We Are Certainly NOT All A's

I caught some well-deserved flak for my last posting, which gives me an opportunity to clarify my position, for which I am grateful.

While I am alarmed at the thought that soon everyone in America will wear size Q pantyhose and no one will require size A, I realize equally that not everyone can be nor should be an A. My twelve-year-old daughter is a size A, and I could not find pantyhose for her, and I don't remember that being the case back when I was a size A, in the pre-Cambrian period. I remember there being A's, B's, and Q's. We are all different sizes, naturally.

My inability to find size A pantyhose triggered my sensitivity to the supersizing of America and my worries about that. But just as much as I think not everyone should be a Q, I know everyone cannot be an A, either. I, myself, will never be an A again. And I am fine with that.

The reactions I got to my postings gave me two new revelations. One, as a quite short person, I have never needed to purchase pantyhose to fit my height, only my weight, and so, of course, I missed the boat on why many people wear Q and beyond. I forgot that pantyhose size is a matter of height as well as weight. So sorry. Two, that many of the potential candidates for size A are young girls, who nowadays shun pantyhose completely.

So, the market for size A seems to have shrunk not only by our expanding girth but by our expanding freedom. I go bare-legged for much of the summer, too, although I do think there are occasions both cold and formal that require stockings. I am either old-fashioned or classy. Take your pick.

It was also brought to my attention that I may be a little "obsessed" with my personal journey toward better fitness. This is true. As a short person on whom every pound shows, with a heavy side of the family in my genetics, a sizeable sweet tooth, and a healthy dose of vanity despite having borne my last children while squarely in middle age, I have found that, without a fair amount of attention to and thought about what I eat and don't eat, what I do and don't do, where my weaknesses and strengths lie, what my triggers and traps are, I don't make any progress.

Making a half-hearted or short-lived effort doesn't work for me anymore. My efforts to make progress toward permanent weight loss and better health have required a great deal of research, thought, and trial and error. I am not wealthy enough to pay someone to figure this out for me. So, as one of the things I care about, fitness is one of the themes of my blog. This is not a weight-loss column, though, so it is not the only thing I blog about. But it will come up. It seems wise and prudent to me for most of us to give it some thought. But, if it makes you uncomfortable to contemplate fitness, skip those.

Please bear in mind that I am certainly no one worth anyone's envy. I have a large waist for my height, and, while I have attained some moderate gains in the past couple of years, my metabolism is basically broken, and I have to pay a large price for even moderate gains. Also, I can lose them far too easily. Like, by living through a holiday. After all this time, I still struggle to obtain and maintain a balance between my efforts and my weaknesses in order to achieve the results I want. I wouldn't wish this struggle onto my worst enemy. My thoughts are only to encourage others pressing forward along the same path.

And, as my niece eloquently pointed out, I lost two sisters this year and almost lost her father, who came as close to death as anyone can come and talk about it afterward. Other family members were also in jeopardy for their lives due to health issues. Including me. She wisely observed that the time to worry about these matters is now, before we are diagnosed.

So, yes, it is on my mind. When something as small as catching a cold could endanger your life or at least your ability, you pay attention to anything and everything that can help you have better health.

According to the experts, exercise can reduce the risk of everything from dementia to diabetes, from cancer to feeling bloated. And obesity ups the risks of just about everything dire. Even if all you do is prevent yourself from putting on another 20 pounds in your lifetime, from what I read, it would be worth it.