So I heard recently that Venomous Kate had resumed blogging, which to me sounded like good news. Then I stumbled onto this post. Apparently Kate has been suffering some really horrible GI problems. Having been through similar issues, although nowhere near as severe, I can certainly sympathize with her distress. While she's got more tests upcoming, Kate has started medicating herself with exercise. She has more energy, she's lost weight and her symptoms have lessened. Imagine that.

I'm a firm believer in the benefits of regular exercise. I used to be a gym rat. Back when I was a full-time college student and a full-time employee, I still managed to average 1-2 hours a day of exercise. Consequently, I never managed to put on any weight. However, after child #1 arrived, I kind of slowed down, spending all of my free time at home with my family. I figured that family time was more important than silly old exercise. The thing is, I managed to bulk up to the tune of 20+ pounds the last couple years. And no, none of it was muscle. I finally figured out that fat plus little exercise equaled shorter life expectancy, which kind of plays against my spending time with my family. And child #2 is almost here. My time isn't about to become more free.

So I started running again. No gym to worry about, no time wasted driving. Just head out the door and get started.

I used to love running. Less than 10 years ago, I completed my 6th half-marathon. I ran only for fun; I'm slow. The once-a-week long training runs were great. They gave me time to think about things while my legs were on auto-pilot. I used to debug my computer programs in my head while running.

CAUTION! GEEK AHEAD!

Now imagine my horror at how my body responded when I hit the road again.

First step: not too bad.

Second step: this hurts a little.

Fifth step: I think I'm dying. Please make it stop hurting.

Each day I had a run scheduled, I did it. And it hurt like Hell. Then a funny thing happened. I had a run of 50 minutes one evening and not only did it NOT hurt, it felt pretty darned good. Not surprisingly, I've shed 15 pounds the last couple of months. My clothes fit better, I feel better and I don't snore anymore. For the record, I didn't start snoring until I passed the magical 215 pound mark, which I guess is my Mendoza fat line. A side benefit is that I've got more clothes to wear now without having to buy any. Call me an optimist, but I knew that sooner or later I'd fit into my regular stuff again.

Anyway, stop by Kate's place and wish her well. She's got a very special test upcoming involving the flexible sigmoidoscope. I remember that I really, really hated that freaking test. Ten years ago, they didn't sedate you either. Or maybe it's that they didn't sedate ME. Regardless, go by and wish her well.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:40 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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