Marshall Ramsey

I gained a couple of pounds over the weekend. Why? Because I ate a lot of food I normally don’t eat. Hot dogs and chili were the main culprits.  I know, I know — lash me with a tofu noodle.  But I wanted to bring it up for a reason.  It was the exception and not the norm.  I’m back to my fairly strict diet starting today. And I’m adding back situps and pushups.  I fell off the “core” wagon and I think that atrophy has led to some of my back problems I’m experiencing. My back muscles are tight, causing problems in my legs as well.  Of course, it could be the hot dogs.  But I doubt it.

I ran a comfortable 11-mile run Saturday.  Today, I ran an uncomfortable 5.26 miles.  It was uncomfortable because my legs were tight and I could feel my IT band in my left leg rubbing a little bit.

So starting tonight, I will start with 25 pushups and 25 sit-ups. I will then take 10 minutes to stretch.  Tomorrow morning, I will makes sure I stretch again before I run (more than I currently stretch in the morning.)

Monday is a good day to start something new.  It seems like the right time to reset my exercise routine.  I never want the thief of boredom or the thief of wear injuries to steal my joy from exercise.

Nothing quite like the low 50’s to make you a stronger, faster and more confident runner. This morning, I ran a strong 5.25 miles and hardly broke a sweat until I was 2.5 miles into the run.  The stars were brilliant.  I normally keep my head down (to make sure I don’t trip) but this morning the awe of their brilliance made me stare at them lovingly.  As I felt my heart beat, I felt tiny in the whole scheme of things. But I felt alive, glad to be part of this moment on this small speck of dust we call Earth.  What a powerful run this morning. The cool weather allowed me to think of something larger than myself.

My sons are taking a track class.  They’re learning how to be better runners (both are fairly fast for their age).  It is a fun thing that we can all do together.  I went to the practice with them last night and watched them run relays.  A family that exercises together, stays together.

I read a report yesterday claiming Mississippi will be at 67% obesity by 2030. The Mayans didn’t even predict this kind of calamity. That’s two out of three people in this state being obese. Not overweight. Obese.  Right now it is a shocking one out of three.  I personally think this can be avoided. How do I know — I used to be obese.  And if I can do it, I know so many others in this state can, too. We can’t afford to get any bigger.

So I’m starting with the one person I can control: Me. And then I’m going to use my influence to keep my kids from suffering from being overweight. And if anyone else wants to jump on board, there’s plenty of room.

I wish I were outside right now. The weather is gorgeous. Thanks be to God for cooler weather.