Last chance for abs

Not having run for nearly 8 weeks now has not helped my waistline.  At 171 I’m 6 pounds heavier  than I was at the end of April.  Something has to be done, as I likely won’t be able to resume a regular running schedule until early August. 

I am still mostly following the ‘No S’ Diet, which is no snacks, no sweets and no seconds on any day except days starting with ‘S’ (Saturday, Sunday and ‘Special’ days such as holidays or birthday).  Lately I’ve been a bit slack on the ‘no snacking’ part of the deal, with a few peanuts and some ‘natural’ pita chips and hummus somehow slipping through the blockade. 

So we will tackle this with a renewed emphasis on sticking to the ‘No S’ rules, watching the consumption even on the weekends, cutting down on the fun calories (candy, wine, beer etc. – you know who you are!) and stepping up alternative exercise.  By that I mean some more walking with the dogs, rowing on the C-2 (boring but effective) and working out with a Personal Trainer 2 to 3 times per week. 

To give this a bit of structure and a tangible goal, I will restart my (by now) almost quixotic search for my long-lost abs.  The one or two of you who have followed this blog from when I first started it a few years ago, may recall a couple of posts on this topic.  To the effect that my abs were last seen in c. 1982 and that they have since proven to be more elusive than the last resting place of Jimmy Hoffa. 

Even at 60 I know I have a few of them left.  They have just become extremely shy after so many years in solitary confinement.  Nothing seems to work to coax them out:  I have tried running, working out, boxing, rowing, Swiss exercise balls, barbells and dumbbells, medicine balls and rubber bands. 

So I am giving my abs one last best chance to see the light of day and join the 21^st century.  Everyone enjoys their 15 minutes of fame nowadays, so maybe that will work.  They are going to hate it at first as they are clearly not ready for prime-time yet, but here goes.