Getting hooked up

From the ever-inspiring Julie, I learned about the also inspiring BitchCakes. It’s so motivational to read her blog, because she looks great now from hard work and continues to maintain a positive and honest perspective on weight control and exercise. It’s helpful for women like me with similar concerns to empathize on issues like our legs, but it’s even more helpful to have that reinforced with such positivity. She’s basically like, “Look, these are you’re legs. They’re the legs you have to work with. They do a lot for you… think about that. Think about what all you’ve been through together, etc.” I'm like hell yes, I need to treat these puppies right!

I have been going to the gym for the past few weeks and I believe I’ve reached a pretty dedicated point. I usually go after work so in order to motivate myself I always do the exercise bike first. The bike is fun and I like to increase the resistance as I get into it. Then I spend approximately 30 minutes on the treadmill walking and jogging. And I’ve been ending with the Stairmaster. An hour total and it feels great. Once a week I like doing something different to keep it interesting. I’ve been taking my dog, Ebi, to a no-joke trail near Duke. There are a few hills and one that is pretty steep. There’s no way I could run up it! It’s HOT in NC right now- like 90’s every day, but this trail is shaded and breezy in areas.

I have reached a point where I think about things differently than I used to. I wouldn’t say that I was never concerned about these things, I’m just paying attention more to what I put into my body. I want to make sure that the things I eat are beneficial to my health, and not just satisfying an instant gratification of good taste. I hope that through exercise I can tone my arms and legs, but most importantly I understand that I have to keep the most important muscle in my body, my heart, pumping and my joints strong.

A couple of years ago my aunt gave me a Specialized bike that she wasn’t using when I told her I was going to buy one. I like this bike pretty well and I am getting it ready to be used much more frequently than the occasional trail ride. I live adjacent to a big and wonderful shopping center and I know that I can cut out much of my reliance on my car by using my bike. It’s just unnecessary to take my car every time I need something from across the street. I could also easily walk, and I do sometimes, but like I said it’s HOT and this would just be more fun anyway.


My basket situation leaves a lot to be desired. I found this basket in a thrift store for $1, tied it on with some wire, and wrapped a turquoise ribbon around for good looks. This could probably carry some cilantro home, and that’s okay for now. Most of my trips are to cruise Target clearance, or the grocery and craft stores. I won’t be hauling a lot of stuff very far but I would like something more secure. The problem I found is that all the gear wires are in the way, and it’s probably not intended for this bike to have a basket up front. This one fits perfectly because it’s peanut-shaped so the wires can live free like they need to.