The Back Story. Chapter 8

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that the best I felt and looked as an adult was during the Golden Years 1994 -1998. It also didn't really take much intuitive power to understand that the differences between the me then and the me fall 2009, were twofold. (Well, three if you count the difference of being late thirties vs. early 50’s but nothing to be done about that one, so I’m ignoring it.) In the golden years, I was exercising and I was a vegetarian. Mystery solved. I knew what my starting points were. They had worked before and I hoped they would work again but the main thing was that I was doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING to effect a change.

I am a great believer that the forces of the universe reward activity and punish inertia. This was a point that the last ten years had drawn fairly sharply and it felt good to be moving.

I joined the Harris YMCA and made a commitment with my eldest niece to run a 5k in December to celebrate her twenty sixth birthday, honor the one year mark of my Dad’s death and celebrate his life. I was really worried that it was a big step and that I would come up short on my training. I hadn’t really run a step in 10 years and to go from zero to 3.1 miles, at 50, in a little over two months seemed like a pretty big hill.

I took it slow and fast all at the same time. I threw myself into a three day a week running program which is pretty fast off the starting blocks but I listened to my body and when it said I was doing too much too fast (hello, shin splints), I eased up.

I was surprised how fast the mileage came back with no injuries! It felt great.

I also switched back to being a vegetarian. This was an easy thing to do. With both girls off at college, I just cooked for me and supplemented meat for my husband.

Charlotte has a wonderful farmer’s market that is open year round. The produce is abundant and cheap and it was great fun experimenting with all sorts of new and rediscovered recipes. I fell in love with soups and dinner many nights was soup and a really big salad with all sorts of wonderful things in it.

Like the first time, I kept the eggs and dairy products in my diet, but I tried to keep it under control volume wise and fat content wise. Brian and I both, really enjoyed the new way of eating and the results were impressive as well. By my birthday in November, I was down a few pounds and I felt like a different person. There were and continue to be moments where a wave of happiness would just wash over me. It’s a feeling like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life.

I’m a great believer that when you are walking the life path that you are supposed to be on, things just feel better, go smoother, fit tighter. I truly felt that I was making choices that were putting me on that path.

In December, Becky and I ran the 5k as promised and I finished 4th in my age bracket. So exciting! Becky finished too with a personal best time and it was a great moment to share with her and the rest of the family.

By February I was down fifteen pounds and felt better than I had felt in years, maybe even better than I’d ever felt. It was a revelation.