Skip to content
Annie's Recovery & Knitting Blog
Menu
  • ModeKnit Yarn
  • Books
    • Confessions of a Knitting Heretic
    • Knitting Millinery
    • Flip Knits
    • Knit With Courage, Live With Hope
  • Lymphoma Blog
Menu

Moving More, Eating – well, just about the same…

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Annie

fat bike signWhen Andy (née Hannah) was a baby the Rosie O’Donnell Show was one of our favorite mommy-baby morning routines.  One year she promoted a campaign to “Move More, Eat Less” and it was a good thing for a lot of moms like me, with new babies and brand new areas where fat had appeared.

I’ve never been thin, but I’ve been thinner.  Actually, there was one time in 1984 when I was a size 10 for about 32 minutes, but that is long gone.  Amazing, though, how many pieces of clothing one can buy in a 32 minute time period…

I’ve always fought my weight. I’ve dieted, not-dieted, starved, binged, exercised like a dervish, sat on the sofa for weeks on end (my “Gilbert Grape period”) and, although I have to admit there were differences in weight, nothing was permanent.

At this point in my life I’m not expecting to every be thin, but I’ve been striving for the past 5 years to be HEALTHY.  My benchmark is to be able to ride my bike for 7 miles a day. This seems to be the magic mileage that allows me to have good movement and reduce the Fibromyalgia pain, and it’s very doable.

My bike, my man, my dog and a new haircut!
My bike, my man, my dog and a new haircut!

If you’re someone who doesn’t ride a bike, you might think that 7 miles sounds like a lot. It’s not – really! I worked up to it. I remember when riding 2 miles to my son’s baseball game was a challenge! But it only took about 2 months of daily riding for 7 miles to feel like a walk in the park.

And, since bike riding is seven times more efficient than walking, it IS like a one-mile walk in the park!

I’m fortunate that I live in an area where biking is encouraged. Our city & state government here in St. Paul, MN, is behind directives to promote ALL kinds of physical movement. We have an excellent ‘nice ride’ bike share program, and our bike paths, share-ways and greenways are legendary! Yeah, riding in the winter can be cold, but once you’re well covered (hands & faces are the most important) then a winter ride is really VERY nice! Just watch out for that ice!

However, since starting ModeKnit Yarns with my partner, Kathleen Pascuzzi, I haven’t made the time to get out and ride as much as I used to.

I get overwhelmed with the amount of physical work involved in dyeing hundreds of skeins of yarn, and I talk myself into believing I don’t have the time for cycling. Add to that my inability to get my Xolaire shots for 3 months this Summer (Damn you, Health Partners!) and there was a huge period where riding my bike was NOT as accessible as it had been before.

Spessartine Flow

But I’ve made a promise to myself that I will increase my cycling (and I’m back on the Xolaire…)

Being on my bike makes me happy (ENDORPHINS!) and it really does help decrease the amount of muscle and nerve pain that haunts me on a daily basis. It’s non weight-bearing, so I can bike without wrenching my knee

(Damn you, high school basketball!)

Now I just have to keep convincing myself that the hour-a-day I take from my busy schedule is WELL worth the time. It’s really true – when you run a business, it’s very hard to take time for YOU!

A Bolero Sketch from History On Two Needles (based on a Tissot Painting)
A Bolero Sketch from History On Two Needles

So it’s Submission Season, which means a lot of swatching, sketching, and a whole bunch of thinking. As much as I feel guilty when I take time from the dyeing biz (see above) I know that getting a good submission pack together is important for several reasons;

  • I need to stay visible and pertinent as a designer
  • I enjoy the income from designing (Damn you, mortgage!)
  • When I’m permitted by the magazine to use ModeKnit Yarn, it’s a great editorial benefit to our company.

Win, win, win!

But, like the cycling, I need to take time out to actually DO the knitting, swatching, etc. It’s so easy to just put my head down and work, work, work; endlessly dyeing,  skeining and updating the website. But if I don’t put in the non-dyeing time, the business ultimately suffers.

Who knew that at age 54 I would be able to learn so many lessons about using my time wisely!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

1 thought on “Moving More, Eating – well, just about the same…”

  1. Heidi says:
    October 20, 2015 at 10:03 am

    Good for you! Like you, I am a knitter with a full-time job (I wish it was as a dyer and knit designer but no… I work in IT… sitting all day). So, I’ve also been trying to get more exercise. I don’t dedicate time every single day like you do but I see a personal trainer for 1 hr. two days a week and work at very high intensity during those times. My husband and I also bought a tandem bike and we like to go for rides on the weekends. We’re getting some great distances… this past Sunday we went 24 miles. But, whether you do it all day or a few days a week, at least we’re doing it! So, since I know how hard it is, I wanted to cheer you on – Rah! Rah! 🙂 Best wishes to you and your continued health.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Knit With Me?

Buy Split Cable Wimple Pattern Now Via Paypal for $5.00

Be a NUN - or just look like one! In all honesty, the pattern is NOT well reviewed (there's only one 2-star review...) but it's always been one of my favorites.

Search This Blog

Previous Posts

  • New Chemo
  • Color Me…
  • Detour
  • Anti Climax
  • Cancer Dancer
  • Hope
  • Catching Up
  • New Wheels!
  • Two Weeks At Home

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
©2021 Annie's Recovery & Knitting Blog | Built using WordPress and Responsive Blogily theme by Superb
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.