Diet and exercise

I finally decided to make the effort to get some exercise again. I’d been slacking off this past year after I stopped doing my paper routes. With those routes, I’d be walking continually for about an hour. Since last February, I really became a slug when it came to any form of exercise. And of course, I could feel it when I would go on hikes, like through Upper Sioux State Park or up the trail to Timpagonos Cave in Utah. I was completely and utterly out of shape. My bad cholesterol was a little high, so I’ve been taking fish oil pills every day.

So I’ve been doing the mall-walking thing, a few laps around Market Street. Several people do it, and it’s free. You just have to get your walk in before the place closes at 8 p.m. I also recently found out I can get 10 day passes at the YMCA for $50 (they usually cost $10 apiece), so I’m thinking of taking an exercising class or two, along with some swimming (or in my case, floating and flailing). And of course, I should incorporate a little more fruits and vegetables in my diet. It’s hard to cut back on things I like, such as M-n-Ms and Mountain Dew. Those are probably a couple of the main culprits. I opened one of my “buy one at $1.49, get one free” bags of baby carrots to have as a snack. But I’m one of those types that has to have dip with my carrots. I’ll try to keep the dipping down to a minimum....