a girl. her bike. and food.

biking away the pounds

brave girl eating

Brave Girl Eating by Harriot Brown

everyone should read this book. especially if you know someone who has/had an eating disorder.

“This is the story of how my older daughter, Kitty, became anorexic and nearly died, and how my husband, my younger daughter, and I helped her recover. This is not a story about family dysfunction, sexual abuse, or a poor little rich girl dying for attention. It’s not a cautionary tale about skinny fashion models and the media. It’s a story about an ordinary teenage girl who fell down the rabbit hole of anorexia—by accident, as it always happens—and about her slow, painful, infinitely courageous climb back up to health and hope, moment by moment, ounce by ounce, one spoonful at a time.” (source)

“Millions of families are affected by eating disorders, which usually strike young women between the ages of fourteen and twenty. But current medical practice ties these families’ hands when it comes to helping their children recover. Conventional medical wisdom dictates separating the patient from the family and insists that “it’s not about the food,” even as a family watches a child waste away before their eyes. Harriet Brown shows how counterproductive—and heartbreaking—this approach is by telling her daughter’s story of anorexia. She describes how her family, with the support of an open-minded pediatrician and a therapist, helped her daughter recover using family-based treatment, also known as the Maudsley approach.” (source)

to learn more about the book/read an excerpt, click on any of the links or the picture above.

please, read it.

cross training

I love cycling. I do. but I think my mind and body need some more variety. Running is always an option, but it’s not something I’ve ever been able to do consistently.

I’ve been wanting to try cross fit for a while now. it looks intimidating, but I’m intrigued by how intense it is. and I feel like the variety of the workouts would keep me interested. it’s definitely not something I’d do every day. maybe just 2-3 times a week. still debating though - don’t know if I want to/can afford to pay the membership fee since I’ve cut down my hours at work.

I’ve done some research about gyms in my area, but any cross fitters have advice on how to get started?

I often complain about being unhappy with my current weight and how I wish I could get back down to a lower racing weight.

and then I spend my rest day parked on the couch eating a box of cereal and a half-gallon of ice cream.

I think I’ve found my problem.

dearest bicycle - I am going to be spending a lot of time with you over the next couple several days.

warning: food rant. feel free to skip.

I did so well yesterday. I didn’t stress about food. I got in an awesome 50 mile ride. my shorts were fitting a little better.

and then 2:30am rolled around. I’d been laying in bed for a few hours, and despite being exhausted, I was unable to sleep. my stomach was so hungry that I was in physical pain. I thought maybe a quick snack would settle my stomach and help me fall asleep.

I should have known better. I don’t do little snacks. especially not when I’m half asleep. one small cup of cereal quickly turned into nearly everything in my kitchen.

It’s hard not to beat myself up after I’d been doing so well with food. I was feeling ‘normal’ again. and now it feels like I undid any progress I’d been making.  maybe I shouldn’t sweat it because I got a decent ride in. but (a) I didn’t bike enough to cancel out all the food, and (b) it’s not like I get those kind of miles every day.

and I don’t feel like I can get back on track because today’s mother’s day and I have to spend it with my family eating who knows what kind of food.

and tomorrow we’re going out to celebrate my bro’s birthday. joy.

can it please be tuesday yet?

those uncomfortably tight shorts I bought a week or so ago? I think they might fit a little better. just maybe. I can’t really remember…but I’m pretty sure they’re not any tighter! just the boost of confidence I needed today. :) and proof that I must be doing something right (finally).

off to do an easy ride. was hoping to do a hard/long ride today, but my legs have been wiped the past few days. as long as I get at least 30 miles, I’ll call today a success.

[Flash 10 is required to watch video]

feelunprettytoo:

best thing on the internet.

some entertainment to get you through the rest of the week.

(Source: jesuspoop)

tips?

I want to join a cycling club, but there are so many different ones in my area that I have no idea how to choose.

any advice on how to pick? does it really matter which one I join?