Health at unusual size

[missroserose]

(For once this icon is appropriate literally *and* metaphorically. Heh.)

I've been gaining weight over the past several months. Part of it has been the lessening of activity over the summer - when it's 95 degrees and sunny out I'm a lot more likely to catch a ride home with Brian than walk/bike up the hill. (Also, wow, I've been in Arizona three years and it still feels weird to be thinking how I've been sedentary over the summer rather than the winter.) Part of it has been falling into a bad habit of snacking while bored (although I want to lodge a protest - it is completely unfair how little of that it takes, especially with processed snacks like chips, to start putting on noticeable weight). Part of it is not paying attention to how hungry I am and overeating on meals (the dangers of having a fantastic live-in chef). The upshot is, while I intentionally don't have a scale, I'm pretty certain I'm as big now as I've ever been in my life. I don't feel fat, exactly, but I wouldn't want to gain much more.

The weird thing is, I'm actually in some of the best shape of my life, too. I've recently added "Raise heart rate" to my daily goals, and have for the past few weeks managed to do something cardio-related four or five times a week. (Helps that we live in a crazy-hilly area - if nothing else I can zoom my bike down our super-steep street, go up Tombstone Canyon until I'm panting, zoom back down, and push the bike back up our street - fifteen minutes, tops.) And today I managed to follow a fairly intensive yoga class (including some "special variations" on Warrior II the teacher included just for me - my thighs are feeling like jelly tonight) with a ride up the hill to our street, and barely even got out of breath. My back seems to have finally-mostly-fingers-crossed-actually healed, and I'm working on some low-level core training in hopes of preventing it from going out again. And while I've always been limber in my back and shoulders, lately I've finally (finally!) noticed an increase in the range of motion in my hips as well.

So...yeah. Probably going to continue watching what I eat (and drink...curse you, Ian, and your fridge full of delicious beer) for a while. But, even though I've known for a while that weight gain doesn't necessarily preclude physical fitness, it's nice to have experienced it for myself.

Comments

[marialuminous.livejournal.com]

I gained weight recently myself, and I have mixed feelings about it, but one of those feelings was, "But... but... I'm more physically active now than I've been in years! Not fair!" I am attempting to reduce my sugar intake, and I've decided that any further weight gain is probably muscle. :)

[errant-variable.livejournal.com]

Muscle mass gain helps to burn more calories - sweat it, but only when moving. As far as fridges of delicious beer, I still am not seeing the problem.