The new buzz word!

Seeking a New Year’s resolution which will have a profound impact on your life? Try Capacity. It is the buzz word for 2022. Not heard this anywhere else? Well, you’ve heard it here and it comes from a reliable source - the medic who, three days ago told me that, “Your capacity enabled you to survive multiple vicious attacks on your health this past year.”

There we are. Protect yourself with Capacity.

Confused? Well it is quite simple.

The man held his hands wide apart and said, “That was your Capacity in December 2020.”

OK, so what?

“Well, this is you in 2021,” his hands narrowed to less than half the width of my shoulders.

So what?

“If you’d had this,” his hands expanded a bit, “you would not be here because you’d not have had the capacity to fight those acute attacks.”

Ha, I see. The broader your capacity, the more oomph you have to fight.

“Yup. Most people are this wide.” His hands remained as above. “Had they suffered what you had, they’d have gone, no doubt about it.” Wow! How lucky I am, I thought for the umpteenth time this year, (oops sorry, that was December 30th, which is now last year).

“No, not luck. It’s due to what you did. Your body, though weak, had capacity due to all the exercise you’ve done.” So that’s it, exercise builds capacity, like cash in the bank which helps when things get tough.

“Exactly. OK, we are born with a certain genetic capacity, your environment also adds or subtracts capacity, but it is what you do on top which is the real bonus… or not.”

“So, once built, it remains….”

“No. There’s a tendency for people to sit on their capacity, assuming that’s enough, but it withers with each month and you’ve found out that keeping it topped up, regardless of your pshysical weakness, has been a life saver.”

And what of diet?

"As vital as exercise. Whole food - different nut/veg/fruit/herb/grain varieties totalling 30 per week. Less meats and processed food. Alcohol is acetylene, it fuels jets, is that what you want inside you?"

So there we are. Capacity is enhanced by continual effort, (also in the kitchen and the glass). It needs to be slowly built up, not a mammoth surge then nothing, but steady day by day effort. I’ve already said that daily I climb the stairs (and garden steps), which helps expand my lungs (which still have water-on-the lungs); stepping up improves the muscles (being ill, I've lost 50%), the bones, and it stimulates the brain. It also helps me fight the constant rounds of internal infections I now get hit by. If I want to continue living I have no option but to keep exercising. Through this is not easy for me, I tell myself I'm re-expanding my capacity.

If you want an aim for 2022, what better one than gradually improving your Capacity?