I had to take off a pair of jeans today. They were too big, too baggy and didn’t fit me. They were size 36s. That’s a long way from the size 41 waist I had back in January.
One reason why I’ve tried to reduce the amount of body fat I have is because of the threat of cancer recurrence. I’ve read studies in the past that seem to hint that the higher body fat you have, the more likely you will have a melanoma recurrence. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is very difficult to fight once it comes back. (although you need to read the story of Kevin “Stenny” Stenstrom who has had it recur twice and beat it back both times.) Also other types of cancers are linked to obesity: Esophagus, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium (the lining of the uterus), colon and rectum, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, and possibly other cancer types.
Been there, done that. Got the scars to prove it. Don’t’ want to go back to Cancerland. Nope. Nevermore.
So I run. And watch what I eat. Because I know that Benny Franklin was right: An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
Today, I ran 5.18 miles, burned over 860 calories today. For 2012, I have burned 64,428 calories while running. That’s a lot of calories. And I probably sweated off another half-dozen pounds today because of the humidity. We’re getting into the miserable time of the year for running. It was nearly 80 degrees at 4:45 a.m. To quote my friend Meteorologist Ethan Huston, It was Mother Nature’s morning breath. Very apt description.
Congrats to you Marshall. That is one heck of a number for calories burned.