Time to Give Up Sugar and Take Up Smoking

Lately I have given up junk food except for a moderate amount on social occasions.  My motivation is, of course, climbing.  I don't have time this year to maintain the intense training schedule I had last year (exercise 2 times a day, yoga classes, climbing at least 3 times weekly, etc.), so if I want to be in good climbing condition this summer I'll have to better control what goes into my system.

Today while I was browsing the news, I came across this article from the BBC.  According to the article, obesity increases your chances of kidney cancer by 80%, while smoking only increases your chances by 50%.  Obesity also increases your risk of breast, bowel, and womb cancer.  I didn't think there was much of anything worse for you than smoking.  After all, I'd always heard it was the leading cause of cancer death, a multi-billion dollar industry targeting children, and harder to quit than heroin.  But, at least for your kidneys, obesity is much worse.  Besides, there's no arguing that the food industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry whose junk food purveyors also target children.

I find it astounding how much health a person gains and maintains, and how much one's life expectancy extends, simply by not smoking cigarettes and maintaining a healthy weight.  On the other hand, it makes perfect sense.  In a way it's simply saying, "Your life is longer if you don't kill yourself slowly."