Blogspiration: Ride, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

 Found at Bike Commute News. Design by Karl Rosengarth: www.wearehold.com

I start my day on a bicycle and end my day on a bicycle, and that is an undying source of joy for me right now. 'Nuff said.

Blogspiration is a meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101.

Blogspiration: Companionship of bicycles

The trouble with having an outdoor-themed blog is that the subject-at-hand too often serves as a convenient distraction from writing.

Encouraged in part by the sheer joy of exercising and in part by the recent and unfortunate loss of my 30-day subway card, I have been cycling a lot lately.

When I stumbled across this article in my Twitter feed, the following line caught my eye:

"Bicycles will refuse to do anything for you, but [they] will gladly do anything with you."

Oh, how wonderfully true.

Bicycling eases feelings of stress. It inspires some of my most productive and creative days. It carries me through my city and to new places. It sparks conversation with complete strangers. It encourages confidence, health, and joy.

It's not the bicycle, though, that causes these things to happen. It is I. The bicycle is just along for the ride.

Blogspiration is a meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101.

Blogspiration: Women Ride for CycloFemme

Busy weekends have recently prevented me from writing my Sunday Blogspiration posts. Today, however, I'm typing this as I let my blood cool from an amazing CycloFemme ride. At 9:30 this morning, I joined 8 amazing women for a 22-mile bicycle ride through New York City (plus another 8 miles back to my apartment).

Just a temporary tattoo — for now!

I love the concept, I love the logo, but most of all I love the photos that are popping up on the Instagram #cyclofemme stream. It's incredibly inspiring to see so many women and girls (and a few men!) coming together over the simple love of riding.

Want to be inspired? Check out the CycloFemme photo stream here: http://cyclofemme.com/

Blogspiration is a new meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101.

Blogspiration: Perpetual ocean, beauty in science.

Courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video on Flickr; discovered via Explore-Blog.

Blogspiration is a meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers and readers. An inspirational quote, picture, or video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation, and just a little something.

Blogspiration: There and back again

Hobbits on the Hudson

Cutest hobbits ever, courtesy of @folowbredcrumbs

My love of the outdoors is constantly rekindled by many muses. It is difficult to put my finger on exactly why, or how, or when I fell in love with the outdoors, but it may have happened while reading books as a child.

All my favorite heroes and heroines had to, at some point, trek through the wilderness. Wonderful and scary things happened in that wilderness, and I wanted to find my own adventures there.

I do find my adventures now, and sometimes still with books. One of my favorite camping memories took place a few years ago in the pouring rain. ARA and I had had a beautiful day of hiking, but a storm rolled in just before sunset. Luckily, one of us almost always carries a paperback book on camping trips. We huddled in our tent, taking turns reading aloud from The Hobbit:

"...his hood was dripping into his eyes; his cloak was full of water; the pony was tired and stumbled on the stones; the others were too grumpy to talk. 'And I'm sure the rain has got into the dry clothes and into the food-bags,' thought Bilbo."

Rain isn't so bad. Let's just hope my luck holds, and that I never encounter an unhappy bear, a hungry troll, or a wicked witch.

Blogspiration is a meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101. The meme was created to help spark inspiration among bloggers and readers. An inspirational quote, picture, or video is posted weekly, on the day of the author's choosing, so that it may inspire creativity, conversation, and just a little something.

Blogspiration: 5 Reasons to Go for a Walk

"Walking is life at its most immediate. The combination of people and places changes constantly and never repeats." Joseph Scher


That line stuck out to me while reading this New York Times "Opinionator" piece three years ago. The author is referring to the experience of walking on a crowded New York City sidewalk, but I think it describes small-town strolls or quiet hikes equally well. While cycling gives me the rush of moving fast, walking helps me feel rooted and connected.

So why should you go for a walk, right now? Use these five reasons to get on your feet and out the door:

1. Improve your mood. We've heard it from the experts for years—regular exercise can help relieve anxiety and stress. While you'll only get that "runner's high" from an intensive cardio workout, a brisk walk around the block can do wonders to relax your muscles, improve your energy level, and boost your confidence. 
2. Love your body. There are few things more satisfying than feeling a gentle ache in your muscles after a long city walk or a challenging outdoor hike. You're making yourself stronger and healthier, and that's something to be proud of.
3. See something new. I've discovered some of my favorite stores, cafés, and parks by taking a new path. If you need to escape your thoughts for a while, new sights can provide a good distraction. 
4. Take a break. Step away from that bad day at work, that fight with a loved one, or that horrendous case of writer's block. Walk it off, listening to music or taking in the sounds around you. I find that some of my best work comes after a long walk around New York City.
5. Go alone or with a friend. Connect with your friends, family, or partner. Relish your alone time by setting your own pace and path. Walking fits almost any situation.

Need a bit more convincing? Check out Every Body Walk, a "campaign to get America moving."

Blogspiration is a new meme hosted jointly by GrowingUp YA and saz101.