My Shiny New Exercise Machine

When I take a trip down memory lane by looking at old family pictures, I see myself as I used to be. As a boy, I was very active - riding bicycles, playing in the woods, playing baseball and football...and as a natural result I was slim and trim.

During my high school years, being on the wrestling team kept me in tip-top shape. Daily workouts and grueling wrestling practices left me with very little body fat and plenty of strength and stamina. In those days I rarely got tired or sick. Those four years had me in the best physical shape of my life.

I joined the ROTC program in college and that kept me in decent shape. I always "maxed" the Pushup and Sit-up portions of my PT Tests, and even though running was never a strong point, I always did well on the 2 mile runs. I also played lots of tennis during those years - often playing for hours at a time!

Later, a stint as an Officer in the U.S. Army meant staying fit - being out of shape simply wasn't an option. Daily physical training with my unit, frequent long runs and walking the hills and mountains of South Korea kept me slim and trim. I could eat anything and everything I wanted without gaining a pound. But then...

When I left the Army and returned to civilian life, I stopped working out. I enjoyed the freedom of not having to roll out of of bed at 5am every morning and do PT or run in all kinds of weather. The problem was, I didn't alter my eating habits. So...

Today I find myself in my mid-40's, out of shape and overweight. That lean, muscular body of days-gone-by has been transformed into...well, I think you get the picture!

All of this rambling brings us to today's picture. It's a photo of my brand new exercise machine. For quite some time now I've been telling my wife that I would get one some day and begin working out again. I guess she must have grown tired of hearing me talk about it because she got me an exercise machine for Christmas this year. The funny thing is, I got it a few days early...

You see, Cheria is one of those people who insist that Christmas gifts are not to be opened before Christmas Eve at the earliest. One of her biggest pet peeves is for you to find out what she got for you before the official gift opening "ceremony". But she had no choice with my exercise machine because she couldn't get the large 200+ pound box out of the car without my help - so for once I found out what I was getting for Christmas early!

Anyway, since she gave me a wonderful exercise machine I no longer have an excuse for not working out. Being a realist, I know that I'll probably never regain that well-toned, muscular body or endless stamina of my youth, but if I can lose some of my extra weight and improve my overall health I'll be happy. After all, I want to spend as many days as I can enjoying my life and the people I love - especially Cheria and my precious granddaughter Olivia, two people who have changed my life for the better in so many ways!

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