So, there I was, alternately looking at my runners and looking outside, wondering if I would fall over from the effort of moving, or if I would simply bump and roll down the street like some larger-than-life, blown-up surgical glove that's been turned into a wheel  (OMG... Can't you just see huge, bugged-out eyes and a puckered-up mouth in a giant round face, and short, fat fingers and legs sticking out like bloated stumps from a humongous, oddly-shaped body?  ). As I stood there hemming and hawing about whether or not I should actually move my Jabba-the-Hut body, I had a moment of realization that literally knocked me on my big fat butt.  It might sound really stupid, but finally, I got that I'm the reason this fat suit has not only been sticking to me like contact cement, it's also been getting bigger! 

I've been watching what and how much I eat, I've been juicing (well, I didn't juice this past weekend - and man, am I paying for it...  ), and I've been staying away from the junk food, but I haven't been moving.  It's great to take control of your food, but if you're not moving - if you're not putting in reasonable and consistent physical effort - you're defeating your own purpose, and that's what I've been doing.

The moment I realized all of this, I put my shoes on, grabbed my sweater, and I huffed and puffed my way around the block, talking to myself the whole time. I kept asking myself what I was so afraid of (there has to be some kind of fear in place, otherwise, these layers would be peeling off like water flowing down a mountainside).  When the answer came, I nearly tripped over the leaves on the sidewalk:  I'm afraid to be seen.

All this time, I've been blind to this - which is really weird, since it's something I've been asking you, the Reader, to consider.  Funny how we don't often get stuff ourselves, even though we're telling those same things to others...

Anyway...

I've come up with a plan which I hope will generate support, discussion, and participation: I'm going to do a block-walk twice a day, every day, beginning today.  The walk is a total of four rounds around the block - twice in the morning and twice in the evening (these are good times to go, as there aren't any kids around to taunt me. Also, in the heat of the summer, it's just common sense) for a period of one week.  In the second week, I will increase the distance by walking to our local park, not quite a kilometer from my house, walking once around that park (1km), and then walking home.  In total, the walk will be approximately 3km; if I do that every day, I'll be peeling off layers like crazy - and I won't be ashamed to have my picture taken.  Goodbye, Jabba-body! 

So, there you have it.  The Rolie-Polie gets a brain, and the balloon gets popped. Ya gotta love it. 

Have a great day and a great week, everyone.  See you on the backstretch!