Exercise and my boys

We've had a little bit of drama in the house in the last few weeks, as Paul has had some health issues. He had an odd treadmill test, so he had to do another, fancier one. When there's cause for concern (and it's heart-related stuff), I've found that medical people don't mess around. They went out of their way to make sure he got the fancy test ASAP. So far, we haven't heard anything, which I take as a good sign.

Some of the reason Paul's heart issues get a lot of attention are related to the fact that he doesn't look like someone who should be having heart trouble. It was particularly jarring when it first was discovered when he was 45. He's thin, and he looks very young for his age. When I was obese, any medical complaint I had was linked to my weight (even if it wasn't) by doctors; Paul's issues are always taken really seriously because he Just Doesn't Look Like someone who should be having troubles.

Half marathon: My 14-year-old is going to do the 13.1 Los Angeles half marathon with me in January. He has been training on his own with a lot of beach running. He likes to run with me, but I'm an early bird -- and he's a teenager who stays up late and sleeps late as well.

Losing toenails

I lost two toenails last night. And one last week.

I'm not sure if it's 100 percent because of injury or from other issues.

One thing I have learned is that it might not be my running shoes that are causing my toe concerns -- it might be the way my feet grip the shoes. I'm probably "hanging on" too much with the toes, which is causing the injury.

Here's a good article on toenails and running.

How have other people who run handled toe problems like this? I know, I know -- get thee to a podiatrist. I'm not really sure there's anything a podiatrist could do, though.

Substitutions versus new 'treats'

When people start eating healthier, they oftentimes want to recreate the sensation they get when they're eating less healthily. In other words, they want a "slim" version of fill-in-the-blank.

I've found it to be more effective to find something almost completely different. At least at first. I don't like the feeling of deprivation; when you go from something decadent to a much less decadent version, it's way too noticeable.

For example, I couldn't go from Diet Coke (I know, I know) to sparkling water without feeling deprived. I switched to iced tea first -- and I never really liked tea before. Now, sparkling water is a treat. And tea is a daily treat as well.

When I first went off sugar and flour, I had good luck with avoiding any feeling of indulgence. Thinking of food as fuel and medicine made it much easier to stay on the diet. It's not that I don't enjoy food now; it's just that it's better that I don't get too into the enjoyment of food. Let's face it -- I really enjoyed food in the past.

'I won't tell Tiffany'

My 11-year-old, who likes to joke around, suggested she and I get some ice cream while we were out on a errand together.

"I won't tell Tiffany," she said. "You could have some, too."

Yeah, right.