Bicycle, bicycle....I want to ride my bicycle.

Do you love riding your bike? I haven't gotten out on mine in awhile, but my son encouraged me the other day and we pulled them out, dusted them off, pumped up the semi-flatish tires and off we went. Bike riding is a kick....in the bootee. My bum was sore for a few days, I'm pretty sure there is a bruise on both cheeks. Bicycle seats (I believe) are made for small bums, not fat bottom girls that make the rockin' world go round....like me!! I considered buying a couple of rolls of Charmin and wrapping them around the bicycle seat or at the very least stuffing wads of it in my pants, (this always works in the commercials) but I've yet to try it out. At any rate, if you want to work on your buns and thighs, I highly recommend riding your bike, at least every other day. My legs were so wobbly after only ten minutes, I knew it must be working, the exercise thing, that is!

And now a story!!

About 4 or 5 years ago, my kids and I liked to get out and ride our bikes down the nearby dirt road. I love these kinds of adventures. I say adventure, because seriously, me + wheels = adventure. In all of my memories of bicycle riding, I don't think I've ever been 100% confident in my riding, or stopping. I attribute this to the fact that I'm rather short and my feet don't always easily reach the ground when I sit down. Anyway, back to my story.....

so, we were out one day for a leisurely stroll down the country lane, when we realized a car was coming. Being the good mom that I am, I quickly motioned for everyone to move to the side of the road and wait for the car to pass (my kids were younger then). Of course, I pulled over too, but somehow in my anxiousness and the sudden awareness that a car was coming and we were on the spot, my bike and I (completely out of the blue) fell over. The pressure of knowing I was being watched was a bit too much for me, I guess. But to make matters worse and even more humiliating, the person backed up (which means they saw me fall over) to ask me if I was okay.

Of course, when she rolls down the window I see that she's a cute young lady, which seemed to make it even more humiliating, although a hunky young guy would've taken the cake. I had no real reason for falling over, so I sat there stunned and not knowing what to say, probably with a "duh" kind of look on my face. She must've realized I was alright, because she left. I wonder how many people she told that day. We live in a smallish town and there aren't that many extremely short redheads, that I know of.

Anyway, I survived that bit of humiliation and I still get out and ride my bicycle. I know it burns

a lot of calories, which means that extremely rich, yummy, homemade chocolate cake I ate today could be burned off tomorrow morning. Goodness knows, I don't need to carry that around in my saddle bags. So, my goal is to ride my bike more often...hopefully every other day and become more expertly at it, or a little less clumsy anyway. If you have a bike and it isn't 400 degrees outside, I encourage you to jump on and go for a bit of a ride. Seize the Day!!!

Carrots on Wheels

Hum Ditty

When I up, down, touch the ground
Puts me in the mood.
Up, down, touch the ground,
In the mood (smack your lips) for food.
I am short, round and I have found
Speaking poundage wise,
I improve my appetite,
When I exercise!

If you're a lover of Winnie the Pooh, you probably recognize that little ditty.
Pooh and I, think alike! We're both simple minded and stuffed with fluff.
I must agree with him too. The more I exercise, the more I feel as though, I really deserve that Peanut Buster Parfait. There's something wrong with this picture.
I'm not sure there's enough miles, to walk off a Peanut Buster Parfait.
I haven't found an alternative to that tasty treat, but I promise you, I will.
When I do, you'll be the first to know.
Darn you ice-cream, peanuts and especially you...HOT FUDGE!!

I better go for a walk.

Carrots and Ice-Cream, I mean low-fat yogurt.

Mow Like The Wind

Somedays, exercise has to be done in another fashion. If you can make it happen and accomplish some large forboding task, then hallelujah. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.

I have a very large mowing area. We tend to mow about 2-3 acres, so we have plenty of walking/playing area. I absolutely love to mow, it's definitely my favorite of all chores. And with a riding mower, it's quite a pleasant task. (I can't hear anyone, I'm way out in the field looking at God's beauty, and the results of it actually last more than 5 minutes..unlike doing the dishes)Although I have 4 teenagers, they rarely get to mow, because quite frankly, given the choice between mowing and doing the dishes, I'd rather mow and let them do the dishes.

Our riding mower has bit the dust. We've used it to death and the poor thing has given all it's got. Time for a new one! Until that can happen, I'll be out mowing with the push mower. Talk about exercise, wooh! It's been awhile since I've pushed a mower around the yard, and

boy-howdy, it will definitely work your arms, legs and cardio. This is a good workout and with most of the yard not yet mowed, I will definitely be getting my exercise. I better go eat my Wheaties, I've got work to do!

What are you going to do today?

Carrots

Two Things

One more thing, I promise! Okay, I meant two more.

Yesterday, as I started out on my journey down the road, I noticed two things.

One: When going for a walk, feed the animals first. As I was walking away from my house, I looked back and realized that not only were my two dogs with me, but so were about 5 cats. We live in the country where outdoor cats are a must. It's either cats or rats and I prefer cats, they're cuter and you can smooch them on the nose. I don't mind that our pets wanted to walk with me, but my concern was for their safety. That, and I realized I must look like Dr. Doolittle.

Note to self: feed the animals before you walk, even if it's not your chore that day.

Two: The faster you walk the more you can feel your blood circulating, which got me thinking about my thighs and friction. I suppose if I walked fast enough, my pants would catch on fire. At that point, I guess I would just Stop, Drop and Roll and then get up and keep going. Wouldn't want to spoil such an effective workout.

Note to self: wear flame retardant pants when walking.

Public Display of Shoes

I mentioned my cruddy shoes the other day. Here they are...actually they don't look nearly as shabby as I imagined. But I do still plan to get a new pair. Besides, it's good to have a cruddy pair, I need them for painting, working outside and my muddy, backroad walks.
I did get out and walk yesterday, and not just for a half an hour. I managed to get in a good two hours of walking. Out in public, in these shoes. And nobody seemed to notice or care. Honestly, I don't mind either, but I need a good, inspiring goal and a bit more support for my tootsies would be nice.
Speaking of my tootsies, did you happen to notice how small they are? While visiting my friend the other day, she happened to look at them and in wonder asked, "How they can hold me up?" I've often wondered the same thing. They're tiny. My daughter says I have "fairy feet". They're a whopping size 4. I don't get hand me downs, I get hand me ups, from my friends children!! Come to think of it, my poor little feet are having to work pretty darn hard.
Small feet + Chunky chick = Overworked Tootsies
I think I know what my next 5 pound goal will be (after the shoes, of course). I will pamper my feet. Foot massage, lotions, a new groovy toe ring, fresh paint on the toes (possibly with cute little flowers) ahhhh, maybe I'll swap my goals. It's sounding pretty good right now. My feet are a little sore from all that walking yesterday.