I have a sacred place.  A Temple given to me by my creator for the express purpose of contemplating the nature of my creation.  This Temple is my body.  I alone worship there, and I alone have stewardship over the Temple.

The Temple grounds include, an entry hall, a services hall, baths, bed chambers, an exercise yard, a library, a kitchen, a study hall, and a dining hall.  There are attached gardens.  A stream runs through the grounds of the Temple, watering the gardens and filling the place with the sounds of running waters – sometimes a murmur, sometimes a roar.

The Temple has residents.  There is one Monk, one Layman, one Abbot, one Head-monk, and at the gate one Guard.  At the entrance of the Temple, and again in the services hall, the Abbot has posted a set of commandments.  They went up on August 8th of 2005.

The commandments read -

The Temple will have three meals a day.  No more.  No sugar based foods will be consumed.  These include, but are not limited to, cakes, cookies, candies, and confections.  Peanut butter and pizza are forbidden.

The Temple will be cleaned.  Daily.

The Temple will be maintained.  Strength and beauty are the goals.

There will be prayers in the Temple.  A session in the morning immediately upon rising, and a session at night immediately before sleep.  Supplemental prayer may be practiced throughout the day and is strongly encouraged.

Literature will be read.  Following the morning prayer session, and preceding the nightly prayer session.

The Abbot has not numbered the commandments, stating that no one directive is more important than another.  All are to be given equal consideration and attention.

In the kitchen, over the ovens, the Layman has placed a placard that reads -

Water will be taken after morning prayers, and before nightly prayers, and throughout the day.  The flow should be mighty and consistent.

Packaged foods are to be used sparingly, and always with awareness of the consequences of the act.

Empty sources of calories are to be questioned, and indulged in lightly.  These include all starches and any foodstuff that has been bleached of its nutriment.  White bread is chief amongst these foods.  They may be consumed, but only with attention to the action, and then sparingly.

Second servings should be shunned, like wise attention should be paid during meals that more food than is needed for satiation should not be consumed.  It will not be seen as a sin to not finish the first serving.

In the exercise yard, the Guard has chiseled the following directives into the columns on either side of the entrance -

Exercise is for the fostering of strength to make the body a useful tool for the service of oneself and others.

Exercise should be simple to keep as a habit, and should be vigorous enough to challenge but not destroy.

Exercise only done for fitness and health misses more than half the point, and is a loss in the development of a better life.

The Head Monk has composed a set of guidelines for the best maintenance of the Temple.  They are often a subject of his ‘dharma’ talks -

The Temple was allowed to become too large and non-functional.  We must remain vigilant of the practice of reducing from it unnecessary parts, and keeping the retained parts as serene and useful as possible.

The Temple library has become cluttered and needs to be seen to.  We should eliminate what is not necessary, and add to the store of what is.

The long line of books acquired for the Library, but not yet read, digested, and cataloged is an unsightly mess.  We need to be careful when adding to it, and bend effort towards reducing it.

It has been said, ‘We have two ears and but one tongue.  Therefore we should listen twice as often as we speak.’  This should be given full consideration, with the contemplation of the usefulness of envisioning the presence of yet more ears.

This is my Temple.  It is a work in progress, and several of the inhabitants have only recently become aware of their surroundings and begun to see to its upkeep.  I commit to making this place strong, useful, well appointed and clean.

There is another inhabitant of the Temple.  He is not always there, but when he does visit he is greeted warmly and listened to.  He doesn’t speak much, but is infinitely willing to help, give well reasoned advice, and be of service.  He is my future self, the idealized me that could be if my Temple is made as strong, and beautiful, as possible and if my mind is settled.  He only desires one thing, to help me walk the path to where he lives.

The world stretches away from the gates of the Temple, in all its splendor and possibility.  The Temple is a quiet place to rest from engaging with it.

Behind the Temple walls, away from the world, there is a forested mountain side.  Cool streams run there.  There are open fields bathed in sunshine, wild with flowers of all colors.  There are forested glens, floored with thick dark soil, leaves and nettles.  There are deep caves to explore and lakes to swim.  There are animals of all descriptions, birds, beast, things that slither and skitter, that feed on the plentiful bounty of the forest.  On this mountain side lives a Bear.  He wanders its million paths as he pleases and to his own ends.  His only companion in this wilderness is a small fierce Kitten.  She has frolicked with him for a decade now, and she knows him better than any other.  Long ago the Bear gave his kingdom willingly to share with the Kitten, and she added hers to his.  Together they play and plan, giggle and cry, love and live.  They cavort about their forest and occasionally venture into the world to be with others.  But, when they retreat to their forest none may accompany them.  To this day no one has been foolish enough to try, but the Bear and the Kitten stay vigilant against intruders and would gladly fight any who came with sharp claws and strong teeth.

This is my Temple.  I am making it a place that I love, and long to be.

I belong to the ‘fitness’ tribe. My friends will be totally not shocked about that. A woman posted today looking for the best way to lose weight. A string of replies followed. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reading about these issues lately, which is not surprise since lately in this case means for the past 16 years. And, frankly, I am a tad angered over what I see. I am not going to go into that now, but here is how I responded to the woman’s questions-

“First, the reason why I think I know something about the struggle of losing weight. I currently tip the scale at 186, when I was 21 the scale read 396. Those are pounds, folks.

Okay, enough about me.

You already know the basic formula – eat less/move more.

The rest of your question is about how best to do that. I am going to tell you the truth here. Ready?

No one knows. Sorry. The statistical information about the increasing obesity problem in this country, and the nearly complete failure of any diet regime to produce lasting results consistently points to one fact: The best way is incredibly individual. I can tell you what worked for me, and some of it might be useful for you, but the simple truth is that my way cannot be yours.

So, here’s my advice. Move more. Try to get in enough exercise on a daily basis that you feel results. More energy and more fitness are the goals here. Buy a blank journal and a good pen. Keep a running tab of what you eat, and how you exercise every day. Make notes of how you feel emotionally and physically on a daily basis. One, or three, lines after each exercise entry to touch base on how it’s working for you. Before each meal note the time of the meal and your hunger level. This will help you determine what foods keep you satiated longer.

In short – figure out what works best for you yourself. No one else is going to be able to do that better than you, and if anyone claims to, the historical statistics point to them lying. Take inspiration where you can, steal tips that make sense, try things and take notes so you will not forget their effectiveness.

You can do it. You can win the war against poor health. But, only you can. No one can do it for you.

I salute your willingness to try.”