the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

and none too soon.

I got to put on my uniform and meet my commander yesterday, and as much as I have wanted to see how long I can go without wearing it, I needed that.

First, there's something about just putting it on that changes how I behave and respond to others. It's a bit like the business suit concept, where dressing professionally somehow makes you behave more professionally than you would in shorts and flip-flops. When I'm in uniform, I cannot help but be aware of how others perceive me.

Second, I've been gaining weight and it's almost out of hand, and putting on a fitted uniform made my laxity impossible to ignore any longer. It fits, baby. It fits in a way that makes me less than comfortable, to say the least. Another pound or two and I'd have been forced to wear the skirt, and...I won't let that happen.

As a professional student, I've found that I can make my own hours, pretty much. Over the last year, this has translated into sleeping until 10am, staying up until midnight or later, and eating/drinking too much (and the wrong stuff). I can also take naps at will, most days. None of this contributes positively to my physical fitness.

Yes...I can ride my bicycle to school and back without a problem (it's a little less than a 33 mile round trip), so I am probably "fit" by most people's standards. By mine, though? I've never been this out of shape in my life.

Seriously. I'm actually at a point of slothfulness where I find the very idea of beginning anything approximating a workout regimen incredibly daunting.

As noted, I'm back in military mode now. I've decided it's time to take up a new sport, one that requires minimal equipment and can be done anywhere and anytime. One that doesn't kill my joints, like running, but which will be equally addicting.

So I've started racewalking. I wouldn't call it that right now, of course. Right now, I'm going slowly and trying to learn the proper technique. The rules sound pretty simple: one foot must be on the ground at all times, and the lead leg must be straight from the moment the heel hits the ground to the moment it passes the vertical line of your body.

Easy, right? Well..."easy" in the same way racquetball is: easy to understand, difficult to master.

From what I read today, I am in one of the non-preferred groups to begin racewalking, too. I am a former runner who has been injured and am looking for another way to get my jollies. My problem (predictably) is that I feel as though I'm not going fast enough.

So far, so good, though. Less than 100 yards, even at a slow pace with proper technique, is vicious. Try it.

No. Go on! I'll wait.

Back so soon? OK. That ropy muscle that goes along your shin that is cramping viciously? That's called the tibialis anterior. It's the primary mover that allows you to pull your foot toward your shin. You don't use it much. Perhaps you've noticed.

So my goal right now is to walk a mile a day using this technique, stretching as necessary, then do 50 pushups a day and 50 crunches a day...in any groups necessary. Since I'm going slow and watching my form with pushups, I'm appalled at how pathetic I've become in this department, too. Once I can do these, I'll up the numbers, of course. Right now, I'm more concerned about being discouraged than overdoing it. That's how sluggish I am now.

So back to the military thing. My commander gave me an odd job to accomplish. Well, an odd job to me. I'm doing an investigation, as an uninvolved third party. It's standard procedure, and it won't take a lot of my time. What's important about it is that, once again, I cannot do this without being back in full officer mode. And that's a good thing.

In other news (a propos of nothing), my bike was stolen today (or sometime over the weekend). I'm now in the market for a new set of wheels...and some medieval, heavy duty locks to make sure this doesn't happen again.

d