Let’s just get it out of the way, shall we? I’m skinny. There, I said it. I’m not ashamed. I’ve been looking in the mirror for years, and I’ve come to terms with the thin guy staring back at me. Yes, I’ve been known to overindulge at the dessert buffet to no discernable results. Vacations and winter holiday family meals do not make me fear the scale. I will eat what I want and remain the same. Somehow, I wear that scarlet S and move on. But before you congratulate me, or curse my name, know that thinness comes with a price, and it’s an expensive ticket item – I’m prone to back pain.
I’ve had doctors of all ilk exclaim that I am too thin and that I should try to put on some weight. I’m like a suspension bridge that was not constructed without robust enough cables to support the weight-bearing structures they are meant to uphold. Even Dr. David Zhang, the TCM/physical therapist that I visited in June told me I should eat more. Forgive me doc, but I’m having trouble finding the time to live the life of a Hobbit (they eat three meals before noon).
All this came to a life-altering head (er, spine?) when Dr. Hinson, Chiropractor extraordinaire at Beijing United Family Hospital, diagnosed my recent lower back woes as a bulging disk. This actually made me feel a part of the midlife crowd. I’ve got a host of friends here in Beijing in their late 30s and early 40s who are all suffering from various back and shoulder pains or both (I’m looking at you Michael). The result for most has been changes in lifestyle and eating habits. Up until now, I thought I might be exempt from all of this, but it turns out I need to sit less, eat more, and move more. That is basically what the doctors are prescribing for my other friends in the middle of their lives except it generally is sit less, eat less, and move more.
But hey, don’t hate me just because I only got prescribed two out of three right. Anyone up for afternoon tea and fries?
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons
