more than keeping up appearances

So I spoke to my ex this evening (yep, we're still friends). He revealed that he has stopped going to the gym and is "getting fat." I asked what happened to the athlete I used to know and love, to which he replied, "ah, I have a girlfriend now, no time for the gym."

Nonsense! Why is it that folks think it's cool to let themselves go just because they've grown comfortable in their relationships? This is where I think the French have us beat. They always look good (or at least every Frenchman I've met)...single, committed, whatever. Not sure how much exercising goes on in Paris, but keeping up appearances seems almost law.

But I titled this post "more than keeping up appearances" because looking good means nothing if you can barely climb a flight of stairs without being winded. I think it's the ultimate "I love you" when a guy tries to stay fit. It says to me, "hey, I like you, I like being with you, and I care about me and you enough to want to keep me in your life for years to come." Okay, maybe I read too much into things, but seriously... if someone smokes, eats crap all the time, never exercises,... I'd start to worry about health problems, wouldn't you?

If anything, we should all be exercising for ourselves. Now to convince my ex of this...