Today marks 4 weeks I've been doing taekwondo. Instructor Su got me up to 60 sit-ups in class!

It's Basics & Forms week, and almost every class has partly involved practicing with eyes closed, which is a whole special new challenge.

My stamina has been increasing, weight has going down, muscle mass has increased, and I generally feel better in a variety of ways.

I've been attending class about 5 times a week so far, as much as I'm able. The dojang is always closed on Sundays, and last Saturday was a holiday so I just went to the gym, but I'm really bringing my best to every class.

I biked to the office a few days this week and am working toward becoming more physically active just in general. I've got a doctor's appointment and then a general physical exam coming up over the next few months, and a personal goal is to be in the best condition I can by the time I get checked out. They've got records of my weight & other basic readings from visits earlier in the year, and I wanna see a comparison.

It seems that at least a good part of what's been ailing me lately is the need to do a lot more stretching in order to compensate for the additional leg work. I'm taking the time for stretch breaks during the day and trying to enforce an additional rest day during the week for muscle recovery.

This seems to be helping with "discomfort" around the knees, ankles, and toes.

Of course, other anti-inflammatory measures are also being employed on an as-needed basis.

Yesterday I read that:

For the fifth year in a row, Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity at 32.5%.... Mississippi also had the highest rate of obese and overweight children (ages 10 to 17) at 44.4%.

What can I say, other than WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!