That's Fit

Stephen King's new book Just After Sunset is a collection of short stories. In the story Stationary Bike, King covers extreme diet and fitness in his signature spooky style.

When artist Richard Sifkitz learns from his doctor that his cholesterol and his weight are a little too high, he's concerned. His doctor explains that his metabolism is like a work crew, and when Richard pours fast food down his gullet, the crew has to work overtime. They get grumpy and tired, and sometimes they even quit and go home, which leads to weight gain and health problems. Sifkitz goes home and draws a picture of his "metabolism" -- four guys in a road crew, employed by the company "Lipid."

He puts a stationary bike in his basement and draws a mural on the wall. Pretty soon, he's biking two hours a night and curtailing his eating habits to the extreme, but strange things start happening. He ends up riding in the mural, and let's just say his work crew is less than pleased that he's taken their livelihood away from him.

In his liner notes, Stephen King says the story is about his hatred for stationary exercise equipment. But to me, it was more a rumination on the search for a balanced life -- diet and exercise, yes, but allowing room for a little fun too. Just After Sunset is in stores now.