Best exercise of all

Taking the train into New York City, which I did yesterday, always brings backs memories of my childhood. Metro North passes the station in The Bronx -- Williams Bridge -- that I called home for 22 years. I love looking out the window and seeing the haunts of my childhood -- French Charlie's, the Botanical Garden, the Bronx River where we stoned rats. (It was a tough childhood!) But this trip down memory lane always reminds me of a time when I never had to give my weight a second thought. Why? Because we walked all over the place.

If we took a train or a bus, we had to first walk to the station or the bus stop. To see my friends, I had to walk blocks, and once I reached their apartment houses, it was up two, three, four or even five flights of stairs. When we played, it was at the Oval, which was about half a mile from my apartment. And when we played, we jumped rope and played games or sports. Later, like all other Bronx kids, we hung out, but I still had to walk to our hang out spot.

Now I drive everywhere. Weekdays, it's an hour to work, an hour home, and when I get to work, I am usually tied to my desk. But yesterday I walked. Not as much as I could have, because I was on a tight schedule, but I still walked blocks more than I usually did. And it felt good.

The walking also curbed my appetite. Yesterday was a very good day. It made me feel alive.