wrong thing to myself.
Maybe for me it is “too little too late,” but I am thinking it is better to start now, then never start at all.