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I Have A Belly, And I Will Take The Steep Path To Get Rid Of It!

by HijabMan :: posted 23 March 08

“...my body is borrowed
yeah, I got it on loan
for the time in between my mom
and some maggots…” – Ani Difranco, My I.Q.

I have a belly. Not a small firm one, not a ridiculously large one. It’s just a medium sized belly. I come from a pool of genes that allocates all fat to my belly. Everything else? Skinny.

Skinny arms. Check.
Skinny legs. Check.

My belly appeared when I returned from a four month stay in Syria and found a full-time job. The combination of a full-time job, a car, and laziness is deadly. I stopped riding my bike, and I stopped eating as healthy as I should.

Sometimes I ate just because a sundae looked tasty, other times I ate because I felt like I needed to finish what I started. Often, when I felt hungry, I also replaced the uncomfortable feeling of hunger [was it really hunger?] with an equal discomfort, that of eating too much! It really is quite stupid when you think about it.

Many things slip passed us when we forget that the life of this world is illusory. When we, with full bellies, nice cars, and four-dollar-lattes forget that we are among the top 4.62% richest people in the world! Yes, my income puts me in the top 5% of the world.

I often question myself about how I can use the status I have been given (by God) to make my life and the lives of others better. Sure, I can throw some money here, throw some money there, and think, “Okay, I did my part.” But I think of that as the easy way out. And the easy way is never the right way, as I learned in the Quranic Chapter, Al-Balad:

Nay! I call to witness this land – this land in which you are free to dwell – and [I call to witness] parent and offspring: Verily, We have created man into [a life of] pain, toil, and trial. Does he, then, think that no one has power over him? He boasts, “I have spent wealth abundant!” Does he, then, think that no one sees him? Have We not given him two eyes, and a tongue, and a pair of lips, and *shown him the two highways [of good and evil]? But he would not try to ascend the steep uphill road… And what could make you conceive what it is, that steep uphill road?* [It is] the freeing of one’s neck [from the burden of sin], or the feeding, upon a day of [one’s own] hunger, of an orphan near of kin, or of a needy [stranger] lying in the dust – and being, with that, of those who have attained to faith, and who enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one another compassion. Such are they that have attained to righteousness; whereas those who are bent on denying the truth of Our messages – they are such as have lost themselves in evil, [with] fire closing in upon them. – Chapter 90, Muhammad Asad’s Translation with some editing by myself to make it more modern

We’ve been given two highways. One is easy. There are no bumps, it has recently been paved, and you’ve set cruise control at 70. Smooooooth sailing. There is no need to think and no need to act. The other is a steep uphill road. It has bumps, turns, and forks. Sometimes you feel like you will fall off the edge. To be on that path you have to be proactive. You have to be aware both of yourself and the true reality of this world. Being on that path is knowing that the material things we surround ourselves with are nothing but a dream.

For me, the best way to change the situation of the world is to transform myself. The basis of changing myself comes first from being grateful, to give thanks. Because the simple awareness that all of this came from God, motivates me to take care of everything I have, including my body. A gift that I’ve been loaned for the time in between my mother’s womb and some maggots, as Ani Difranco makes clearer than I could.

During Ramadan, the month in which Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, we get a taste of what hunger actually feels like. I need to re-learn that.

On the uphill road to physical fitness, I need to listen to my body. I will eat when I’m hungry. Eating slowly enough so that I can stop when I feel full. Many Americans including myself have forgotten what it feels like to feel hungry, because we eat more than we need, and we eat while doing something else, whether it be driving or sitting in front of a screen. The second part of the uphill battle against my belly is staying physically active. Despite fearing the act of walking in and working out next to strangers, I’ve joined the YMCA for the first time in 15 years. I stopped putting it off, and have been getting more comfortable with each visit. My initial goal is to go to the gym once a day. At the moment of this writing, I’ve been maintaining three visits per week staying an average of an hour for every visit.

What uphill battles are you facing? How do you motivate yourself? Share.
————

Just FYI, I’ve started a tumble log, where you can see pictures/links/videos of things I come across throughout my day. I’ll keep a log of my workout routines/food consumption there as well, since I can post from on the road. Check it out, add it to your RSS readers, and feel free to comment there as well! There may be a big announcement there soon, as well, so you might want to keep an eye out!

p.s. that photo is of the yummy red pepper, green pepper, and onions in my chicken jalfrezi.

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1. Heather at 24 March 08 :: #

   I recommend taking up capoeira.

2. SAK at 25 March 08 :: #

   Show us the belly! :P

3. ShadeofRahmah at 2 April 08 :: #

   I loved the way you steered from a nice, American rant about body-blues to a profound and meaningful discourse worthy of the Friday khutbah.
   Great site!

4. Vanessa Fatima at 6 April 08 :: #

   This post was so well written! I like how all the little ideas were strung together to create an insightful bigger picture. Earlier, I was having a bad day, but your post made me readjust my priorities. Jazakullah!

5. Anjum at 8 April 08 :: #

   actually i’m going through a similar change as you – working to make my body and my heart stronger and more fit inshallah. It’s a struggle, but in the end its better than cruise control at 70mph.