Greetings MBHA friends!
Today is a great day to focus on persistence, pushing through barriers, and seize the day. Let’s start tackling those fitness goals! It’s a little foggy and chilly here on the Monterey Bay Central California coast. The faint sound of seagulls can be heard on top of the splashing of the waves against the shore, and it’s not unusual to see a turkey vulture in the sky with it’s effortless, smooth and gentle flight. SO after a belly full of Thanksgiving holiday food, and a weekend of chilly weather, it’s TEMPTING to put off those nasty exercises that make us achy and sore. BUT let’s wake up and seize the day with a little inspiration from Rosie the Riveter!
We can do it!
Click and copy to share with friends. The “We Can Do It” poster was created in 1943 to boost worker morale during World War II. Today we fight another war. It’s the war of keeping healthy and fit! We can do it.
The American wartime propaganda poster “We Can Do It!” inspires all of us here at MBHA to get up, get moving, and be disciplined with our physical exercises. Just look at that face! This muscular woman is speaking to ALL out there who feel frustration and hopeless when life seems challenging and bleak.
The poster was originally produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943 for Westinghouse Electric is as an inspirational image to boost female wartime worker morale. The poster is believed to be created from a black-and-white wire service photograph taken of Geraldine Hoff, a Michigan factory worker.
It was actually seen very little during World War II, but was brought out again to the public in the early 1980’s and widely distributed during the “Women’s Rights” era of that time. It inspired women to keep up the fight and never give up hope. The poster girl became known as “Rosie the Riveter” and it made the cover of the Smithsonian magazine in 1994 and in 1999 was a US first-class mail stamp.
Today we fight war of another kind.
Today we are fighting a war within OURSELVES: the war of the mind, body and spirit, that prevents us from choosing to keep physically fit. This is a VERY serious war. Rosie, with her bulging muscles, and determined, fearless, gaze, depicts the inspirational spirit of someone who is not about to give up!
Health challenges can be a lonely battle. Employers are more often not providing in health care benefits and insurance companies are no longer covering outrageous expenses. Many men and women are unemployed or working for low wages and feeling hopeless from the stresses of the failing economy. They, in turn, have stopped the healthy disciplines of good nutrition, daily physical exercises, and getting plenty of sleep, fresh air, rest and relaxation. People with chronic illnesses, sometimes give up the fight in despair, surrendering to a life of suffering and eventually death. Many people choose to sit in their rooms, hopelessly surrendering to a life of despair, sometimes clinging to watching television or chatting online with cyber-friends, looking for an escape from the all too painful piles of bills, and the pain and suffering of the physical, emotional, and mental body.
Less than 25% of the people today meet the guidelines for aerobic and muscle strengthening.
Recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that less than 25% of adults 18 years of age and over who met the Physical Activity Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of death for more than 1/4 of people this past year and is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
Looking at our past is a healthy way to inspire us to move forward in the future.
Rosie the Riveter has been there for 70 years to say, “We Can Do It!” and keep people from choosing the “VICTIM” consciousness. She’s inspired people through many lifetime struggles and challenges, and she can inspire US NOW during these challenging times. Sure, times are tough, but it’s up to us to make a difference. So we start by getting up off of the couch and doing some exercises, or maybe just going for a walk after supper. We eat right, get plenty of sleep, look to a higher wisdom, and see the blessings and lessons in every moment. Soon we begin to heal ourselves, and then we can begin to heal the world. We do this one day at a time.
We invite YOU to share your inspirational stories and the ways in which you have broken through barriers and pushed past your fears to face life’s biggest challenges. YOU are our biggest inspiration.
With gratitude and love to you,
Your health and wellness friends,
The MBHA Staff and Volunteers
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Monterey Bay Holistic Alliance 