So there!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted that my doctor thinks I'm not active enough.  She also said that probably my erratic work schedule makes my weight even harder to manage because my body never knows when to expect food.

Little did she know, I have hikes planned almost every other week for the entire summer.  My friend Dave and I will be hiking 22 miles on the Appalachian Trail this summer (Smith Gap to Bake Oven Knob/Rt 309) and we've been checking out the segments of the trail one at a time so there's less chance for surprise on the long hike.

We're planning to hit the trail early the first day because the first segment of the hike is the longest, and then we can take our time a little more the second day.

We hiked the Smith Gap to Little Gap segment on Saturday morning and I took a few pictures.

Good morning!  

The initial plan was to hit the trail by 6am, which didn't happen due to a GPS snafu (Thanks, Dave!), but we were still on out way before 7am, so I'll take it.

We saw several deer, including a couple of fawns, and tons of caterpillar and inchworms, but the thing I was most excited to see was this little guy.  Look close at the orange patch near the center, it's a newt!  This is maybe only the second or third time I've ever seen one in the woods, so it pretty well made my day.

This is the first vista we paused to look at, just west of Delps.  I'm not 100% sure what town we're looking at here, but it's in Moore Township.  Does anybody know???

The second vista that we took a long pause for was this one closer to Danielsville and Little Gap.  It's a large boulder field and I believe it's very near to Blue Mountain Ski Area.

All in all, it was a great hike, though it took a bit longer than we had anticipated.  We have one more segment of the the trail we want to check out before the long hike and that's Lehigh Furnace Gap to Bake Oven Knob/Rt 309, which will be our last leg on the longer trip.

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It's amazing how once you get on the trail the actual geography of where you are doesn't matter at all, and the only thing left is the fact that you're there and it's beautiful.

I'm sorry, but I truly believe that the BMI chart is bullshit.

I'm going to come right out and admit it, I'm not the most active person in the world and posting this pic doesn't prove I've done anything.

But this is a sign post from my favorite bike trail.

***

I was at the doctor the other day to talk about a script for my terror of the dentist.  I need a few fillings done and can barely keep my head together long enough to let the dentist even look at my teeth.  I have no idea where this terror came from, I never had a problem at the dentist before, but a few weeks back, I go to the dentist about a broken wisdom tooth and BANG! Panic attack.  Weird, right?

At any rate, the dentist says that they don't believe in writing "that kind of prescription" and recommends that I learn some coping techniques and by the way, will you still be at your appointment on Tuesday?  So I asked my regular doctor.

Regular doctor says, I don't normally like to prescribe anxiety meds either, but you need your teeth and your teeth need work, so we'll get you through it.  

Then she starts talking about how my BMI is very high, and that's a concern for her and should be for me.  And I'll apologize in advance to the people who created it, but the BMI chart is total bullshit if you're not of average height and build, which let's face it, is practically nobody.

If you know me personally, you know that I'm kinda chunky.  I don't cause earthquakes when I walk or anything, I'm not being overly hard on myself, I'm heavier than I should be and I'm aware of it.  According to the BMI chart I'm well into obese territory.

So the doctor and I have a long talk, where I tell her, No, I don't drink much soda, mostly I drink water, unsweetened tea and flavored seltzer.  No, not much fatty junk food.  I do eat more fast food than I should, but that's largely because I have an incredibly erratic work schedule and it makes it difficult for me to get down any kind of routine.

No, I don't sleep or eat on the same schedule everyday, see above about my work schedule.  I might work a closing shift, a day shift, and early morning and a mid-shift (11-7) all in one week.  My start time could be anywhere between 5 am and 2 pm.  So short of finding another job, routine is going to be a hard one.

So she starts talking to me about being more active.  Now, keep in mind, during this whole visit, every time they leave me alone in the exam room, I'm texting with a friend about going hiking that afternoon. 

But the point I'm trying to make about BMI is this.  I'm short with wide hips and broad shoulders.  A few years back, I was walking to work everyday, and working in a pretty physically demanding job (lots of heavy lifting).  I was the lightest I've even been in my adult life. The doctor I was seeing at the time, had told me that I shouldn't let myself lose anymore weight because it wouldn't be healthy.

 And according to the BMI chart, I was still obese!

How is this an accurate measure of anything?

I get that I'm heavier than I should be, I know I should be in better shape, but what happens when I get there and I'm still obese according to that chart?  Will this doctor admit that I'll never be ok according to that chart?  Or will I continue to be hounded about where I land on an arbitrary color-coded graph?