It’s only natural to blog about what’s most prevalent in my life at any given moment and right now that’s cycling. I’m a bit of a fiend for it, actually. And drag my kids out on the weekends to make them go 20-30 km at a time. They love it, too!

First, let me say that I’m one of those people who hates exercise of any kind. Walking is okay once in a while but not fun for me to do daily, the gym is so not my thing, and at home workouts don’t work for me. I always thought my eating healthy would save me from the dreaded 10lb overnight weight gain at 30–Ha! I was mistaken there. And since I’m past 30, it’s more than a mere 10lbs separating me from my long gone twenties.

Thus came my decision to do something that would get me moving (and shed those pesky pounds). Of course it would have to be something I enjoyed.

At the same time I’m thinking all this, my husband finds and buys me a vintage bike so I can start biking around town with the family on the weekends. It was an old Raleigh vintage bike that weighed a ton!

A few things happened at the same time: my work office moved closer to my house, the construction season started in the city (public transit takes 40 minutes on a normal day, but has doubled because of reduced lanes, etc.–that’s more than 2 hours a day on transit) and anyone who’s ever had to take the streetcar in Toronto will understand how much that sucks.

And then came the famous Aries determination and final decision to cut out what I hate (the streetcar) and I decided to bike to work quite randomly and suddenly. It would save me time, it would save me money and it would be forced exercise. So many problems solved with one thing.

That sounds so much easier than it really was in the beginning. Stubborn as I am, I biked to work that first morning in 45 minutes and I felt like a rock star on my cool old vintage bike! The ride home was long and painful and I realized the bike was too heavy for the distance I was going. Knowing nothing about bikes, my hubby went to a local chain store (not a bike store, our first mistake) spent an ungodly sum of money to buy me a lighter bike (mountain).

The second day it took me an hour (there are a lot of hills–both ways if you can believe it) and I felt sore, tired and cranky. There are two massive hills on the way to work, I had to walk up them for the first week while men with potbellies and little old ladies passed me on their bikes WITH EASE. It was a little humiliating if I do say so.

I thought my legs were going to fall off they hurt so much and arnica
cream did not help ease the pain. Not to mention my sore
butt and tailbone and other numb areas. A few bike seats later and those
problems were solved and muscles I’ve never had in my life started
forming on my legs.

This new bike lasted less than a week. In fact, I hated it. It didn’t shift properly, it was
still too heavy and I was pulling my weight and the bike weight up
hills and still being passed by fat men and little old ladies that looked like a strong gust of wind would blow them over. It wasn’t fun. So my darling  husband found me another vintage bike, only
this time it was a road bike (lightweight) and designed for racing so
I’d be able to kick some serious ass. I love my little purple bianchi–it goes like stink and I can carry it up to my apartment with ease cause it’s so frickin’ light.

I’m now in my fourth week of cycling, still loving my bike, and thoroughly enjoying the 35 minutes to work and 35 minutes home (24 kilometers–15 miles–a day). And the best part of this is that I’m exercising but it doesn’t feel like exercising at all because I enjoy it now that my aches and pains have subsided. 


So what do you do to stay healthy and keep in shape? Are you still trying to find something you enjoy so it doesn’t feel like extra work? Isn’t it true about hitting 30 and gaining 10 lbs overnight? What is with that!

Also, there are only a few days left to enter my Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win an advanced reader’s copy of Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady. Click HERE to enter.

The picture at the top is my view on the morning bike ride. I stop and take a picture when it’s especially pretty.