Spring Training

Well, spring has officially arrived. It's hard to get used to temperatures in the 60's, but we're loving it. Not only can we take Topher outside more, but we can start to get ourselves back in shape as well. Every day after work, TJ takes Topher downstairs and they weight-lift together, and now that it's warm it gives me a chance to go jogging. Too bad I'm so out of shape, I can barely run for an entire song on the i-pod before stopping to walk and letting my burning lungs cool down a little. (In my defense, however, Barenaked Ladies songs are really quite long...they're practically ballads. And I've been pretty dormant for the whole of winter so my body is resistant to any form of exercise.) But I am bound and determined to lose all the "baby weight" that I put on with Topher. He's 6 months old now, and it feels really lame to still be using him as an excuse for my excess "softness". Thank goodness for the i-pod, though, because I can't run without it. If I don't have upbeat music blasting in my ears, all I can hear is my out-of-shape self huffing and puffing and then I worry that I'm going to die and I stop a lot sooner than if I can't hear anything but the rhythm. My favorite things to run to, besides BNL, is probably rap or hip-hop. Anything with a relentless beat and tons of bass always encourages me to pound the pavement. It's probably funny to watch me run because I often get lost in the song and I'll start playing air guitar or start beating an imaginary drum with my invisible drumsticks. Plus I sing along. Good thing the Cambridge nature trails are usually traffic-less. I'm too embarrassed to post my weight here on the blog, but let's just say that I'm aiming to lose 15 lbs this year (I gained 36 lbs total with Topher, can you believe that??) I don't know where it's all hiding, but I know that I have a lot of toning up to do. TJ's goal is just to be hugely muscular (which he already is) and to get tan and I think he wants to try running a 5k this summer, too. (For all you Office fans: "Michael, 5k means five kilometers, not five thousand miles.") Of course, losing weight means I have to ignore all that Easter candy in the kitchen, which is easier said than done. But with Topher as my motivation to get healthy, I think I can do this. --KC