The key is wanting what you've got

The comment also said that martyrdom can be counterproductive to a healthy lifestyle. Ouch!

I certainly never intended to be a whiner. My intention is just to detail, as honestly as possible, my successes and failures as I attempt to improve my health. Actually losing weight is only one of my goals, and that's a good thing, because I haven't done so well as of late. Hence the "poor me" attitude I have exhibited.

I do feel, however, that many people can relate to the challenges I face in developing a healthier lifestyle, which are mainly mental, rather than physical, although I face some very minor physical challenges as well.

But I have also been thinking about the fact that I do sometimes tend to focus on the negative, rather than on the positive.

Cheryl Crow has a song, Soak up the Sun, that says "It's not having what you want, It's wanting what you've got."

That is a great saying, and good advice for anyone. Sometimes I have trouble living by it, though, but as I said, I've thought a lot about that this week, especially after the Martyr comment.

I am very fortunate, and have a lot of positives in my life. When it comes to my health, I have a lot going for me.

It's true I'm overweight, I am a type 2 diabetic, and I am also a smoker. I'm over 40, and my bones are beginning to creak. My leg muscles stay tight, no matter how much I stretch, and I am given to back and shoulder pain.

But I know these are luxury problems. I know people who would probably trade anything to have my comparatively good health. And a lot of them handle their much more serious problems with a lot of grace and no complaining.

Take Danette Williams, for instance. Danette works in our composition department here at the Times-Gazette. She has been struggling with cancer, and has had some problems with her treatments.

But I really respect her for her courage and her ability to keep her spirits up, come to work on a regular basis, and fight her battle with dignity. Danette doesn't dwell in self pity; in fact, I've never heard her complain, even when it was obvious that her treatments were making her very sick.

I can learn a lot from her, and from the many other people in my life who, like Danette, accept life's challenges with more dignity than I can sometimes muster.

When I think about people like Danette, it is a lot easier for me to see how fortunate I really am.

When I consider this concept on a broader level, I am very fortunate just for the fact that I live in our great country.

Most of the world's billions of people struggle to get enough to eat. And here I am complaining about the fact that food is too easy to come by.

So today I am happy to be me.

I have a great job, live in a great little city in a great country, have a loving family and some great friends.

My co-workers are supportive and enjoyable to work with, and I am beginning to make some acquaintances in town who are beginning to bring joy to my life.

I am fortunate to have plenty of food to eat, and if I decide to eat it, then that's OK today. If I eat too much, I'll try not to whine about it. After all, it's my decision to make.

And finally, I'm fortunate to be reasonably healthy and physically able to improve my health if I want to.

I ran once this week and went to my aerobics class once. I did get plenty of rest, which my online commenter said can be good for us, especially coming off a cold or other illness. Now, as an aside, I'm not sure about how much expertise this person carries, but the comments seemed to have some sort of validity to them.

It is very cold out there today, but my plan is to get out there at lunchtime and do my walk, which I have not been doing lately. My next step is to run (and walk, I'm sure) the United Way Spooktacular 5K course Sunday on a trial basis to help prepare me for next week's event.

I hope to meet some of you out there!

I weighed 227 again this week, so it turned out to be a push.

-- John Philleo is editor of the Times-Gazette. He can be reached at (931) 684-1200, ext. 218, or by e-mail at editor@t-g.com. This column is scheduled to print every Friday.