Housekeeping

I wanted to apologize to everyone for the somewhat iffy updating schedule I've been on over the last few weeks.

Back in March it became apparent that my long-suffering back needed some serious attention. It's currently held together with a variety of hardware, and despite some reasonably strenuous physical therapy the musculature was actually growing weaker instead of strengthening. One side effect of that dysfunction was an almost continual series of chest pains in addition to the discomfort in my back I've grown used to. While scary, those pains turned out to be harmless.

Ultimately, all of these problems sprang from my weight. After the first round of repairs my level of physical activity dropped precipitously and I became far too sedentary. That caused me to pack on the pounds, triggering more back discomfort, which made it even harder to be active. Lather, rinse, repeat and you get my weight blowing up by over a hundred pounds, and I wasn't a small man to begin with.

That lead to the rather harsh realization that if I didn't get the problem under control I was facing a really crappy future. The weight was going to put increasing strain on my back, which was going to become even more painful and out of alignment, which would make any physical activity more difficult. That cycle would ultimately end with me being in a wheelchair, or worse.

All that culminated with me adopting a serious lifestyle change. Since March I've been on a daily workout schedule that included light cardio, stretching, and weight lifting. I wish I could say it's been a wonderful experience filled with happiness and joy, but it hasn't. It's been painful, exhausting, and frustrating.

Few things are more humiliating than someone that could be your daughter cheerfully encouraging you to do some light stretching...that leaves you walking like a zombie for four days. Or the equally cheerful guy adding "just five more pounds" the the bar. It hurt. Like a son of a bitch. Not the pain of injury, because they're far too careful about form and posture for that to happen. No, this was the quivering ache that shows up a day or two after the workout, the sign of muscles long unused.

Worse, these cheerfully sadistic little helpers dragooned my family into their evil machinations. All that work is useless unless your body has time to recover from it, and that means sleep. Eight hours worth, every night, no matter what. And they don't care that you get up every day at 3 AM, and have for years. That just means you have to be in bed, and tired enough to fall asleep, by 7 PM. That leaves precious little time for anything.

As a result I haven't been able to devote nearly enough time to the blog, much less any ancillary projects. For that I apologize.

On the other hand, all that pain and misery is worth it. Not only because it's going to keep me out of a wheelchair, but because, after all these weeks, I'm actually starting to enjoy it. Today I noticed that for the first time in my adult life my shoulders are actually wider than my waist. Sure, it's only by about a millimeter on either side, but it's still pretty cool. More importantly, I've strengthened my lower back and legs enough that my pelvis is shifting into it's proper orientation instead of being tilted.

Mind you, I'm an old, out of shape geezer. If *I* can get these kind of results in just four months I can only imagine the benefits to someone younger. I don't want to give a "Come to Jesus!" speech, but if you're struggling with your weight there's no better time to make a change than right now.