Lessons Learned

Yesterday, we spent a good four hours at the water park.  We climbed stairs over and over to ride the tube rides.  Amazingly, I wasn't hurting.  I had expected to feel those familiar twinges in the back, and even more so in my knees.  But the twinges never came.  Surprisingly, I kept up with our thirteen year old.  It was 1400hrs when we both decided we were hungry.  I had had my protein drink (the room has a blender) and a Greek yogurt before we left the room.  I had filled the room with all his favorite healthy foods, but my son had decided he could get by with his usual pop tart breakfast.  We were standing in the line when he started to feel dizzy.  One minute he was standing there talking about getting nachos and Gatorade, the next he was heavy in my arms.  I thought he was goofing around at first.  He wasn't.  He was passing out.  His body was telling him he had reached the age when he would have to start eating better.  We sat down for a few minutes.  When he was feeling better, we went back to the room and had a long talk.  He drank water and he ate.  You know, you can buy all the right foods, but you can't force feed teenagers.  They have minds of their own.  Regardless of efforts to be the good parent, the positive role model, they will eat what they want.  Somehow I knew that from know on, after learning this valuable lesson, he would listen to mom and dad when they say, "you have to eat better".
  By the early evening, he was feeling better.  We went for a quick ride on the go carts.  I thought, at a buffet dinner, he might eat better, but as it turned out, well...I'll never go there again.  The food, though plentiful, was literally soaked in butter and grease.  I picked at the veggies and had a small piece of key lime pie.  The pie wasn't bad.  I had had so little of the buffet, I felt no guilt from eating the pie.  We played in the arcade a bit, then came back to the room to watch a movie together.  It was a short night, I guess, but I wanted to keep an eye on him.
  This morning, I managed to get to the gym.  I don't really like going to public gyms.  Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but it always seems that I am being watched.  I got on a free treadmill, but couldn't figure out how to make the darn thing work.  Ugh.  I missed our treadmill.  I went over to the elliptical for a while, until the bigger treadmills were open.  Once I got on, I did two miles (I didn't want to hog the equipment in a crowded gym).  I did 300 weight repetitions (I was the only one lifting the smaller weights).  I lay out a mat, locked my feet under some equipment not in use, and did 100 sit ups.  Then I rolled over and did 50 push ups.  I decided against the butt lifts.  Too erotic for a public gym.  And remember, I was already uncomfortable thinking I was being watched.
  Once back in room, I asked my youngest (still in his pajamas) if he had eaten.  He just flashed me a smile...which meant "No".  "Well, don't you think you should?"  He got up and had a pop tart.  But this time, he also added a carnation instant breakfast and some fresh sliced cantelope.  I am going to have to watch that one.  We got dressed, went out and played a game of mini golf AKA putt putt.  Doing that, I managed to walk another two miles (brought my pedometer today).  Right now, we are in the middle of deciding between summer tubing ride or heading back to the water park.  I'm thinking we might also return to the go carts.  He loved the go carts.