Me & The Peanut Butter Jar

"You can't out-exercise a bad diet."

We've all heard this one.  And it's true--you can't.
Oh, yeah, once-upon-a-time, perhaps in your teenage years, when it was all Doritos, grilled cheese sandwiches and Sonic Happy Hour, sure.  The metabolism was like jet fuel--pure octane and jacked-up past the speed of sound.  Late night pizza?  Sure.  Batch of chocolate chip cookies at 2 am?  Sounds good.  Burger & fries twice a day?  Uh, yeah?

Yeah.  Those days are O-V-E-R.  At least for me, anyway.

So, I'm trying to eat cleaner, healthier & smarter, now.  Good carbs, good grains, and lots of protein.   Fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts--healthy, right?  Good for me, right?  Right.

BUT.

 Nine pm rolls around.  That's a really hard time for me.  'Cause one of my favorite things to do about 9 pm, is to read.  It's usually quiet, I'm tired, and I finally feel like it's okay to sit down and relax a little while before I go to bed.  Wash my face, don my ugliest, most comfortable pajamas on, snuggle into my corner of the couch with a Diet Coke over ice & Stephen King novel & just fall into that book.  Yep.  That's a little slice of heaven right there....especially when I have a jar of peanut butter and a spoon to go with that book.  You know, you'd be surprised how much peanut butter you can consume in 10 or so chapters.  And that stuff doesn't come cheap--it's about 90 calories & 8 grams of fat per tablespoon.  Depending on your reading speed, that could get real serious, real quick.

So, I had to break up with my peanut butter.  I assured it, "it isn't you, it's me.  You're great & you're wonderful, and I will always, always love you.  We just need some time away from each other right now.  I hope that we can still be friends."

I think it took it very well.

Me?  I just can't talk about it, right now.  Maybe someday.  But not now.  

Tanglefoot Trail

Saturday I was invited to go with an old school friend of mine to ride the tanglefoot trail. The tanglefoot is a 47 mile trail that "ends" - begins? in New Albany. It is part of the rails to trails program and follows the path of the old railroad track that was home to a narrow gauge engine that Ripley's Colonel WC Falkner named Tanglefoot.
I had ridden the first 4 miles of the trail on my granny bike but I had a feeling my friend planned to do more than that!  She lives near the trail and bikes 8-15 miles two or three times a week. Never one to back down from a challenge I agree to go.
We left at 7:30 am and made it to Ingomar before I cried "uncle."  That gave us a nice 13 mile ride! Not bad for a granny on a granny bike. During the ride we switched bikes so that I could try out her hybrid to see the advantages. I am hooked!! If you are thinking about taking up biking, this is the way to start. A hybrid has gears and brakes, but it is sturdy, wide, has wide tires, and a comfortable seat. If you are looking to compete, you of course need a sleek road bike.  I will be saving my $$ for a hybrid!
Now I love my granny bike! But everything I love about it is also true about the hybrid ....except for my cool basket on the front!! Where will I keep my snacks?
I encourage you to check out the tanglefoot trail. If you are not from the area, you can spend the night at the beautiful Inn on the Square in Ripley and go visit Col. Falkner's statue in the cemetery. Then head south to New Albany for a lovely ride.
I hope to train up to making it to Ecru:
http://www.tanglefoottrail.com