the body

One thing I know I have to do, especially if I do end up going back to Korea, is exercise-- hic et nunc. I've neglected my body for far too long, and I've been hovering at the same unhealthy weight-- 300 pounds-- for well over two years. During that time, I've begun to suspect that I've developed diabetes; I seem to be exhibiting some of the symptoms. At 42, I can no longer rely on a youthful metabolism and immune system to rescue me from my own indiscretions; if I don't get proactive, my joking prediction of not living beyond 60 will begin to look like a self-fulfilling prophecy.*

I also know that coming back to Korea means coming back to the land of jejune fat jokes, flimsy chairs, and all the other inconveniences that await the sweaty-and-portly in a fat-unfriendly culture. For my ego, then, as much as for my health, I need to get in shape in these coming months. I laid out a program a couple years ago; it's sitting in my files. Now, as has always been the case, it's just a matter of doing what needs to be done.

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*Given what I know about the life expectancy of people on my mother's side of the family, though, I may not be able to escape genetics. I wish I had some Ashkenazi blood in me, so I could live to 100.


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