Like many successful low-carbers, exercise is an important part of my life. My weight training is supervised by a personal trainer. Corey seemed like a real nice guy when I first met him. He reminded me of Will Smith, with the same kind of “aw shucks” way about him. I signed on to his program and that’s when the fun began. Twice each week he attempts to kill me, but I’m happy to say he has not succeeded… yet. Now that he has tortured me for almost a year, I have gotten to the point where I actually enjoy it. The changes to my body, even at my advanced age, are amazing. Well worth the pain.

I also like to run a couple of times a week. I love this time of year because with spring in full swing, I can leave the treadmill behind and hit the roads. Running on a treadmill during inclement weather is both a blessing and a curse. It is good off-season exercise but can be extremely boring. Recognizing this, most upscale gyms now place TVs in front of their treadmills which provide a bit of diversion while we plod along. My gym is very small so there is only one TV and program selection is the right of the first person to jump on one of the treadmills. When I arrive at 10AM, there is a woman who has already started and has tuned in “The View”. For those not familiar with this show, it consists of four women from New York City sitting around a table, drinking coffee and expounding on why men are dogs. As a student of world markets with a deep interest in cost analyses and trends, I would prefer to watch “The Price is Right” (Bob Barker is pretty cool, but because of him I’ve neutered my dog six times already. Bob, we get the message!). I changed my schedule to arrive earlier to get control of the tube, so I was there in time to tune in Rocky and Bullwinkle for a couple of mornings. She trumped me by getting there even earlier to expose me to the wonderful world of infomercials (I admit I couldn’t resist Ron Popeil’s rotisserie). One morning as I’m driving to the gym in the dark, I decided this game had gone too far. So now I watch the ladies of “The View” and pretend I’m ignoring it. But I digress.

By early May, I leave the treadmill to others and run the roads. There are several parks around Houston that are frequented by runners and walkers of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. One park in particular has a three mile loop path around a golf course within a heavily wooded area. In the spring there are times that I forget about my running time and just relax, jog slowly and even walk and admire the change to green from winter’s gray just a few weeks before. Even the air has freshness about it. It’s a seasonal transition I look forward to every year.

Now that the weather is more moderate, take advantage of it. Push yourself away from your desk or jump off the couch as the case may be and go outside and walk or jog to satisfy your need for exercise. But don’t forget to satisfy your soul as well. As you make your way along your route, don’t just look, but SEE the wonders around you. “Stop and smell the roses” is an overused, corny little saying, but very sage advice.