Well I have successfully kept you all on the edge of your seats long enough. The cliff-hanger ending to my last blog post promised that I would update you on my latest endeavour to lose my next 50 pounds in '2012 on my journey to a new me.
I hope you have not lost sleep over the anticipation of what my next secret weapon in my arsenal may be. Let me begin with what happened on my last day of my vacation. Because New Years Day fell on a Sunday this year my employer gave everyone a holiday on the following day, January 2nd. So knowing that the very next day would begin a full week of work that I would have to find a way to do in only four days, I set out to spend some quality time with my husband and that included getting out of the house for a while.
He explained that he really needed to run a few errands and one of them was all the way in Marietta, which is a good hour and a half from our house. So to have the energy to make the journey we started our day with a power breakfast at the Waffle House, or the "Waffles House!" as my grandchildren love to proclaim! I enjoyed one egg and two egg whites scrambled, one piece of cheese, with spray not oil, three pieces of sliced tomatoes instead of hashbrowns or grits, and one and a half pieces of wheat toast - dry. this gave me a grand total of 234 calories.
We drove to his customers place of business and in a few minutes we were on our way to our next stopping point. After several more stops he tells me that he wants to stop at the bike store in Flowery Branch on our way home to pick up a bearing that he needed to repair our neighbors daughters bicycle. When we arrived I waited as the owner assisted my husband with his purchase and we also decided to purchase a set of training wheels to help our neighbors daughter learn to ride her pretty new bike.
It was while we were checking out at the register that I made a comment that was more out loud than I intended. I simply said, "Wow, you sure do have a lot of bikes here. If I was able to ride I would love to have one." And with that the owner of the company looked up from what he was doing and said, "What do you mean, if you can ride? Did you ever learn to ride as a child?" And in a somewhat sheepish kind of way I replied, "Well yes, what kid doesn't learn to ride a bike when they are growing up?" And he continued, "Well if you learned to ride as a child, then you can still ride as an adult."
I started laughing at this statement because I was still picturing myself 101 pounds heavier trying to pedal a bicycle without falling off and the picture in my mind was quite entertaining. But the next thing out of my mouth was, "I don't even think you have a bike here that I could ride, they all look professional or something." And the owner, who is named Mike, walked around the counter and out to the front of the store and simply replied, "Well I have been doing this business for many years, and I won't tell you how to run your business but I know my business. I do have a bike that would be perfect for you and I know you can ride it."
At this point my pulse starting racing, and I even felt like my heart was beating so hard that they could see it pounding through my clothes. I really did not have any further comment and then I saw him with his hand on the handle bars of a midnight blue womens 21 speed bike and he said to me, "Come over here and let me show you something." As I approached the bike for the first time I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I don't think that I can ride this bike." and when he asked me Why? I said "Because the seat looks too high for me." And with that he instructed me to stand to one side of the bike and put both hands on the handlebars and tilt the bike toward me. I was timid at first and told him that I was scared, and what if I dropped the bike, or fell off, or ?????? I don't remember everything I said, but it was many many excuses and he just smiled and said, "Trust me".
With tha I put my hands on the handle bars as instructed and leaned that bike toward me and swung my leg over it and straddled the bike and found that it really wasn't too high for me. The seat felt good under my rearend and it did not give me a wedgy. The handle bars were a comfortable length away from my body and I started smiling at the thought that I could possibly ride this bike one day. So I said just that, and what he said next shocked me.
He said "Well now that you have done the hard part, why don't we just take it out back in our rear parking lot and take it around the lot a few times?" and I replied, "What? Are you kidding me? You want me to attempt to ride this shiny new bicycle on the pavement, are you crazy?" And it was his turn to smile and he said, "No I am not crazy, I know you can do it and to help build your confidence so that you know that you can do it, I will run along side you until you get your balance and feel like you won't fall off."
Well talk about making a deal that you couldn't refuse. He rolled the bike out back and with a huge smile on my face and my heart pounding through my chest I put my hands on those handle bars and leaned that bike towards me. I swung my leg over the seat and made myself comfortable on the seat. He then smiled and said it looked as if I had been doing this all of my life.
He gave me a briefing on the gears and hand brakes and told me to start pedaling when I was ready that he and my husband would run along side me on both sides until I was comfortable. So before I could chicken out, I began to pedal. At first it was a weird feeling. One second I thought that I was going to fall off and the next second I felt the wind in my hair and air in my lungs and before I knew it I was pedaling all the way to the far end of the parking lot and they were all the way back where I had started! Oh What A Feeling!!!
I rode my bike three miles that day and 2 and a half miles a few days later. We have had some very rainy and dismal weather since I got my new bike but I am so anxious to get out there and explore the country roads that are all around my house. Who knew when I started on this journey to a new me that I would be able to enjoy a simple pleasure again like riding a bicycle? I am so excited to see what else this New Year has in store for me, and I know with this added exercise that the next 50 pounds will be only a few pedals away! I am learning new things about myself every day. And I am also discovering that if I think I can, I can!
I hope you have not lost sleep over the anticipation of what my next secret weapon in my arsenal may be. Let me begin with what happened on my last day of my vacation. Because New Years Day fell on a Sunday this year my employer gave everyone a holiday on the following day, January 2nd. So knowing that the very next day would begin a full week of work that I would have to find a way to do in only four days, I set out to spend some quality time with my husband and that included getting out of the house for a while.
He explained that he really needed to run a few errands and one of them was all the way in Marietta, which is a good hour and a half from our house. So to have the energy to make the journey we started our day with a power breakfast at the Waffle House, or the "Waffles House!" as my grandchildren love to proclaim! I enjoyed one egg and two egg whites scrambled, one piece of cheese, with spray not oil, three pieces of sliced tomatoes instead of hashbrowns or grits, and one and a half pieces of wheat toast - dry. this gave me a grand total of 234 calories.
We drove to his customers place of business and in a few minutes we were on our way to our next stopping point. After several more stops he tells me that he wants to stop at the bike store in Flowery Branch on our way home to pick up a bearing that he needed to repair our neighbors daughters bicycle. When we arrived I waited as the owner assisted my husband with his purchase and we also decided to purchase a set of training wheels to help our neighbors daughter learn to ride her pretty new bike.
It was while we were checking out at the register that I made a comment that was more out loud than I intended. I simply said, "Wow, you sure do have a lot of bikes here. If I was able to ride I would love to have one." And with that the owner of the company looked up from what he was doing and said, "What do you mean, if you can ride? Did you ever learn to ride as a child?" And in a somewhat sheepish kind of way I replied, "Well yes, what kid doesn't learn to ride a bike when they are growing up?" And he continued, "Well if you learned to ride as a child, then you can still ride as an adult."
I started laughing at this statement because I was still picturing myself 101 pounds heavier trying to pedal a bicycle without falling off and the picture in my mind was quite entertaining. But the next thing out of my mouth was, "I don't even think you have a bike here that I could ride, they all look professional or something." And the owner, who is named Mike, walked around the counter and out to the front of the store and simply replied, "Well I have been doing this business for many years, and I won't tell you how to run your business but I know my business. I do have a bike that would be perfect for you and I know you can ride it."
At this point my pulse starting racing, and I even felt like my heart was beating so hard that they could see it pounding through my clothes. I really did not have any further comment and then I saw him with his hand on the handle bars of a midnight blue womens 21 speed bike and he said to me, "Come over here and let me show you something." As I approached the bike for the first time I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I don't think that I can ride this bike." and when he asked me Why? I said "Because the seat looks too high for me." And with that he instructed me to stand to one side of the bike and put both hands on the handlebars and tilt the bike toward me. I was timid at first and told him that I was scared, and what if I dropped the bike, or fell off, or ?????? I don't remember everything I said, but it was many many excuses and he just smiled and said, "Trust me".
With tha I put my hands on the handle bars as instructed and leaned that bike toward me and swung my leg over it and straddled the bike and found that it really wasn't too high for me. The seat felt good under my rearend and it did not give me a wedgy. The handle bars were a comfortable length away from my body and I started smiling at the thought that I could possibly ride this bike one day. So I said just that, and what he said next shocked me.
He said "Well now that you have done the hard part, why don't we just take it out back in our rear parking lot and take it around the lot a few times?" and I replied, "What? Are you kidding me? You want me to attempt to ride this shiny new bicycle on the pavement, are you crazy?" And it was his turn to smile and he said, "No I am not crazy, I know you can do it and to help build your confidence so that you know that you can do it, I will run along side you until you get your balance and feel like you won't fall off."
Well talk about making a deal that you couldn't refuse. He rolled the bike out back and with a huge smile on my face and my heart pounding through my chest I put my hands on those handle bars and leaned that bike towards me. I swung my leg over the seat and made myself comfortable on the seat. He then smiled and said it looked as if I had been doing this all of my life.
He gave me a briefing on the gears and hand brakes and told me to start pedaling when I was ready that he and my husband would run along side me on both sides until I was comfortable. So before I could chicken out, I began to pedal. At first it was a weird feeling. One second I thought that I was going to fall off and the next second I felt the wind in my hair and air in my lungs and before I knew it I was pedaling all the way to the far end of the parking lot and they were all the way back where I had started! Oh What A Feeling!!!
I rode my bike three miles that day and 2 and a half miles a few days later. We have had some very rainy and dismal weather since I got my new bike but I am so anxious to get out there and explore the country roads that are all around my house. Who knew when I started on this journey to a new me that I would be able to enjoy a simple pleasure again like riding a bicycle? I am so excited to see what else this New Year has in store for me, and I know with this added exercise that the next 50 pounds will be only a few pedals away! I am learning new things about myself every day. And I am also discovering that if I think I can, I can!
4 comments:
How awesome!! You look very natural beside that bicycle! New year, new life, new you!!
Kathy, I love your new bike!! You are going to have so much fun with it ~ how wonderful! Happy New Year!
Kathy, Mom loves your new bike. Yes it looks like that next 50 lbs. is going to come off sooner than you think.
Great start to 2012 one pound at a time and exercising is the way. Just don't get caught up in our busy life like I do and still do and start but then find excuses not to take that ride. Kevin needs a bike to.. :) My is and has been sitting in garage for a year You have just given me inspiration to go again. I still want to loose another 40lbs... Ok here we gooooo..........
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