Falling In Love With My Bike | Chats With Cath

/ Catherine

Looks like I’ve got a new series for you: welcome to Chats With Cath! These posts are going to be a bit longer, for those of you that enjoy a nice sit-down chatty vibe. If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll know how much I love a good ramble. Chats With Cath is going to be an ongoing series where I talk about things that are on my mind. 

Starting with…

Exercise!

We all of have some relationship with exercise. You might love it, or you might detest it. I was one of them people that turned their nose up at the thought of exercise. If that’s you – don’t fear! Just keep exploring exercise until you find a sport that suits you best (for example I can’t stand indoor workouts – I much prefer being in the outdoors!)

Cycling

Cycling didn’t start out as ‘my sport’. Truth be told – I hated it. I tried so hard to not practise even though my mum kept forcing me up on to the seat. I learned how to ride a bike pretty late into my life. I must have been 10? I couldn’t keep myself upright as a rode but then one day – it just clicked. I was riding about in no time. I am very grateful Mum’s persistence in making me learn. As they say – you never forget how to ride a bike.

That bike that I learned to ride on is now much too small for me. As an early Christmas present, my parents bought me a lovely bike. It was over £100 which is really a lot of money! So come Christmas I won’t have a ‘big’ present, if you will, because I already have it. My beautiful bike.

Here she is: I decided to call her Christine, because I love naming inanimate objects. 

I took her out for a spin the other week with my friend. We went on a lovely autumn bike ride together on Halloween. Sadly, the nights drawing in means I can’t get out for exercise in the evenings after school. Weekends are my opportunity to go zooming about and I look forward to it all week (although I try not to get ahead of myself because we need to be grateful for what’s happening now)

It’s October half-term as I’m writing this. I’m having a week long break from school and really feels like lockdown. So I’ve started reflecting and those 6 weird months.

Lockdown

Lockdown was a really turning point for many people and their exercise habits. We had more time to go out and enjoy the great outdoors. The British phenomenon was Joe Wicks and I am ashamed to say I never tried one of his workouts (as I said before, I don’t really like exercise indoors).

Despite the circumstances, I really embraced lockdown. I went out for my daily exercise, did schoolwork, blogged and slept. My mum and I went for a walk almost on a daily basis! It was wonderful and I grew to appreciate my scenery a lot more. I live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. As I have lived here all my life the beauties which other people admire have become ‘the norm’ for me. I speak for many people when I say lockdown made my appreciate everything that little bit more.

I wrote this post before the second lockdown was announced!

Catherine, how does this link to exercise?

I’m a bit gutted I didn’t ask for a bike last Christmas, because lockdown would have been the perfect opportunity to get out on my bike. Now the nights are drawing in I can’t get that exercise anymore. It’s a bit poopy living so far north in the world. It goes dark by 4:30 – and that’s when I get home from school!

I’m just voicing inner frustration here. I do realise how lucky and fortunate I am, to be sat here under a warm blanket writing to an audience of 830 people. 

To finish off this post, I’d just like to say a huge thank you for all of the support.

Not only because of the rebrand, but everything else too.

This is such a lovely space on the Internet and each and every one of you means the world to me.

What’s your favourite way to exercise? Are you more of an at-home workout person or do you enjoy going to the gym?

I’d love to hear about your relationship with exercise and lockdown in the comments.

Love you lots,

Catherine x

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Email me! cathjaneblog@gmail.com

24 thoughts on “Falling In Love With My Bike | Chats With Cath”

  1. Hi Cath! Wow, I loved this post. It looks like a great start to a great new series! Personally, I’m a mix of both indoor and outdoor exercise – I love cross-country running and long hikes, as well as yoga sessions indoors. My real sport is tennis, which can be indoors or outdoors, so I guess that reflects what I’ve just been saying! Anyway, loved the post.
    Ella x 💛✨

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    • Hi Ella! Lovely to hear from you. I’ve just seen your DM about the collab and I would totally be up for that. Cross-country is fun although I don’t often go for runs out of choice. You’re so similar to me, because I can completely agree with all of your favourite sports. Tennis is really fun but I am no good at it 😥 How are you? x

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  2. Wow, your bike looks so cool! I try to get into cycling but then usually stop. I also usually just go on walks or runs for exercise. Where I live it also gets dark by 4:30 so it’s hard to exercise when I have school. Great talking to you again!

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  3. Ooh I love how your new series is kind of linked to my blog name too haha! Omggg yess I love biking, don’t worry I didn’t learn to ride my bike till I was 11; everyone learns at different ages! Actually, to this day my Mum can’t ride a bike, but everyone’s different! Yesss i go on bike rides with my dad and we both love it!

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  5. Such an enjoyable post! Recently in PE, our teachers have just been organising treasure hunts and similar activities. I enjoy it much more than netball or whatever other sport is usually on!

    I love how you’ve named your bike- too cute and quite amusing for me as my mum’s name is Christine, haha! x

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  6. Hi Catherine, I loved this post and I’m so excited for the new series; it sounds so exciting!! Your bike is so pretty and I loved how you’ve given her a name. It definitely fits! I have always had a good relationship with exercise, which I know is really lucky and I think it’s down to the fact that I am part of the world’s nicest running groups where we go running through loads of rivers and mud in the dark with head torches which is so fun! I hope you and Christine have lots of adventures, Meg x

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  7. I can’t wait for more Chats with Cath! I loved reading this post, it was really nice to read about your thoughts 💗 I used to have a bike when I was younger and I would go out after school on bike rides. Now, I usually go for walks outside for my exercise 😂

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  8. I learned how to ride a bike a bit later than you, I might have been 13/14? And I was absolutely terrified of falling XD It was quite the summer! It’s been a while since I last did it, but I used to enjoy it a lot. I don’t have my old bike with me anymore, but if I ever manage to borrow one, I’d love to give it a try again!! I do need to exercise but I can never find something I like to keep going :/

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I was afraid of falling too because I could never ride in a straight line – I was swerving all about the place. One day it just clicked – I love biking now 🙂 People change, and so do your preferences in sport. I used to be a yoga fanatic but now I’m not so much. Dancing around your room can always burn calories though 😉 ❤ x

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