Is The Grass Really Greener?

 There is a woman named Carla that attends group exercise classes at the West YMCA where I also attend.  I don’t know her that well and have only talked to her a few times.  I see her around a lot and she has been in several of the classes I have taken.

Carla is really thin.  I would put her in the age range of late 40’s or maybe even early 50’s.  I would also guess she is a size XS.  She wears an arm-band-Body-Bug-type-device and I also see she wears an athletic watch on both wrists.  I assume she must also have a heart rate monitor on.  I don’t know Carla’s story.  I often wonder if she has ever struggled with her weight.  I have thought about asking her a time or two.  The group exercise leader mentioned in conversation recently that Carla used to teach the 5:30am classes at the Y.  That leads me to believe that even if she hasn’t struggled with her weight that she does view fitness as important.

I see how skinny Carla is and sometimes I wish I was skinny like she is.  I wonder what it must be like to just be skinny and perhaps not have to worry about what you eat, but I have no idea how or what she eats in a day.  I do know she works out A LOT.  It is not uncommon to see Carla in back-to-back group exercise classes.  I have seen her at the morning classes and also at the evening classes, although not all in the same day as I don’t attend twice a day.  Carla also rides her bike to/from the Y.  I remember once a group exercise leader asking how many classes she had taken just in that day alone and she said she was on her forth class.  Wow!  That is impressive and major KUDOS to Carla.

Would I really want to commit that much just to be that skinny or now that I am in maintenance to stay that skinny?  I don’t have all the factors to really answer that question.  However, I do not have the desire to be at the gym that much or to take that many group exercise classes in a day/week. 

Sometimes being skinny seems like it would be awesome.  I heard a saying once, “The grass may seem greener on the other side of the fence, but we don’t know how much the water bill is.”