For the exercise

I ran 3.5 miles in a loop around my neighborhood this morning. I do it for the exercise.

I've been running for less than a year. Before I ran, I walked. In my last year or so at The Bee I would walk around midtown every day, rain or shine.

There was a time in the not-very-distant past when I weighed in at more than 220 pounds. Each morning when I walked to the shower I had to pass a large mirrored wall. Each day started with a reminder of how overweight I was. It was depressing.

And then one day I started paying attention to what I ate. I read the labels on food looking for high fiber content and low sugar. I stopped eating chips and between-meal snacks, and developed a real love for fruit.

The diet and the exercise soon started showing results.

This morning I weighed in at 166 pounds. For a 57-year-old, 6-foot guy, that's a couple of pounds under the ideal weight. This afternoon I purchased a pair of pants with a 32-inch waist. Before I started losing weight, I had 36-inch pants that were uncomfortable to wear.

There are times when I can do things. There are times when I can't. I may want to do things. I may know I should do things. But nothing happens until it happens.

This weight loss experience -- the sudden ability to put aside sweets and make time for exercise -- mirrors what happened with smoking.

I started smoking at age 17. For years I knew smoking was bad. I knew I shouldn't smoke. But I smoked. And I often smoked two or three packs of cigarettes in a day. Then one day in 1980, I got a cold and a bad cough and I said enough. And I never smoked again.

I'm here writing every day for the exercise. The benefits will be just as measurable.