My Body, Circa 2008

I was reading my pal Gypsy’s blog today, and in this entry she asks the Universe for her body circa 1994. So it got me thinking of what my body was like back in 1994.

In 1994 I was 20 and was in college. I played field hockey in the fall and ran track in the spring. I was too busy to eat junk--with all the practices, classes, my radio show, and hanging out with my friends. I ran 3-4 miles per day, at least, and I trained in the gym almost every day so I could jump higher, run the hurdles faster, and throw my shot puts and discus further. My stomach was flat; my legs were toned to the point where you could see the definition of every single muscle when I was just standing around.

Since then I’ve gained pounds and lost pounds, but I still—for the most part—have been a runner. I am proud of the miles I rack up, but I still don’t have the see-every-muscle-toned-legs that I had back then. I suspect it might have something to do with the fact that I eat way more ice cream now than I did back then.

Today I walked 6 miles with a dog that belongs to some very dear friends of ours. While we were walking I thought about my body circa 1994. Back then I didn’t pay attention to how flat my belly was. I didn’t pay attention to how toned my legs were. Those were all just parts of my body that helped me compete better. I didn't obsess about the loss of muscle tone on my thighs as I do now.

The other night I was cleaning out the closet, in preparation to move, and found a belt I used to wear back then. I used to wear it on the tightest notch, and it was loose on me then at the tightest notch. I tried it on again, the other night, and was happy to see that I could latch it on the tightest notch, but it wasn’t as loose as it was in 1994. I ended up throwing the belt into the bag of stuff we’re donating to the Salvation Army, and cast it off with a “Quit livin in the past, man,” kind of flourish.

You all know I’ve been running/walking my ass off these last few months, literally, trying to reach my goal of 3,000 miles on the pedometer. This week I am trying to squeeze in 57 miles, because I was out of commission last week from my Life of Plague and Pestilence death-warmed-over-nauseafest-2008. I am proud to say that it’s Wednesday night and I’ve already put down 34 miles. Go me!

Since I started this 3,000 mile project I’ve lost about 10-13 pounds, though about half of that loss is due to not eating all last week (see above, Plague and Pestilence.) I am proud to say that my belly is flat, but I still don’t have the see-every-muscle toned legs I had then—but they're almost there.

It would be nice to end this post with something like “Here comes my body, circa 1994.” But you know what? My body, circa 2008 has travelled. It's since learned to sail, learned to dive, now wraps its arms around a husband and feels the slight weight of a wedding ring on its finger. My body, circa 2008, has since been skinny dipping, and has broken its toe. My body, circa 2008, has since witnessed the death of its mother and still feels its throat close up when the body's brain thinks about it.

Maybe I didn't appreciate my body, circa 1994, as much as I should have. But I sure as hell appreciate my body, circa 2008, and all it's done a whole lot more.