I bought a new thing.  Splurged, same price as a lot of used things these days, and yes we had to travel to a different Province to buy it because of lack of supply. I bought a 2020, brand-new-out-of-the-box, KTM 390 Adventure. AND I LOVE IT.

It’s been a while since a blog, and a lot has happened in our lives. With all the upset in the world, we were forced to find a place to settle for the winter and rented an apartment in Kelowna, BC.  Next week we move to Trail, BC to start a new chapter in our lives after, what I call the “winter of hell”.  So, in the meantime, I bought that 390.

I’m not going to review the bike, there are a million YouTube reviews already, but I will say, having had the privilege of the gyms being open here in BC all winter has saved me a boatload of issues. While the 390 is a dual sport that is lower than most, I’m still only able to reach the ground on a tiptoe with the bike leaned over and one cheek hanging off the seat.  I’m thankful for my strong core and legs.  While the bike is only 390 lbs wet, I’m thankful I spent time this past winter not only maintaining the muscle and strength I had, but to work on other areas I had been neglecting like my shoulders and lower back. Having built strength in my low back was a game changer.  My posture is great, my endurance in the seat on the moto is up, the next morning I don’t have a sore or tired lower back either.  I am able to move my 390 around parking lots (I have to walk the bike to back in or out of a parking spot) with ease as well. 

I get why people don’t spend a ton of time in the gym, but being a 5’2”, 125-pound woman makes throwing that bike around soooo much easier.  I don’t have bulky, fatty legs to swing over the seat, I can grip the bike easily and longer with my knees and upper legs, and my endurance standing on the foot pegs is pretty much forever.  We forget the physicality of riding a motorcycle and the strength and endurance it can take to do a lot of off-road riding.  Even the weight of the bike can present a problem to a short, scrawny person such as myself, and I want to be successful and explore lots of places. So, I lift weights.

I’m not going to preach to people about the benefits of the gym or even losing the extra weight, that’s on you and no one can change your mind except you – but I’m closing in on the big 5-0 and being as fit as I am, makes a world of difference.  I take no medication; I sleep like a baby and most days have loads of energy and some to spare.  Even the extreme stress I have been under over the winter has started to dissipate and I credit a lot that to pushing myself to go to the gym, if even for 20 minutes.  Physically, my body has been strong, although showing the uncomfortable physical signs of stress and depression that I have been battling for the past 6 or 7 months. I am starting to heal quickly in mind and body. The only constant I have had in my life for the past 8 months has been my access to the gym or some form of exercise and I thank the gym rats for helping me keep on track, so I didn’t lose my mind.  Those brief friendships helped me through the darkest days of my life, and I am thankful to all those people. 

While I’m not a saint in the gym, nor have I been eating like an Olympian, my time at the gym has been an outlet to keep me sane.  Wherever you are living right now, and your ‘rona circumstances, I encourage everyone, no matter how hard it is to get in shape, eat super healthy at least 70% of the time and get some form of exercise other than a casual stroll through your neighbourhood.  I know it’s hard to get motivated.  Trust me, I have never experienced depression firsthand before and it sucks. If you have or do battle depression, I genuinely hope you are doing okay.  Even the act of going to the gym and sitting on a workout bench and observing and talking to those around me has helped my state of mind. 

The warm weather and sunshine and the greening of the outdoors is helping me a lot and the excitement of starting a new job and living in an unbelievably beautiful, out of the way area, in BC has me motivated to put a smile on my face and get out of bed every morning.

After we get settled in Trail, BC, I hope to be sharing our explorations of the mountains on our dual sports.  We bought a backroad map of the Kootenays and it will be years of exploring before we even repeat a road, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Cheers and happy riding!

​Jen

Originally Written December 19, 2019

​It’s day two of our ride. The boys are all tired and stiff today. I stretched immediately after our ride and they just laughed at me…who’s laughing now? Me, I’m ready to go after a pot of coffee. Today’s goal for the ride is to ride into Nogales for a lunch at a taco truck. Oh yeah, that was a goal worth keeping up with the boys I was willing to take on.
 
Our leader took us through a canyon, up a mountain fire access road that had been mostly eroded down by some heavy rains the day before to a breathtaking lookout spot. The trip down turned into an epic learning experience for me.
 
The narrow roads in that area were covered in granite rock slabs and granite dust - no sense using the back brake whatsoever. I am a confident front brake user but quickly found out that using front and back brakes was not a good idea. While I manage to stay on my bike while skidding down a steep slab of granite around a switch back, I had to stop and take a minute to catch my breath. Hoping that was the worst of the steep descents was over I threw my leg over my torn seat and headed into steeper territory. The switchbacks and steep descents went on for over 30 minutes until we were finally down into a valley and about 30 minutes to tacos.
 
I was excited about tacos and didn't realize, while there were no steep descents into Nogales, we still had a few miles to ride on some super gnarly narrow jeep trails. I lived and made it into town for amazing tacos. We (meaning me) decided to head back home via some breathtaking easier riding roads. I'm glad we did as it was getting cold, we were all tired, our bellies full of Mexican goodness and we were running out of gas and daylight. We rode 6 hours that day. I'm proud to say I had the skills to ride all the terrain, including terrain I was not confident riding. As the day wore on I got used to riding and it made me a better rider.

I wonder what challenges tomorrow's ride will bring!?

Jen

Originally written December 19, 2019

We have been riding here in Arizona for almost three weeks. Our adventures have taken us into desert areas that have you looking for Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner, to awe inspiring views over endless mountain ranges in every direction.
 
We met up with a couple of Ontario riding peeps early December. One of the guys has a house near Tucson and lives here and rides 6 months of the year. He took us out for 2 days of epic riding.
 
Day one we met for breakfast in a little desert town and headed over to an area near Tubac to ride some newly built single track. After being lost on Jeep roads for a good 30 minutes one of us finally spotted a trail marker. The single track was a total of 28 miles, built in 2 mile sections. Most of my single track experience I have had has been in Ontario, rutted out, muddy, stumpy and nice flowy trails. Yup, this was a whole new experience and challenge for me personally.
The first two trails we did were challenging but I didn't have any problems. I did invent new swear words but made it through without anyone having to help me.
 
The third trail, well it started off nice, a few challenging rock steps and some deep water crossings but all within my skill set. Then I came around a blind corner and slamming on my brakes I just stared at the challenge in front of me.  How the ‘H’ was I going to conquer a trail that started up a steep gravelly, loose, rocky incline, including several rock step switch backs and then a trail on a steep side incline with nothing but large boulders on the trail, a cliff ascending into the heavens on one side and a cliff descending into the depths of hell on the other? I had no confidence. However, I put my bike into first gear and tractored up as far as I could go before I wiped out. Our fearless leader, a highly accomplished rider, had to rescue me a couple times as the other two in our party were themselves having difficulties.
 
When the four of us finally found a spot to rest I made note I was the only person in our little posse not dying of heat stroke, lack of hydration or energy. I'm 120 pounds, my bike is approximately 240 pounds and I had 15 pounds of supplies in my backpack. After a brief rest and a snack, we rode the remaining mile out of that specific trail, and spent an hour finding our way back to our vehicles on some pretty gnarly jeep roads. I felt good about my riding and patted myself in the back.
 
Pumped and ready for Carne Asada with Mexican grilled bulb onions for dinner we headed back to the Canuck’s casa for dinner! And a beer or two…

​Jen

Should I spend my money on a coach or a group workshop? I ask myself that question a lot. I have taken several coaching sessions, both in a large group and one-on-one. In most cases, I am happier spending the extra money on a one-on-one session, I feel I get more bang for the buck. Groups are great too, but I find groups usually contain a variety of skill levels and it's not always possible to get the attention I need in a large group situation.
 
I like that in a one-on-one situation I feel free to ask a myriad of questions, whether ridiculous or not. One-on-one allows me to fail without thinking my other ‘classmates’ are watching or judging. I can also practice one thing without having to move on to the next skill before I'm ready.
 
On the flip side, groups can be fun too, it could give the affordability to train with some pretty cool coaches. You also get feedback from other people and will probably make new friends. In addition to learning strictly from the coach, you can engage with and learn from others’ experiences. 
 
So, ask yourself the question, “should I spend my money on a coach or a group workshop?”  Decide for yourself which situation is right for you. My personal preference is one-on-one learning, whether I’m the coach or student.
 
The nice thing about FitRiders, is there are opportunities for learning from our community members, or you can opt into our one-one-one coaching program. Whether you need that additional accountability of having a one-on-one mentor, or if you just need to bounce some ideas off a supportive community, FitRiders has programs to suit your needs. 
 
To join our group free for 60 days, visit www.fitriders.com. If you would prefer one-one-one coaching, try our FitRider Plus program. You get all of the community support of our FitRider Pro program, with the added bonus of having a coach work with you to reach your specific goals. What are you waiting for!
 
FitRiders wants to hear from you with your comments and suggestions on how we can better serve you! Please leave your comments below.

Jen
Instagram: @lazycatzimmerman

​As I sit in the Arizona desert staying away from other people (I hate catch phrases like ‘self isolation) and see people on social media posting they hope they have a family member who knows how to cook because all their favourite restaurants are currently closed, I use my inside voice to ask myself: “when did North Americans lose their ability to cook and why did we lose that ability?”. I don't think the majority of us are lazy, we work hard at our jobs, those with kids are busy with them, we have to clean our houses. So why does the thought of cooking make people roll their eyes? We have to eat, there's no choice. So why don't most of us do it for ourselves anymore?
 
Convenience? I get it, we are all tired at the end of the day, we are rushed in the morning before school and work. In this day and age (ignoring the current pandemic) it is so easy to get on whatever app du jour and have anything you desire delivered to your door. Technology has made it easy, but has technology actually made your life better in this regard? Do you remember a time when eating out was a treat and a special occasion?
 
Deliciousness? Does fast food, frozen pizza, restaurant food in general taste more amazing than a home cooked meal. Not always.
 
Cost? Is it more expensive to cook at home? Nope!
 
Time? Is delivery faster than cooking something at home? Yes and no.
 
Healthy? Is delivery/take out healthier? As an ex-chef I have to say nope. Restaurant food is all about flavour, yes even the vegan/vegetarian restaurants use processed plant products which aren't necessarily healthier than whole fruits and veggies with minimal processing.
 
Family time? Most families eat in front of the almighty television. Is this really family time, why not cook with your spouse and/or kids? Teach the next generation a skill or two.
 
Before you do the eye roll when I ask you if you like to cook, why not try 2 meals a week? Roast a chicken with all the veg and potatoes in one pan, learn to grill veggies when you grill up a steak. Make some quick oats for tomorrow's breakfast. Get a crockpot, those things are amazing.
 
Or, if you do cook at home but are bored, try something new! Learn how to make bread (it's quite easy, yes, it's time consuming, but can be made in the time span of a 2-hour movie), learn how to make hollandaise sauce from scratch, it's not magic! Make pancakes or waffles from scratch with blueberry sauce. You don't have to spend your entire day cooking, but you can cut the cord and I promise you will save a ton of money and your waistline may even shrink a little.

​Jen
Instagram: @lazycatzimmerman