Healthy Living

At least once a year my husband and I visit our son, Russ, who lives and works in the majestic mountains of Moab, Utah. It's a very lively and dynamic community with so much to offer in the way of activities — everything from apricot picking to zip-lining.

Each time we visit Russ plans an adventure that is new and different for us. In past visits we have gone mountain climbing, off-road Jeeping, canyoneering, and — my personal favorite — rappelling off 100-foot cliffs. It has become a family joke that Russ may be trying to collect his inheritance a little prematurely.

This year our daughter Shelley, son-in law, and 7-year-old grandson joined us from California. My grandson had only one request: To do rappelling again with Uncle Russ. His parents enthusiastically support his pursuit of outdoor sports and activities. I asked my daughter if she was fearful for her young son given the potential dangers inherent with rappelling off a mountain. Her reply? She and her husband feel strongly that it's a good idea to challenge ourselves by trying new and different things, and they try to encourage their son to do the same. But, she added, we should also be wise and recognize there are safety precautions to be aware of and follow. She assured me that her brother had explained all the safety measures he would take. After all, he was an experienced mountain climbing guide and didn't take any unnecessary risks. Suffice it to say they all had a fantastic and fun time.

This had me thinking: Isn't that a good lesson for all of us? So often we settle into a routine and stay in our comfort zone, never trying anything new and different. We tend to eat the same familiar foods, and turn up our nose at anything strange or unusual. But isn't that the way we could discover a new and healthy food that becomes a new favorite?

When it comes to trying a new activity, there are so many options for safe yet fun ways to incorporate healthy exercise into our days. Of course it doesn't have to be rappelling down a mountain, but something as simple as swimming could be new and different for some. For couch potatoes, it might be a challenge just to walk for 15 minutes, slowly progressing to a brisk half hour walk. Either way, like Shelley said, we should be challenging ourselves to do new and different things in our life.

That opportunity presented itself on our last day in Moab. Russ signed us up for a whitewater rafting adventure down the Colorado River. Initially reluctant to try such a potentially dangerous activity, I couldn't let my 7-year-old grandson see my fear. All precautions would be taken. Well, it turned out to be one of the most exhilarating and thrilling adventures ever. Who knows what fun awaits us if accept the challenge and just try new activities?