35 x 30

There are times in a man's life when he must face the truth and realize that the years ahead might not be kind. Fortunately, for some, this realization is enough to actively delay aging. This is tale of how the years briefly caught up to me.

Three weeks ago I had to ask whether my pants were too tight. Sadly, they were. I changed out of the first pair and tried on a second khaki pants. I could not believe that it was also snug. I was perplexed. I just ran two half marathons two weeks apart and workout (somewhat) regularly. The only solution was the dryer shrunk my pants. The dryer didn't just attack one pair, it was after all dress pants.

I was convinced the dryer was out to get me for a full week before my loving wife softly commented, "Maybe you gained some weight." I said, "Impossible.", and proceeded to recount my recent athletic accomplishments. Then, the real test, she squeezed my waist. Looking at her, I knew. "Sweetie," she began, "I think you might have gained some weight." No... noooooooooooooo!

It was true. Despite the races, and weight lifting, and training, and Frisbee, here I stood with a spare tire. Granted, a small spare tire, but a spare tire nonetheless. I took little comfort in effects of stress and cortisol on belly fat. It was true that new work responsibilities added stress. Also, I was traveling more often which was messing with my sleep schedule. Marathons can contribute to higher stress.

The trifecta resulted in a few new pairs of pants.While I was probably 35 x 30 at my most stressed, I fit into 34 x 30. I will not complacently allow this to continue. I will take control and will soon have a post titled, "32 x 30 :)"