IF IT FEELS BAD..............DO IT!  Sounds a little strange, I know, but living in 21st century society with these Paleolithic hunter-gatherer bodies, that's essentially what it takes.  Our ancestors weren't insulated from their environment the way we are.  We have heavy shoes to "protect" our feet.  We have sophisticated shelters that keep out almost all of the rain, wind, snow, sleet, hail, dirt, dust, animals, insects, etc.  We have mechanized transportation, mechanized food preparation devices, stores where we can simply buy anything that we want to use or to eat, with no physical effort.  We have medications to numb us to even the slightest pain or discomfort.  We can clog our arteries with fat, then take a simple pill to lower our blood pressure and our cholesterol.  There is even new research on a pill that mimics the effects of exercise!

     Is it any wonder that nearly everyone whom you see on the street is fat?  In the movie Wall-E, humans who were on a spaceship traveling for many generations lived in such luxury that they lay around on lounges all day with everything done for them.  The had virtually lost the ability to even move by themselves.  Scary thought, but you see that played out everyday.  People shopping for food, riding in a little cart.  Some are legitimately unable to walk through injury or illness.  Some are simply so obese that their legs aren't up to the task of carrying them anymore.

     Let's face it.  On a very basic level, it feels better to sit on a big, soft, couch than it does to get out the door and walk or run a couple of miles.  It feels better to have your foot cushioned by a pad of soft rubber than to have it land barefoot on the ground, pebbles and all.  It feels good to eat a big, gooey piece of chocolate cake for dessert rather than an apple.   With our lifestyle today, if we want to stay healthy, we need to engage in a constant battle with our instincts.  These instincts evolved to allow us to survive in a harsh environment.  That's why we store fat on our bodies when we eat more than we need.  It is there to get us through times when food isn't available.  The problem is, food is nearly ALWAYS available to the vast majority of us now.   We instinctively keep eating, keep storing energy in the form of fat for the lean times........that never come.   You have to force yourself to eat on more of a subsistence level, and force yourself to keep up that energy expenditure.  Keep the blood pumping, keep the muscles working on a daily basis if you want to optimize the capabilities of that amazing Paleolithic survival machine that you  inhabit.

Let your feet feel the Earth.  Make your legs carry you over the ground.  Eat the things to which your body was designed to have access.......meat.........fruit........vegetables.  Lay off the sugar. Lay off the salt......Step back from the trough.......get off the couch.  Once you have clearance from your health care provider, get started on regular exercise of SOME KIND.   If you are on prescribed medications for your ills, by all means, follow medical advice, of course.  You may find, however, that after a period of letting your body perform and consume the way it was designed, your Dr. may notice that you have less of a need for chemicals to artificially regulate many of those body functions.   Wouldn't that be great?