I don’t have pretty toenails. In fact they are noticeably ugly. I don’t remember a history of ugly toenails until I became a runner some 16 years ago. As the frequency and distance of my daily runs increased, my toenails took on an increasingly feral appearance to the point that, every so often, one would fall off completely. That is a truly happy day in a runner’s life.
Yesterday, I sat on the front porch with my heavy duty nail clippers and hacked away at the grotesque, hardened claws that hang off the ends of my feet. Toenail clipping is a task I dread. I’m not as flexible as I was a few, short years ago and the thickness and crazy growth makes it a hard task. I’ve considered a pedicure to get them under control but assume the nail technician would quit their job and flee in horror once my socks were removed.
Why am I discussing the mundane task of nail clipping? Well, mostly because it turned out to be not as difficult as I thought. This wasn’t because my toenails magically transformed into thin, manageable protective toe sheaths but rather because there is no longer a big, fat belly in the way . . . again.
Back in January after many months of a post-Covid self-care funk, I stepped on the scale one day and was shocked when it read 196.6. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t really all that shocked. The number was in line with my eating, drinking, and sloth-like habits. I was harkening back to my late 30s and early 40s when, after a long day of sitting around the office, I would come home and sit around the living room eating Combos and drinking diet coke. And that was after a big dinner and some ice cream.
My weigh in each of the last 2 days has been 173.6. A full 23 pounds lighter from that day back in January. I feel better, look better, and am able to be active again without groaning all the time or feeling like I’m carrying pockets full of lead everywhere I go. It also turns out it is much easier to do things like trim my toenails and virtually every other activity without a big belly roll in the way.
For comparison, a quick check in the Google AI says the following things weigh about 23 pounds:
- A medium-sized suitcase
- A window air conditioner
- A large watermelon
- A female sea otter
Running these days is definitely easier without carrying the equivalent of a medium-sized suitcase everywhere. I suppose one could make the argument that running on a hot day might be more enjoyable were they carrying a window air conditioner but that seems counter intuitive. Nothing is more enjoyable after a hot run then some ice cold watermelon though! And I’d happily share that watermelon with a sea otter though she’d probably rather have some nice mussels or clams. Regardless, it is much better not to have any of those things along while running, lawn mowing, or toenail clipping. It has also been fun to resurrect the jeans and shorts that I thought I would never wear again.
I’m pretty close to a weight I am happy with. The easy stuff and big belly are gone. I’m not going to obsess about a number on the scale and from here on will go by the mirror as much as anything else. I do intend to keep the healthy habits that I’ve re-developed though.
As mentioned previously, I promised myself that once I cracked 180 lbs. I’d sign up for a race. I have not done that yet, but mostly due to time constraints. April and May are busy months for me with lots of other interests taking place. But I won’t back pedal. Before the year is over I will be toeing the start line again and hope to have an eye toward a couple iconic races I never did but want to.
Bring it On 