To those who can’t run, ride!

Hello Mizfit-ers. Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys today. I’m Morgan and I blog at Life After Bagels.

I write about everything health related – food, fitness, I do some recipes, I chat about meal planning, budgeting … oh and studying. I’m a mature student.

One of my favourite “healthy” things to do is cycling. I’m new to it, but man I love it. This will be my third summer with my bike. I call him Jason Bourne. (Yeah I seriously named my bike. Serious. And for the record my boyfriend has the same bike as me and has named it Ted Dibiase) … moving along …

Have you ever read a blog and fell victim to workout envy? When I first started blogging I thought that I was supposed to run. Everyone was running it, so I did it too. But my knees suck. They weren’t made for pounding the pavement. I kept having dreams of running a marathon but couldn’t get my mileage up to even run a 5k. I top out at about 2k before my knees just give up.

I used to get upset. Why was everyone else running and training and racing?

And then I found cycling.

Hallelujah!!!

Cycling is way easier on the body and it gives you a major workout.

I use my bike for exercising, commuting, running errands, and for fun! My bike is a hybrid which means it’s tires are “in between.” They’re skinnier than mountain bike tires but fatter than road bike tires. It’s perfect for going to between our pothole ridden roads and gravel or dirt paths. Last summer I challenged myself to find new paths to ride on around my city. Toronto is a HUGE bike city. More than half of Torontonians are cyclists.

This year I get to join the most famous ride in our city. I’m so excited to be participating in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Ride for Heart fundraiser. On June 3rd I’ll be riding 75 km in the name of fighting heart disease and stroke. My fundraising goal is $1000. It’s a biggie! If heart health is important to you I would be so very appreciative of a donation towards my big ride

CLICK TO DONATE

Thanks for letting me invade your internet today. I hope you’ll check me out over at Life After Bagels or visit me on Facebook or Twitter.

So … holla if you’re a cyclist! What do you use your bike for? Anyone getting a bike for the first time this summer?

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Eat your fruits and…what were those other things?

After looking at the food diary I’ve been keeping for the last two weeks, it’s hard to figure out when the last time was that I ate a vegetable. Fruits? Check! I have devoured pears, mangoes, and even little pineapple bits in my yogurt. Vegetables? Hmmm, well the Subway sandwich had some lettuce, tomato and red onion on it, so technically that counts. And the Palek Paneer I got at Whole Foods was full of spinach, but I was eating it more for the cheese.

I used to snack on baby carrots and hummus, but I can’t seem to find the baby carrots at the grocery store I visit most often, so either they’re hidden or the baby carrots grew up fast like kids do these days. I also used to snack on celery, mostly because of that delightful crunchy texture, which is almost worth getting celery veins stuck in my teeth. I just haven’t bought any lately. Otherwise, I’m not much of a veggie fan, mostly because of the work involved to make them taste good. I enjoy eating most fruits without any preparation, but to make vegetables palatable I have to sautee them, roast them, or sprinkle them with spices or seasonings. Honestly, that’s not that much extra work, but it’s enough to make me choose an apple instead.

So, mental note, more veggies! They have important vitamins and nutrients. They are typically not calorie dense and fill you up. One question though, does popcorn count as a vegetable?

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How Did You Gain Those First 10 Pounds?

It was 1998. I was young(er), sexy, and weighed in at 134 pounds. I didn’t know the meaning of “muffin top” and I ate whatever I wanted while sporting the flat stomach look.

But then something happened.

My job put a corner store in the lobby of the building. That bastard store was filled with snack items and baked goods and sodas for slurping. So every day after eating lunch from the grill (like a burger or something), I indulged in a bag of crunchy Cheetos.

And every day… for a whole year… I indulged. (oh wait, I already said that part)

At the end of that year I had gained 10 pounds. And this senseless eating-style was the catalyst for other “beyond-greedy” events and lethargic, non-exercise behavior. I was on my way to a 51-pound weight gain over the next few years. That is, until I took control and began exercising and counting calories (although I don’t count anymore) starting in 2006.

Of all the sh!tty foods that I still adore in moderation, I refuse to let the crunchy Cheeto enter my Food Trap. I don’t like what it represents: my first 10-pound gain that eventually spiraled upward until I reached 185 pounds.

Never again.

So how about YOU. What’s the story of your first 10-pound weight gain? And how did you take back control?

[photo]

View the original article here

How Did You Gain Those First 10 Pounds?

It was 1998. I was young(er), sexy, and weighed in at 134 pounds. I didn’t know the meaning of “muffin top” and I ate whatever I wanted while sporting the flat stomach look.

But then something happened.

My job put a corner store in the lobby of the building. That bastard store was filled with snack items and baked goods and sodas for slurping. So every day after eating lunch from the grill (like a burger or something), I indulged in a bag of crunchy Cheetos.

And every day… for a whole year… I indulged. (oh wait, I already said that part)

At the end of that year I had gained 10 pounds. And this senseless eating-style was the catalyst for other “beyond-greedy” events and lethargic, non-exercise behavior. I was on my way to a 51-pound weight gain over the next few years. That is, until I took control and began exercising and counting calories (although I don’t count anymore) starting in 2006.

Of all the sh!tty foods that I still adore in moderation, I refuse to let the crunchy Cheeto enter my Food Trap. I don’t like what it represents: my first 10-pound gain that eventually spiraled upward until I reached 185 pounds.

Never again.

So how about YOU. What’s the story of your first 10-pound weight gain? And how did you take back control?

[photo]

View the original article here