Who knows? Maybe I should soak in ice more.

Diet Pepsi and Weight Watchers are two ideas that sum up my childhood. I think of them as synonymous with dinners in Cherry Heights, conversations with my sisters and my mom, and the packaging seen in the fridge.

Why?

Well, we had a dieting household, although Butch never seemed to care about what he ingested.

Last night, I read a twenty page paper by an undergraduate about his obsession with perfect health and a stellar body. In high school, he held the record for bench pressing and now, as an upperclassmen in Connecticut, he's trying to master his physical being by reading as much as he can about diet, muscle training, and mind control. He wrote an engaging piece about thermodynamics and the importance of ice baths and cooling the body. I think it makes sense, although this guy won't do it.

I know that Lopez Lomong was iced while training for the Olympics and that athletic departments have ice tubs as part of their regimen. There seems to be truth to maneuvering metabolism by playing with body temperature and if you google ice bath you will see it is much more common than one would think (more than soaking a swollen ankle). It seems a frigid bath works against fat and helps to build muscle, too.

Am I convinced? I don't need to be. Seems to make sense. Will I soak tonight as a frozen popsicle? Doubtful. I'd rather have a hot shower with lots of steam.

And I readily admit, I envy anyone who zestfully pursues the body of a God or Goddess. For me, there's just way too much humor in trying.