6 Lessons Dr. Seuss Teaches About Healthy Living
from the elephant-bird to that Bofa on the sofa
Whether you listen to the VoiceOver for accessibility, because you’re more of an auditory learner or so you can grab some movement while we’re together—it will consistently be an option.
I’m asked all the time about my tattoos.
Everything from Won’t you regret them when your skin sags? (Nah, I await colorful-droopage) to May I touch them?? (typically asked by the under-5 crowd who is already mid-touch. I kinda love the awkward, exuberant leg rubs).
Since Texas is often shorts weather my leg sleeve is typically my most visible tattoo. As a result, it’s the art I’m most frequently asked about.
People either adore it or they adore Seuss but aren’t tattoo fans.
Both reactions make me smile because they spark people to reminisce about childhood.
I spent months selecting each image on my leg as separately and as a collage they all hold special meaning for me (e.g., one is how I explained adoption to the Child when she was small).
It’s also intriguing to me how the more I’ve chatted with strangers/friends about Seussian-stuffs I’ve chosen, the more I’ve learned the same images/quotes hold entirely different “special meanings” for them.
Around here we love Dr. Seuss.
We celebrate his birthday.
You will frequently find us wearing inflatable Cat in the Hat hats and stopping the life-serious to celebrate the silliness Theodor Geisel has brought to our lives.
Today I want to share how the man who gifted us Bofa on the Sofa and Desert of Drize reminds at least me of the importance of healthy living
Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?
What I learned:
Screw motivation. If we are physically capable of moving our bodies we are, indeed, lucky. No matter how much we wanna whine, lament or moan about how bad we have it or tired we are the fact we are ABLE to exercise makes us a lucky one. This book taught me MOJO? SCHMOJO. Just get out there and START.
And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street.
What I learned:
Use your imagination. Get creative. Things are usually not as impossible or challenging as they seem (or even as boring as they initially appear). Choose to view life thru the lens of where can I squeeeeze fitness into my day? Mulberry Street taught me the complete lack of validity to the often uttered I have no time! and reminded me never to listen to those who scoff at my nontraditional methods.
The Sneeches
What I learned:
Don’t waste time or energy (or money) worrying about what anyone else is doing! Is “everyone” doing Whole30? Are friends training for a marathon when you can’t even run a mile? WHO CARES! No way is better than any other. There’s no single path to healthy living success. Focus on your belly and care not what others sport on theirs.
Pale Green Pants (AKA What was I Scared of?
What I learned:
Embrace fear. When we expose what we fear to the light of day we often see there was nothing to fear in the first place! This applies to all sorts of fears. From fear of weight training (what if the people at the gym laugh at me?) to group exercise trepidation (what if I’m not good enough?) to changing the way we view food (what if I let myself down *again*?). When shown the light and scrutinized most fears are pretty misplaced. In addition, when we give ourselves the opportunity to take that first step, quite conquerable.
Horton Hatches the Egg
What I learned:
The importance of committing not quitting when things get rough. This book also taught me about the idea of service being the rent we pay for living. It reminded me the importance of helping others when they may not be ready, willing, or able to help themselves yet. It admonishes us to “sit on their egg for them if need be” and if nothing else you, too, will benefit through getting a that helpers high.
Oh, the places you’ll go!
What I learned:
Lots, but what resonates most with me is the focus on overcoming problems. Seuss reminds us the importance of facing down our perceived obstacles.
Through the story he emphasizes when we embrace negative emotions we discover we’re capable of working through our feelings with minimal destructive behavior. Whether the problem we bump up against is quitting working out or thinking we’ve blown our ‘diet’ it’s important to plan ahead.
We must avoid the trap of thinking dark times/challenges won’t happen. They will. They happen to all of us. Deviating from what we’d thought would be our healthy living path and finding our way back *on* is all part of the journey.
And that’s it.
The why behind my Seuss sleeve, 6 powerful ways Seuss’ books shifted my thoughts on healthy living and a reminder motivation and inspiration are consistently around us when we choose to see them.
You?
What’s the most powerful healthy living lesson for YOU from Dr. Seuss?
What’s your fave Dr. Seuss book?
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” - The Lorax.
Even though the book is about what we can and must do to save the environment, this line especially applies to many situations I've experienced. It's easy to be apathetic about the state of [fill-in-the-blank-especially-NOW]. And it's really easy to think one person's efforts [mine] aren't going to make a difference. But if not now, when? and if not me, who? [credit for that quote to Rabbi Hillel]