Today is the 1st birthday of our 4th baby, Sloane. However, I’m not going to wish her a Happy Birthday out here. Seems kinda stupid to me since she doesn’t have a page of her own. No, I’m using this occasion to express how impressed with and proud I am of my wife. She has fulfilled my belief that if you really want to get in shape, you can.
Now mind you, she was a babe when I met her. That’s why I was attracted to her. I can still remember the outfit she was wearing on the night we met … uh, oops, sorry. That story is more appropriate for our anniversary. Anyway, she worked out then, but considering that she’s a year removed from childbirth, and the fact that the change is noticeable when I see her everyday, blows my mind. The running she has done has really had an effect.
I’ve always taken it as an article of faith that if you eat well and exercise, you’ll remain healthy, and healthy-looking. Before this year I’ve had only two first-hand experiences of any significant weight fluctuations.
The first was when I moved up to Dallas a couple years after graduating high school. At the time, I was in the 170-175 range. I was an athlete in high school, so I had fairly good eating and workout habits. When I moved, I refined those habits further. I tightened up the diet (if only due to financial constraints) and started lifting weights more. Thus, I put on about 20 pounds, and stayed there for a number of years.
My other experience has been a slower climb over the last five years or so. Blame it on ice cream. Blame it on beer. Blame it on time constraints. Given the birth of 4 daughters and a change of priorities, the latter is probably the biggest culprit. Whatever: I have gained about 10 lbs in that time.
Now comes the third experience, the first one of losing weight. As I said, there’s not a big difference in her appearance, but it’s there. I gaze at her longer than I used to in order to make sure what I’m seeing is for real. It’s as if I’m holding out my hands, fingertips to the sky and palms facing each other, and looking at her between them. I’ve had to move my hands closer to each other over the course of this year. Granted, part of this can be attributed to her body reassuming its normal shape the further out from the birth she progresses. But still, I don’t recall doing this as we neared Sloane’s older sisters’ respective 1st birthdays.
So take notice. If you really want to shape up, take care of yourself, set a good example for your kids and be productive, you can.
