Sabbatical FAQs: Health and physical stuff
In the course of the six
weeks I was touring around Europe, a lot of folks asked me a lot of
questions. I answered some in email and
filed away others for later. I’m going
to use this and a couple of other blog entries to try to answer the most common
ones. I’ll start with the many questions
about my health and appearance.
What’s up with the short hair in that kitchen photo?
Before I went to work at the
Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen, I asked Gina to cut my hair shorter than I’ve
worn it since middle school, so that as it grew out during the trip I would not
turn excessively shaggy. As it turns
out, I liked the really short cut, so I might ask her to repeat it. Or not.
I don’t think a lot about my hair.
In that one photo, you look like you’ve lost
weight. Have you?
I wouldn’t rely on any of
the scales in any of the hotel rooms, so I can’t be sure, but I believe I’ve
lost a little. I think this because I’m
now wearing my belt two notches tighter, and the notches are about an inch
apart. So, the odds are good that I’m
down at least somewhat.
What diet did you use to lose the weight?
I didn’t follow any strict
diet. I tried not to eat when I wasn’t
hungry, and I tried to keep most meals simple.
Most days, lunch would be a simple sandwich, and dinner would be a bowl
of pasta and, if I could get it, a salad.
That said, I ate desserts
most days, though on many of them the dessert was the smallest cup of gelato on
offer.
I also ate quite a few large
multi-course meals, though probably no more than one a week.
I also walked as much as
possible. I have no clue how far I
walked each day, though I joked often about trying to make sure I walked “a
mile” each day. I didn’t walk fast, but I
avoided taxis whenever reasonably possible and just put feet to (uneven)
pavement.
In a show I saw at the
Carolina Theater, Henry Rollins described the basics of dieting as requiring
only seven words:
Eat less.
Eat better.
Move your body.
I vaguely and
unintentionally, but not religiously, followed Rollins’ advice.
Are you healthy now?
No. Far from it.
I’m healthier, in that I am at
least somewhat lighter and I can now walk all day without feeling it; on the
first day in Paris, a long walk left me sore and exhausted. I’ve also slept a ton (though not on my last
night in Paris), and so I feel better both physically and mentally.
I am far from healthy,
however, because I’m entirely too heavy and in nowhere near the physical
condition I should be. Getting into
shape will be a major focus area for me for the next couple of years, which is
how long I estimate it will take me to get into even half-decent shape.
What’s your plan for getting in shape?
Right now, I have resolve
but not a lot of plan. I’ve also learned
that the plans I talk about tend to be ones that I don’t succeed at, so I’m
going to stay mum on this topic for a while.
If I can implement something that works, and if I can stick with it for
a while, I may discuss it later.
So, stay tuned.
2 comments:
Mark - please check out the link below. I've given up my gym membership (after decades of belonging to various ones), after discovering this training. Fast and fun and it peels off fat. You can switch to water fillers and take the smaller bag on the road with you - it folds flat. Don't underestimate how exhausting working out with 20-some pounds of water, sloshing around in a bag, can be!! They have a workshop in Raleigh this weekend - Saturday afternoon. This may be the first NC workshop - I would go if I could.
http://www.ultimatesandbagtraining.com/
Thanks for the tip.
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