Weight problems

[sparky]

Originally Posted by David

I bought myself a mountain bike at Target for $100 & now I take it over to Irvine Regional Park & ride the paved trails--miles of them. I totally dig it. It's totally therapeutic. It makes me feel like a 12-year-old again (when I was a kid, I LIVED on my bike). This park is amazing. I ride through its vast expanse & I think: "Hey, the government actually IS good for something!"

That sounds beautiful. I don't have a mountain bike, but still get to see some beautiful scenery in Griffith Park and the mountains above Glendale.

I don't think I have swum a whole mile since I did the Mile Swim BSA up at Lake Arrowhead when I was a teenager! I remember being extremely exhausted after that but also elated. It's a very alluring feeling when those endorphins are mixing up with muscle exhaustion. The effect is giggly, like being tickled. It reminds me of Pauline Kael's line about the old "Willie Wonka" movie: "It's stilted & frenetic, like Prussians at play."

It is an exquisite rush.

Ultimately the only way I have been able to become so dedicated to working out is by redefining how I think about myself. I am not a guy trying to stay in shape and get stronger. I am a swimmer. I am a cyclist. I am a reluctant runner. It's all become part of how I define myself. Just one more part of my regular life.