It’s a beautiful day at Lake Fayetteville. The car says 58 degrees. In the garage, it was 54, so it’s actually warmer out here. The phone says 61, so it’s probably 61 at the airport. That’s where most weather stations are. They have to know the weather so they can tell the pilots and calculate atmospheric pressure and wind speed. It’s sunny out here, and it’s not sunny in my garage, so that might have something to do with the temperature difference.

This is my first walk in about a week. I was doing pretty well, walking every couple of days. I had a family situation that has been taking up a lot of my time over the last week. The last couple of days, I feel like I’m doing a little better and eating a little better. So I’m out here trying to exercise. I tweaked my back at some point. I didn’t notice until I was in the grocery store, and all of a sudden, it came on. So I don’t know what I did that caused that. It’s doing a little better today.

I’m still 279 pounds. So I expect to have back pain on this walk. And I didn’t take ibuprofen before I got out here, which would have been the smart thing to do. But that’s okay, we’ll do what we can. At 61 degrees, I don’t have to wear gloves or a hat or anything like that. But I got a pair of gloves that used to be my father’s. Made, of course, by Master Knitter Henrietta Davis. They are really warm. It still feels chilly because I’m just getting out here. I turn down my thermostat at night, but it’s not this cool. So I’m feeling overall pretty good, but it’s been a couple of days of feeling good. Let’s try to make it a week.

I have a couple of social engagements coming up. For dinner tonight, I should have a chef’s salad. Then dinner tomorrow at a friend’s house. So today, I had oatmeal for breakfast and an apple for lunch, and I should have a chef’s salad for supper, so that’s about 900 calories, which is around what I need to lose weight. I need to ramp up the exercise to where I can tolerate more calories. I believe at the height of my fitness, I was at about 1900, which is a lot more. But we are working on our metabolism and muscles and burning calories at the same time. You don’t burn many calories by walking, but it is some.

I’m not sure I should talk about this, but I’m going to. I had an episode about death not long ago when I attended a funeral as a family friend. I was thinking about how you remember the moments you shared with the person who is now gone and how you will never reminisce with that person again about those moments. So they only exist in your mind. I recently had a death in my family, much closer to home, my father, whom you met in one of the first few episodes of my podcast [it was actually episode 6 from November 22, 2017]. I had been walking with him and recorded an episode, and he said a few things and answered some questions. It was nice. So you can go listen to that episode.

Quite a few people are out here today. It’s a beautiful day, as I said. There is not a cloud in the sky as far as I can see. Reflecting on the water, making it look blue.

So go check out episode 6 if you like. That’s the person I’m talking about. He suffered from dementia for at least six years and suffered several strokes as well. So he had kind of a rough end to his life. But anyway, apart from thinking about those moments, it sort of puts your life in perspective. You think about the idea that there’s an end to all this. There’s not an infinite amount of time. So how am I spending my days on earth, knowing that they are irreplaceable? Priceless. Time is priceless.

I don’t think I’m actually living life to the fullest right now. I feel like I need to make some changes and put some of the things that give me joy in life — give them more priority. So there you go. Philosophy Department. Thinking about existence and life.

I have a pretty good pace going today. I’m warm. My hood is off. I’m going to turn around, and we’ll do 1.4 miles today, assuming I get back in one piece. I can smell leaves. They are kind of wet. We had some snow last week. Yesterday morning, it was 12 degrees, and it was even lower during the night. And this coming week, we are expecting what my friend described as “arctic temperatures.” I don’t like it very much, not so much because of the cold and experiencing it, but because the bill for my heat is so high. I try to keep the thermostat as low as I can and wrap up as much as I can around the house. I’ve been working from home, but I can go to the office, and it’s relatively warm there.

My back is pretty tight now. I’m thinking of just keeping my diet on track and trying to walk every couple of days, and I can get some of this weight off and get some relief from my back pain. So I’m trying to keep things going. Sleep hasn’t been too bad, hasn’t been great. I always think I can do better by being more consistent and going to bed early enough that I can get up early enough without sacrificing the sleep I need.

I’m going to be getting up a lot earlier pretty soon because I’m going to rejoin the gym for a third time before the end of the month because they have a special for returning members waiving the enrollment fee. Which I think they only have so they can have this special. I can’t think of a reason otherwise. The monthly bill is pretty high as far as most gyms go. But I like it, and it lets me do what I need to do, whereas, at some gyms, you spend most of your time just waiting in line. And as I said before, time is precious. I’m not doing it yet. Does it make sense that I want to get in shape before I go to the gym? I’m not concerned so much about looking good as I am about making my time there worthwhile. And I kept all my old log books, so I should be able just to jump right in, whatever day it is. And say, “Okay, here’s what I was doing…” I’m going to start at a lower weight, maybe a lower number of reps, and work my way up. Progressive increased resistance. That’s the way to go.

Fortunately, this thing is a virtuous cycle. Not a vicious cycle but a virtuous one. The more muscle I build, the more fat I burn, the lighter I am, and the easier it is to exercise, including walking. So, the more I do, the better it gets. That’s the way it works. The less I do, the worse it gets. And I’m demonstrating that now as I talk to you about my situation.

It’s a good thing that I’m eating with relatives and friends the next couple of nights because I was kind of thinking about having a cheat meal, and that will at least put it off for a couple of days. I’ll have to eat whatever is available. I know the menu for tonight, but I don’t know about tomorrow night. I’m trying to be more social. That’s always an issue for me. Improving my social life. So that will be good for that. Because I think it’s not so bad once you get used to it, like everything else. When I’m used to being alone, that’s a comfortable place. When I’m used to being with friends, that’s a comfortable place.

I haven’t stopped once so far, which is progress. My back hurts, but again, every time I come out, it’s going to hurt a little less. At least, that’s the assumption I’m working on. And as you hear the traffic noise increase because it’s rush hour here in Northwest Arkansas, it means I’m getting closer to the end. I can see the parking lot. I can see my car. It’s always a good motivator.

It’s an awesome day for January 11, 2024. It’s 61 degrees, assuming it hasn’t gotten any warmer. So, it’s a great day to be out walking at beautiful Lake Fayetteville. The next time you’re on YouTube, check us out. It’s @runningafever. And go have a happy, healthy day!