Dear Fellow Alaskans,

Living a healthy lifestyle can mean different things to different people.  I think of it as getting regular exercise, eating a reasonably balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and keeping life’s stress at a manageable level.  The benefits from this kind of lifestyle are many, but I think they can be generalized three ways: more fun, more energy and more happiness. 

Being healthy means that I have the energy for whatever I want to do: go for a long bike ride, climb a mountain, ski all day, play with my nieces and nephew, work in my garden, dance late into the night, concentrate on my job and be there for friends and family.  Being able to do all of this makes me happier than I’ve ever been. 

For some, being a healthy is something you don’t notice until, for one reason or another, you can’t do all of the things that you usually do. I went through several periods when I was injured or recovering from operations, and could not exercise at all.  I had low energy, was cranky and impatient, couldn’t sleep well and displeased with just about everything.  When I finally could be up and around, I felt as if I’d been set free.  Getting back into my healthy routine is always so good! 

Being healthy doesn’t mean that you only eat steamed broccoli and brown rice; you can eat healthy while enjoying lots of different kinds of foods as long as you keep an eye on your portions and don’t overindulge too often. 

Similarly, As time passes, you find that you want to do more, and that you can do more.  You can take on physical challenges you once thought were impossible for you and discover that any limitations were only artificial expectations.  The reality is that you can do almost anything you dedicate yourself to doing.

I suppose that this is the bottom line on living a healthy lifestyle; it opens up possibilities in every aspect of your life.  Not just in terms of how many push ups you can do or how fast you run a mile.  Rather, it opens up possibilities emotionally, mentally, academically, professionally and in every aspect of your life.  In this way, it is an important part of making the most of the gift of life that has been given to us.

Kris Thorsness

Olympic Gold medal rower and Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

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