I went to my doctor Tuesday morning for a regular check-up.

It wasn’t pretty.

First, I had to step on a scale. I was 210 pounds. Some of that was clothes and shoes, but I’m still over 200 pounds. I’m 6-foot-2, but given my gangly frame I should be between 170-180, according to my doctor. “Even 190 would be OK,” he said.

My clothes have been feeling tight. This confirmed that the clothes weren’t shrinking.

Next came the blood pressure test. My BP has been borderline for a few years. Tuesday morning it was beyond borderline. I also had blood drawn for a cholesterol test. Don’t know the results yet, but I’m not hopeful.

I’ve never watched what I eat, which meants I get too much salt (BP) and fat (cholesterol). So I’ll have to watch that, now. But the bottom line is I’m just in bad shape, which not only elevates those bad numbers, but just doesn’t fit well with the stuff I like to do.

So I’m going to try turn this around.

I’ve always found I do better with this kind of thing when I have a specific goal. So not long after that appointment I got on line and signed up for the Smith Mountain Lake triathlon, which is May 5.

The race is a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run. Back when I was doing triathlons regularly, that would have been cake. But that’s been 15 years. Still, as long as I stick with my self-imposed program, I’ll be alright, although I might not be ready by then to be seen in public in a Speedo.

I started Tuesday night with a 400-yard swim session. I had to stop twice. But it was a start.