Oh, the crazy things we do to get in shape…

I had been on and off my (husband-imposed) fitness and diet program for almost 2 months. The main reason is the chilly season. The cold and the wind hinder me from both my morning and evening jogs. Many times I’ve attempted to brave the cold but I end up frozen and numb (can’t even feel the mucus trickling down my mouth) and I’d head back home even before I could break a single droplet of sweat.

I also refuse to renew my membership in a gym where the cleaners are the only friendly people. I am tired of the staring game, the one where the ladies would give me that look saying, ”what is this Filipino doing here during working hours? Isn’t she supposed to be working enslaved at these hours.” And I stare back saying, ”You’re fat.”

My inactivity the past weeks had turned my husband into an obsessive fitness coach. The common question of the day is, ”when are you gonna jog?” This obsession escalated and became a daily inspection of fats in my legs. It worsened when he started saying, ”yalla, go jog” at 2:00 AM.

Today I made a choice. I can’t jog mornings and evenings, so I’ll just do it at noon, when it’s breezy cold but sunny warm. When the sun was up, I put on my rubber shoes and off I went, all pumped up!

Guess who was back after 10 minutes?

Who jogs in the middle of the day under the scorching heat of the sun?!

My equally crazy jogging-buddy Huda once told me of her jogging at 1:00 PM and she nearly fainted from heat stroke. But she did that during the summer. I thought I was wiser doing it during the cold season.

Wrong. I nearly died swallowing my tongue. The heat was penetrating, not even the wind could give relief. My legs felt like butter, melting away with every step. I felt like an egg fried in a pan. And for that very short time of exposure, I got my arms sunburnt.

The tall buildings, parks and pavements sometimes make me forget I am still in the desert.

I wonder if bringing an umbrella would make a difference.

Until the dreaded heat of summer comes back, I succumb to my daily inspection of growing cellulites.