The Amazon reflects, self-motivates.

[racerxmachina.livejournal.com]

When I first started working out and watching my diet in 2004, I was 5'9" and weighed 230, 27 pounds over what is considered obese.

Forget about the handwaves you'll sometimes hear from people about doctors having set obesity benchmarks too stringently-- I'll TELL you what obesity is. Obesity, for me, was daily acid reflux. It was bad sleep and exhaustion and insomnia, including having to sleep in a certain way so that the fat on my chest and throat wouldn't cut off my airflow. Eric sometimes had to keep vigil during the night to make sure I was still breathing.  It was rising mobility issues-- little things-- movie theater seats being too tight, seatbelts at amusement park rides not fitting, bolted-down tables and chairs at restaurants being too snug against my stomach.  It was the insidious rise in my blood pressure-- occasional dizziness, shortness of breath.  I was on birth control pills, too.  Oh, MAN, I was sweating bullets about strokes and blood clots when my blood pressure started steadily rising.

I don't know when exactly I came to the realization that the the pieces were coming together to form a really bad picture.  But I am really glad I did, and my one regret is I didn't do it sooner.  I gained about 10 pounds back before I moved up here, and I was painfully conscious of the difference between a heavier me and a lighter me.  I'm now at 186.  I need to go further, but I also cherish the little things I DO have that obesity denied me.  Easy clothes shopping.  Restful sleep, energy.  Ambition.  Healthy, empowered choices.  My realization that I needed to lose weight wasn't about looks, it was about health-- this decision means that I won't ever say "eh, I'm older, my looks aren't so important"-- my health is and should always be a big part of my decision-making process. I read articles like the one below to remind me of what we face now in our collective health as a society, and what we'll face in the future, when things like cardiovascular disease and diabetes-related disabilities will become commonplace among younger and younger people.  (WALL-E made me simultaneously want to go to my gym and my garden!!)  We will see (possibly already are seeing) this financially in our taxpaying outlook, as more and more people require disability assistance.  I'd like to think us geeks getting together to encourage each other, be it through exercising together, going dancing, cheer-leading, advice, or a penalty bet(!), is part of taking care of that collective health and each other as friends, as well as taking responsibility for ourselves.  To me, this is a part of being a good citizen!

( US Obesity on the Rise )

Seattle Races

[grandmoffdavid.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone,
I just thought I'd let you all know about the upcoming 5-10k races in our neck of the woods.

* Foot Zone 5k: August 3rd. 6 inches of elevation gain. This is the flattest course you'll ever find.
* The Covey Run: August 16th. 5k and 10k versions. The course starts at the Red Hook brewery in Woodinville and winds past several wineries. A beautiful and fairly peaceful course. I may try to do the 10k on this one.
* Super Jock 'n Jill 1/2 Marathon and 4 mile run: September 1st. This is up in Woodinville, but unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town. A standard 5k is 3.1 miles, so this is a little longer than normal.
* Rotary Run: October 5th. 5k and 10k versions. This hilly run takes place up in Issaquah. It's the first 10k I ever ran, and the course is stunningly beautiful. Also, they give a good t-shirt.
* The Dawg Dash: October 12th. 5k and 10k versions. I try to do this run every year, although the course is somewhat tricky. It starts and ends in Husky Stadium and the first half of the 5k is pretty much straight up hill. The benefit is that the second half is straight down hill. Besides, you have the Husky Marching Band playing to root you on your way.
* 12k's of Christmas and the Jingle Bell Run: December 14th. Perhaps a little early to think about these two, but I figured we could put them in our calendar. The 12k's of Christmas will be less crowded, but the Jingle Bell Run is kind of traditional for me (and gets over 12k runners and walkers). Unfortunately, they're both on the same day this year. The JBR starts at Westlake Center and travels up and onto the express lanes of I-5, then back around to the start, while the 12k's of Christmas takes place on a somewhat hilly course in Kirkland.



My dad and I are thinking about doing all of these and I've already registered for the Redmond Town Center run. I know not everyone is up for these (and some people might be slacking off by giving birth or something), but if you're interested let me know and I'll coordinate the group. If you can with us on a Saturday run you're more than up for doing a 5k. And no pressure, but the Redmond Town Center race is an ideal starter race since it has a total elevation gain of 6 inches. You're not going to get much better than that.