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My body's revolting. At least that's what the mirror's telling me. Seems it was more than a turkey what got stuffed at my house over the holidays.
Found myself gravitating towards those less-confining sweat pants a little more than I used to. I've been avoiding - just a bit - those new, one-size-smaller jeans I bought just before embarking on my Greek odyssey.
A little less training and a lot more of the good stuff left me in a tight squeeze. And it got me thinking - as the old year passed on and the new one was born - that maybe there is something to resolving to make some New Year changes.
Resolved to cut down on the soda pop - especially after the latest round of obesity studies. Never realized that each can of pop contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Resolved to keep a little distance between me and my beloved potato chips. Never realized they're 80 per cent oil, which is probably why Hot BBQ and I have been nearly inseparable over the years.
Figured if I could stick to those two, running improvements might be a side benefit. Yeah, a fair number of pounds have fled my body over the past two years - but it's taking a lot more persuading to get a few hangers-on to move on.
Don't know what percentage of the population makes resolutions this time of year. I do know that a lot of those who do vow to change focus on getting fit. We spent some time in Montreal over the holidays and I managed a couple of runs along Pointe-Claire's lakeshore. You could tell the resolution runners - usually dressed in heavy clothing with football team logos on the back.
It reminds me of me, when I got into this nonsense a while back. If they stick with it, they'll soon learn a few light layers are a much better way to go. Keeps you drier and warmer.
It's great that you're out there and I hope you keep it up. Because there's only one way to lose weight - burn more calories than you consume.
A recent study found that walking briskly for half an hour a day without changing your diet, will keep you from putting on weight. Pick up the pace or cut down on what you consume and you're in weight loss territory. Do both, and the pounds could be in full retreat.
My wife, Dianne, did that a few years ago. A few subtle changes to her diet and daily power walking propelled her to a 30-pound weight loss. And made her an inspiration not just to me, but to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Put your mind to it and you can do anything.
A few of our friends recently hopped on the resolve-to-get-fitter bandwagon. They signed up for one of those learn-to-run clinics.
Pat completed a marathon of her own last year - treatment for breast cancer. She didn't decide to learn to run to push the bounds of her mortality - she just wants to get into better shape. As does her friend Lynda, who's ready to re-direct some of the energy she's spent raising four kids for the past decade-and-a-half. And there's Andy, who tore up the track in high school - but that was a few years of good living ago.
Canada's learn to run guru is a guy named John Stanton, head shoe at The Running Room chain of stores. Last year, about 40,000 people signed up for running clinics at the chain's 50 or so stores across the country, he says. Almost a third signed up in December and January - round about the time everyone's making their get fit resolutions.
But getting fit is work - some decide it's more work than they bargained for. Stanton says the drop out rate at his clinics in January is about 15 per cent. For the rest of the year - when resolutions are out of season - the rate's closer to 10 per cent.
Pat, Lynda and Andy have been getting out regularly, despite a winter that's flexing its muscles. A couple of aches and pains, but they're steadily making progress.
They may not be among the growing numbers of regular folks who run marathons. In 2002, the latest year for which stats are available, 450,000 people completed a marathon in the U.S., according to U.S.A. Track and Field. Forty per cent were first timers.
Pat, Lynda and Andy are aiming to take part in one of the shorter races at the first Mississauga Marathon coming up in May. The way they're going, it should be a piece of cake - one they can resolve to enjoy.
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