From the mouths of sex columnists...

[flexagon]

From this week's Savage Love, an interesting quote:

Our bodies are our own...; they’re ours to use, abuse, and, since we’re all going to die one day, they’re ours to use up. Sane adults strike a balance between taking care of our bodies—eating right, drinking in moderation, getting exercise—while still allowing for pleasures that require us to eat poorly, drink in excess, and lie motionless for days at a time while we recover. The better care you take of yourself... the longer you’ll live, of course, and the more pleasures you’ll get to enjoy before you inevitably croak.

It's true, of course. I'm going to use up my body. It's interesting to think about having a choice of how (and how fast) to do so, without there necessarily being much of a moral aspect to it.

Sam, my occasional massage therapist, has told me many times that he doesn't regret all the damage his body took during his time as a competitive runner. The experiences were worth it to him. When I think of how I feel doing acro, or back walkovers, I can even understand -- I might do those things even if I thought they were slightly harmful. Is it really that different for someone to feel the same way about alcohol or cocaine or meth or risky sex?

Comments

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

I want to think about this some more, but the first thing that comes to mind is that with acro and running, it's *just* your body and just *your* body. Being addicted to alcohol, cocaine or meth affects you brain a whole not more and in much more negative ways, plus it can have the side effect of affecting people around you. Risky sex, while perhaps not negatively affecting your brain, can also have bad consequences for others.

I think there's a difference between using your body in a way that only has consequences for you down the road and using it in a way that negatively affects other people. And then there's the brain aspect.

*thinking*

[kaigex.livejournal.com]

Just to throw more thoughts on the brain fire...

I'm not sure there is a way to use your body such that you can ensure it doesn't negatively effect those around you. Even somebody that engages in clean living to the hilt and exercises regularly may well develop chronic conditions, blow out their knees, or otherwise damage themselves and thereby affect the lives of those around them. And, of course, somebody can engage in risky drugs, alcohol, and sex without necessarily becoming an addict.

Also, it seems there is a brain aspect either way since exercise itself releases lots of endorphins and that too influences the brain, no? (In fact, the endorphins stimulate some of the same opiod receptors that the drugs do....)

[kaigex.livejournal.com]

To add some thoughts to the brain fire...

I'm not sure one can ensure that any activity they engage in won't negatively affect other people. Even if somebody engages in clean living to the hilt and exercises regularly, they may develop chronic conditions, blow out their knees, or otherwise injure themselves. This could cause job problems, or just a general shifts in disposition that would be regarded as a negative change.

Also, there might be a brain aspect either way, as regular exercise releases endorphins which do indeed affect and influence the brain (and actually, they bind to the same opiod receptors many of the drugs do).