70 lbs. down. Now I can rant about obnoxious fitness fanatics.

[SheilaT]

35. Thank you.

Perhaps you should write a book, because this is a subject near and dear to me.

I need to lose weight, although for me 40 pounds would make me wondrously svelte. I also hate to exercise, although in decent weather I find I can get out every day and walk anywhere from one half mile to a mile and a half in my neighborhood (I've clocked the distances on my car) and I actually enjoy it.

I also am amazingly flexible, despite the excess weight and my age, 64. Hold on. I'll touch my toes and do a headstand. There, are you suitably impressed? I hope so.

I likewise despise the exercise Nazis. I also think there's something wrong with the "EVERYONE MUST EXERCISE LIKE THIS" exhortations that we hear from them. I am in suitable awe of those who do sport (I have a 25 year old son who plays ultimate frisbee, and my, is he in good shape!. The other son the 30 year old, runs an occasional 5k.) but it's not something we all have to do.

There's also the tyranny of various other sorts, such as gluten. Not long ago an acquaintance of mine expressed the opinion that of course everyone was gluten intolerant. Excuse me? Not all of us. And I suspect I am not quite the only person in North America who can still happily consume gluten.

In the end, what matters is that we all pay attention to our bodies. As they are. As they need to be. Exercise appropriately. Eat what makes sense. Live a full life. In the end, we all die. What comes after is currently a matter of faith, no matter that I personally have very strong beliefs about that. None of us get off this planet alive, and while we are here we must live our lives to the fullest.