Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – August 21, 2004

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – August 21, 2004

Tiger Living

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – August 21, 2004 – I weigh 152 pounds. I have never packed on the pounds this way before. Up until I went through menopause at 47 I always fluctuated between 120 and 125. At 5’6″ –  I am small boned – wide at the hip and flat through the torso.

Menopause brought hormones and 22 pounds to round my slender frame out to 148 pounds. I struggled to get back down to 140 but without much success. A year ago I weighed 146 pounds. I know metabolism changes with age, as do sleeping patterns, appetite and energy levels – but this is ridiculous – I don’t want to keep adding five pounds a year for the next ten years. Enough, already – it is time to do something about my health.

I’m eating too much and exercising too little. People are calling me “Ma’am”. Any other story I tell myself is a fantasy. I don’t need to just boot up Howard every day for a stroll – I need to change my nutrition habits, get more sleep and set up a routine to get my weight back down where it belongs and make my health a priority. It’s time to change!

I can understand that you are sceptical about my declaration to become physically active – I’ve made it so many times during this year – but I’ve never weighed 152 pounds before. In keeping with yesterday’s proverb about the chicken and the tiger, and in recognition of the years I’ve been existing as a chicken – I decided to call this metamorphosis “Tiger Living”.

What a beautiful thought – going through the rest of my life as a tiger. My inner courage and spark come from Leo – my astrology sign but my heart needs to be awakened by a powerful totem like the tiger – lean, strong, brave, smart and patient. A symbol of an awakening – no longer content to sit in the background of life – I will not drift quietly into middle-aged obscurity. I can do something about this “Ma’am Nonsense” …

I don’t want to set up yet “another” plan with charts, timetables and deadlines. I want this to be simple. So here’s the deal:

Current weight: 152 pounds.

Weight on December 31/04: 143 pounds.

Weight on August 31, 2005: 135 pounds.

Exercise: “Something” – 5 days a week.

Nutrition Changes: Fist-sized portions.

Eat slowly.

Try not to eat after 8:00 P.M.

More salads – fruit – vegetables.

Bread once a day in the morning.

Eat more fish.

Have a “great” dessert once a week.

Drink more water and carry a water bottle everywhere!

Other: Weekdays – Get up at 7:30 A.M.

Weekends – get up between 8:00 – 8:30.

Go to bed by midnight. I need more sleep.

Understand that – “Health Is All”.

I don’t want to become obsessive, rigid and self-satisfied about this or I will be defeated by the end of the week. I did start by revving up my sport CD player with some Jimmy Rankin tunes and going for a brisk 50 minute walk around the neighbourhood. It’s a beautiful, warm – not hot – sunny day and a perfect start to Tiger Living. My friend Big who is also at her maximum-ever weight of 149 pounds is my comrade-in-arms for this year. She’s not doing Tiger Living – that’s my schtick because I happen to need a format for change and a way to see my progress on a weekly basis. Unlike past “plans” – this one is fuelled by dismay and disgust at my lack of respect for my body and health. At 55 I don’t need to look this way – I can and will do something about it.

A year is a good time frame for a major life transformation. There is no pressure to make instant, impossible changes that won’t last. It’s more than realistic to do the things I’ve laid out for myself, and with a good friend who has the similar goal for moral support, the chances of success are high. Just like I made the decision to make writing a priority this year, I can make this health commitment and know that I will follow through.

I have everything to gain, including improved health, appearance, self-respect and the knowledge that my word means something. Stay tuned and watch my progress – my Tiger is a keeper! You can borrow this idea if you like – pick any goal, keep it simple, make a promise to yourself, pick a realistic time frame, find a buddy and naysayers be damned – “Go”.

P.S. – August 2014 – Oh my – I was “so” serious. Yet another plan! Gotta love the woman I was then – still yearning for the firm thighs and a flat tummy of my 30 year old self.