Aliana recently started telling Cherita and me the following.

"Mommy is brown. She is big brown. And I am brown. A tiny, little bit brown. And Daddy is yellow. Or maybe orange."

Since Cherita is "black," and I'm "white," and Aliana is mixed, it's adorable to learn what (in many ways, more precise) color classifications she's striving to articulate to identify these differences.

I'm a fitness enthusiast, and today, I will post a few words about the history of my enthusiasm. I will also mention some tools that have helped me both to get into, and to stay in, shape.

Today, though, I'm interested in writing only about aspects of my interest that have manifested themselves in recent years. At another time, I may well write about the ways in which fitness captured my imagination while I was growing up.

Just so it's clear, too, I make no money by recommending fitness books or products. So if I mention any, I'm actually not advertising.

Now, to the story. :-)

Some time after my wife, Cherita, and I were married, the fitness bug bit me.

I was quite out of shape, my waist size was about 40 inches, and I wanted to get moving.

The Body-for-LIFE (BFL) program introduced in 1999 by Bill Phillips in his book of the same title served as the program that I initially adopted. It worked wonderfully for me. I made tremendous progress even during my first three months. Then I made even more after that.

That book offers the advantage of presenting its program in simple terms. Some criticize that it markets (on just a few pages) some supplements that EAS (the company that Phillips then headed) sells. Especially now, though, I don't get caught up in marketing hype, and I know well that it's possible (and often, far less expensive) to make excellent progress without certain products.

Leaving aside some of the book's marketing, though, it outlines a good program that for many people can be marvelously effective.

In recent years, having studied fitness far more deeply, I've learned far more than that book outlined, though, and I've often used and benefited from different programs.

As a rule, though, my approach to fitness still involves eating six, small, nutritious meals per day; treating one day per week as a "Free Day" on which I can eat "unauthorized" foods; and utilizing some combination of aerobic and weight training exercise on alternate days. I also really enjoy walking on a regular basis.

For a time, I even pursued fitness as a career, and professionally consulted with people as they made progress in their efforts.

Due to our recent move, however, and the fact that given his health issues, I've undertaken full-time elder care for my father, I'm no longer pursuing a fitness career. I still love helping people with their fitness efforts, though, but now I do so in an informal manner.

I did slip once a few years ago, during which time I got out of shape again (though not nearly as far out of shape as I was before the fitness bug bit me in 1999). That same year, though, I refocused and got back on track. I've remained lean consistently ever since, with a waist measurement of 32 inches. I measure my body composition (including my body fat percentage) regularly, and it's rare that I get as high as 10% body fat.

While I was getting back in shape, I started using BalanceLog nutrition and exercise tracking software. This software tracks the calories that a user consumes in food and expends in exercise. I've been using it consistently since then... and it has been a central factor (along with keeping measurements, especially of body composition) that's kept me lean.

I'm so enthused about BalanceLog, in fact, that I often think of it as something of a "secret" that most people don't know about. Perhaps surprisingly, though, I think that BalanceLog remains a secret even to many of the people who have purchased it, but haven't yet fully integrated it into their lives. I imagine that most people, if they learned the principle behind it, and made a habit of using BalanceLog every day in combination with some variety of sensible exercise and nutrition program, would get into, and stay in, shape.

Even though I've tried several other, commercial computer programs that attempt to do much the same thing, BalanceLog easily remains my personal favorite. It's my favorite for a variety of reasons, including that it's available not only for Windows, but also for use on many palmONE handheld computers, such as my Tungsten T3. This makes it marvelously portable. For those who have both the palmONE and Windows versions, they synchronize with each other. (Unfortunately, BalanceLog apparently doesn't currently work on palmONE handheld phone devices, such as the Treo.)

I think that BalanceLog elegantly focuses on the "energy balance" that we each need to manage in order to get and stay fit, regardless of what nutritional or exercise strategy we happen to employ.

Given my interest in fitness and in this software, I've served as the owner and lead moderator of the BalanceLog Yahoo support group.

As with anything, though, I think that the trick with BalanceLog is the initial process of learning how to use it, and making a habit of using it consistently.

On Sunday, July 3, after attending church together, my father, wife, daughter and I traveled to the Village of Lakewood, Illinois. We made the trip for the sake of enjoying a visit, a barbecue and recreation with relatives. My cousin Joe and his wife Debbie hosted at their home. They provided us with ample and flavorful food.

My grandfather, my father's father, who is ninety years old, was there. So were Joe's three younger brothers, Jim, Mike and Matt. Jim's wife Stacey also was there, as was Mike's wife Kate. The parents of Joe, Jim, Mike and Matt - my Uncle Ken and Aunt Madonna - also were there.

We played croquet and bocce ball.

Fortunately, the weather cooperated. It wasn't nearly as hot as it's often been lately, and it never rained.

Our daughter, Aliana, started out as simultaneously repelled by and attracted to one of my cousinís dogs. She kept saying, "Don't eat me!" In time, though, she relaxed... and the dog had to be moved away from Aliana because she was petting and leaning on him too vigorously!

Aliana enjoyed herself so much that by the time we needed to depart, she didn't want to leave.

As my wife, Cherita, mentioned to me today, it was a pleasant, relaxed visit.

Today, Cherita, Aliana and I walked to watch the Independence Day parade. My father opted to stay home. His choice later proved to be wise.

Moments after the parade reached the point along its route at which we were sitting, there was a downpour! The crowd's efforts to exit reminded us of a Godzilla (or other disaster) movie's fleeing throngs of people. Fortunately, in this case, people fled from discomfort, rather than extreme danger.

For us, it was actually funny - especially given that Aliana kept insisting that she didn't want to go home so soon! Then, though, she started complaining that her pants were getting all wet. Despite holding an umbrella, straight through our clothes to our skin, the cold rain thoroughly drenched us.

After managing to get inside, Aliana defiantly insisted to her mother, "I will never let my clothes get wet in the rain again!" When Cherita told me about this soon afterward, she and I giggled.

Once we had removed our soaked clothes, dried off, and put on new ones, in order to minimize the chill, Cherita kindly prepared - and together, the three of us drank and sipped - hot cocoa and soup.

Then, as a family, the three of us just hung out together inside, and watched home videos of Aliana that Cherita had made when our daughter was less than two years old.

Gradually, we each grew very tired, and to the sound of fireworks displays that sounded in the distance, we each went to sleep for the night.