We gave each other a thanksgiving present.

I have heard people recite that "You are what you eat." I agree.

In my view this phrase is not an allegory, but an accurate assessment of metabolism. Further technically, this has to be correct because what you eat determines what your body can use to grow. e.g. What you ingest is the basis for how your body can grow. If you were to only drink water, you would not become a lake, but you would not grow because your body needs protein. If I eat a lot of turkey, I likely will not become a turkey, but my body will metabolize, process and grow from the proteins, carbohydrates and fats that make up turkey meat. Hence, you are what you eat.

Your body however is not a static device. It is dynamic and uses these PCFs in different ways depending on how your device is maintained. I felt this concept to be instinctively true this thanksgiving. My family, most of us that is, ran a 5K turkey trot together. Seven thousand other people did too. It was 35 degrees Kansas cold, but sunny. Our times were between 24 and 59 minutes. We all finished. Thanksgiving day proceeded normally as we each stuffed ourselves with turkey and all the trimmings. We earned it. I ate less because exercise tends to dampen my appetite. Also, I did not feel bloated as I usually do on Thanksgiving day, which I attribute to the pre-turkey exercise. And that brings me to my real point for this Saturday.

Exercise is the key to health. Oh yes, the pedantic precisioners will state, "It is not that simple Mr. Sherwood" and cite an exception. However, exercise unlocks so many different vaults in our lives at so many different physical and mental levels that to argue against the benefits of exercise is to defend the indefensible. Physically, we all felt good crossing the finish line. Emotionally, we were all proud we finished. We could not wait to log on to the nearest computing device and view our times. A 5K is not a long run by many standards, but how many of you did it?

The 5K was a thanksgiving present, a box of exercise, that we gave each other. A special thank-you acknowledgement to my wife for leading by example. The Santa 5K is next.

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