02/14/2006 - 10:41 PM

I got on a treadmill for the first time in a couple of months, and I couldn't be any more embarassed. I figured a medium pace with some incline would do me a lot of good, but after about 10 minutes, I was dropping the pace and the elevation down steadily until the 20-minute mark, where the treadmill was completely flat, and I was just walking. It's safe to say that if that wasn't an issue, then I wouldn't have as much work to do here. Let's just say I have a LOT of work to do.

So the trainer sat me down, told me he thought I had a great physique potential (translation: If we get rid of all this fat, you'll be a stud), and calculated that I have about 65 pounds of fat that I'm carrying around on my frame. Yeah...I can't believe I just typed that, but there it is. 27.3% body fat. And I was embarassed by the treadmill performance?

My only consolation to all of this is that I genuinely believe the trainer thinks I have that potential, and that it's not a sales pitch. "What position did you play in school?" I'm wise enough to know he meant football, and I sheepishly told him that I'd been a chunky kid in school, before I lost a good amount of it in college. He was in awe of my calves, as most people I've ever worked out with have been. That's my genetic gift in the muscle department. I don't have to do anything besides walk across the floor, and they'll just blow up. My thighs aren't far behind, but it's my upper body that can't keep up.

So here's the plan...six weeks working with Dre twice a week, and he wants to see me put 2" on my arms and lose 6" off my waist. I not only want to do this, but I NEED to do this. My family isn't a sickly one, but there's enough heart disease floating around in pockets that I really want to improve my chances of dodging an early exit. Besides, Matt's plenty of motivation for me to hang around a while.

Speaking of that, Valentine's Day was a low-key event this year. Matt's got a viral infection that got into his lungs, causing an asthmatic reaction that reduced his lung capacity down to below 70%. The original plan was to have dinner this evening at the Brown Palace, but we've now rescheduled that. Instead, we stayed home, ordered pizza, and watched Gone with the Wind (one of his favorite movies). I received a gift certificate for a day spa treatment, and a silver frog prince that is now sitting on my desk at work (he's small, but cute!)

The week ends early, with a flight to Minneapolis to see our friend Paul for four days. Besides attempting to stay warm (the forecast is for highs in the single digits), Matt's going to visit the University of St Paul to scout out the school for his Doctorate studies. I think the cold would be the only reason I wouldn't want to live in MSP, but I lived with it in upstate NY for 26 years, so I'm sure I could handle it again.

Okay...off to bed.

What I'm Listening To: My downstairs neighbor Monkey Boy's stereo blasting (I may call the cops)

First Word That Comes To Mind: workout

What I'm Currently Reading: Stephen King - The Colorado Kid