Lets begin at the beginning...

Lets begin at the beginning, a very good place to start as they said in the Sound of Music. I wasn't always the big and tall version of me. I used to just be the tall version, which to be honest, is my favorite version of me. Other than having trouble finding socks and pants that had a long enough inseam, the tall version of me was kind fun to be. I have the obligatory bad knees a lot of tall guys have but other than that it was pretty OK.

The big and tall version of me has a couple of definite drawbacks. Besides still having the whole socks and pants thing, the big version also brings a host of other issues with it. Now my waist is bigger than my inseam...a lot bigger. My shirts seem to have a lot more X's on the size tag. And it's not just fashion related since those of you who know me in person figured out a long time ago, I am a member of the fashion unconscious. Not fitting in airplane seats very well, being out of breath all the time (well, actually only when I was moving), and just plain not being able to enjoy life were now also part of the equation.

As you can see from the incontrovertible photographic photographic proof, complete with circles and arrows on the back, time ain't a good friend to all of us. Oh sure, there are incredible physical specimens for their age out there. Heck, I live in a town chock full of 'em. The truth is that a lot of us fall into a different category. So, just how much time, effort, and commitment does it take to not take the road most easily traveled? 

The me I still see in the mirror, circa 1983. The other me. Even the picture is wider!

 

Getting to the point I was at a couple of years ago isn't something that just kinda goes POOF and there you are. You don't just wake up one morning, look at yourself in the mirror and yell, “Holy crap! What the hell happened to me last night?” That generally involves tequila. It's a process that is just gradually occurs while you're busy living life. The usual suspects are aging, life getting in the way, and change in metabolism. Well, sure let's blame them along with all the other culprits. As I've stated in Tiny Facts, I can point the finger in a lot of random directions but should just turn it around and point it back at moi (yepper, that's French). After all, I let myself get to where I was.

Getting there was easier than you might think. I did an online college program that required a significant amount of time online in class and even more time preparing my projects for my various classes. Sitting in front of a computer a majority of your day is not conducive to good health. At the same time my diet became what most Americans consider normal, which is to say over-processed and not very nutritious. Slowly but surely I slid down the slope to the bottom of a very deep valley. Now I just have to climb out.

Any of you feel like you're in the same boat?

What do you do to avoid the POOF effect?