As Chunky As I Wanna Be

All right. I thought I was getting somewhere with all this talk about healthy living and healthy eating. Sweet Roast and I spent a day on the river last week and promised each other we’d do it more often this summer. She was energized by the sunshine and it showed. Then she showed me photos she had taken that afternoon and I saw the grim reality of the Love Chunk. I was a lot, um – shall we say, er…chunkier than I thought I was. Sure, I’ve seen myself in a mirror, but bathroom mirrors are deceiving in many ways. After seeing myself in far too many pixels in digital photos that (thankfully) can be deleted, I’ve come to understand the real reason why I’m doing this blog in the first place. To get back in shape. Hopefully that shape would be something other than a blob. In other words, I want my 2.5-megabyte photo to drop some kilobytes. A whole lot of kilobytes. So I will continue on my journey to becoming more hunky and less chunky and remind you it’s not all bad to see yourself in shorts on a beach with a larger than normal shadow. If anything, it should give you the added incentive to get a little more active. The incentive to eat a little healthier and feel better along with feeling better about yourself. I guess I needed to see those photos. I was due for one of those reality checks and it didn’t derail my train. If anything, it will give me the fuel I need to keep focused and get my train back on track.

Jumping Over the Hurdle

Yesterday was a big day for me. It was a day where I cleared a major hurdle in my attempt to get less chunky and more hunky. Sweet Roast and I went on a short trip with an older couple we know on the Trans-Canada Trail. The three of them were on bicycles and I was on foot. I power-walked most of the trip with a couple of short jogging sessions. It felt great. I needed to do it just to do it and now I see myself doing it more often. Our trip took us a few kilometres away from home (the trail passes our house about 200 feet from our front door), through a railway tunnel, across a railway bridge and along the former Kettle Valley Railway to a point where the Tulameen River runs alongside it. The water was also so inviting that we all got into it on the way back home. It was refreshing and reminded me of all the excellent activity-based fitness opportunities we have virtually in our back yard. I can now see myself incorporating a small swimming program of some kind into my overall fitness routine - and August is coming, which is typically the hottest month around here. I'll probably need the cold water of the Tulameen and Similkameen rivers to keep from overheating on the trail!

The Dope On Shoe Biz

Now that I have a pair of lightweight runners, I plan to use them for just that. It’s a good rule of thumb that many runners use. If you have shoes for racing, just use them for racing. I had a great pair of runners many years ago I used exclusively for training. When I finally retired them I knew the condition they were in was a direct result of my pounding them on the pavement and nothing else. I logged hundreds of miles in those shoes. What I’m saying here is simple. Buy a pair of shoes to train in. Use them only for that reason. Don’t decide to wear them to work, or in the yard cutting the lawn or whatever. Your training shoes are a very important piece of the training puzzle and should be used for no other reason. While I’m on the subject of shoes, someone told me many years ago something about winter tires I’ve never forgotten. What do winter tires and running shoes have in common? Well, I recall I was trying to save a few dollars with all-season tires when it was pointed out to me that the only thing between me and the road were tires and they should be good tires in order for me to drive safely in the winter. That pretty much convinced me to buy good winter tires for winter use. The same goes with running shoes. They are the only thing between your feet and the pavement and you should have a good pair of running shoes in order to prevent unnecessary injuries. That doesn’t mean buy the most expensive shoes, but get the right type for what you plan on using them for and you should be able to get a good pair regardless of your budget. I prefer a pair with extra support around the back of the heel and because I haven’t run for a few years I looked for extra cushioning for my whole foot. Your needs may be very different and with so many different brands and styles available it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right match.