Read and Be Well Rounded

Read this article on "Gay Rights." I find it relates to my anniversary post on why marriage matters.

Some quotes from it that I really liked:

"So stop it with your 'sacred institution' argument and open up some history books.

You want deregulation? Let's deregulate marriage.

If any of my sons were gay, that's perfectly okay. We would accept him for who he is, and love him just the same. I don't worry about that. What I do worry about is this: if I did have a gay son, how could I explain to him that people don't want him to have the same rights as everyone else? How can I explain to him that if he wants to grow up, buy a home, and start a family, he might need to move to a state that doesn't reject him? How can I explain that people believe he is an abomination whose perverted lifestyle will lead him to an eternity in hell? How would I feel if my son killed himself because he was bullied, maligned, ridiculed, and made to feel as if he had no place in society? maybe if our state's leaders stop sending the message to our children that they are unwanted, maybe we can save the life of a child. Isn't that worth it?"

While you're at it, watch this video. It's amazing and makes me tear up every time.

Exercise and Weight Management

I dislike the thought of exercising to lose weight. I prefer eating to lose weight. Because you don't HAVE to exercise, but we do have to eat. Injuries, fatigue, bad weather, etc. can all cause decreased exercise, but we still eat. Plus, exercising causes an increase in hunger and the perception that we can eat more. By eating to lose weight, you learn about food, you learn about your body, and you practice and form habits of what to eat, how often, how much, etc. Learning to eat is necessary for weight management, because we will continue to eat forever, and if we don't know how, we'll gain the weight again.
However, exercise and weight management are perfect for each other. Studies show that people who exercise regularly maintain their weight loss with much more success than those who don't. I didn't used to believe this... But now I do. I have been on maintenance for a while now, and I'm doing very well. I have been doing 80% of my commuting via bicycle, plus my 1-2 additional fun rides. I haven't been counting points. I haven't been eating perfectly either. I think that the reason I haven't gained any weight despite my eating habits is because of the cycling. I think it's jump-starting my metabolism in the mornings, and then creating afterburn (when your metabolism continues to work harder post-exercise).