Did they Worry about Cholesterol?

I've been trying to convince myself since late last year that 2008 is a turning point. I have to make a change for my health if I want to enjoy this life more. So, here I am smoking my cigarette, ready to go down stairs and rustle up some bacon and fried eggs (maybe some biscuits and home made sausage gravy on the side...mmmmm), pondering what it is that I can do different.

The points really being driven home at work. Two of my co-workers ride their bikes to the office, and one of them, Warren, rides his bike every chance he gets. Even has a daily blog where he sets the pace for others, writing about his ride through the slush and sub zero temperatures. Jim, the other co-worker, eats healthy foods for lunch and doesn't take part in greasy menu's. It keeps the issue in front of me constantly, and with my doctor getting more and more worried about my Cholesterol, weight, smoking, etc, my mind is a flurry of ways I can justify not changing anything at all.

Really, if you look at how people lived in the Old West, did they have to worry about all this health crap? For instance, a quick search on Legends Of America reveals plenty of insight on the diet of a Cowboy. Under Frontier Recipes I find "Fried Camp Apples". The list of ingredients is simple and delicious. Apples, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Lard or Meat Droppings (yum yum!). And then theres other Old West Recipes like BBQ Biscuit Pie, Buffalo Steaks with Chipoltle-Coffee Rub, and oh, one of my favorites, Cowboy Sausage and Sweet Taters. All with good ol fashion wholesome ingredients. Didn't seem to raise any alarms over Cholesterol back then, why do we care so much now?


And if they did get sickly, there were plenty of easy remedies to cure it. Got the Croup? Pack sheep droppings into a tobacco sack and soak in warm water. Then just apply the sack to your neck and wear it until the choking spell is over. Worried about Cancer? Eat three almonds a day. Have a Boil? Catch a Road Runner early in the morning, kill it, boil it and eat it...the boil will go away. Eat an onion sandwich and wash your hair to prevent a cold, and for a cough, boil cow dung in water and gargle with it three times a day. They even had a cure for stuttering, just hit the person in the mouth with a chicken gizzard.

Seems to me if those living in the old west could eat the way they did, and cure things so easily, why are we so obsessed with our health these days? Of course, I'm sure someone's going to point out that the life expectancy of someone born in the US in 1900 was only 47 years. Guess that means I have to look deeper for more excuses.

I'll leave you with some old west wisdom. "Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce". In the meantime, I smell bacon!