There are two things that came to mind as I was out biking this morning. The first is a question I have been asked repeatedly, and have in fact asked myself repeatedly.

When I tell people that I am training with the intention of cycling across Canada in 2019, the most frequent question that comes up is “Why?”

The simplest answer would be “because I want to”, but I never actually say that because there are so many reasons.

Why cycle across Canada?

Because I’ve wanted to since I was a child.

Because training for that trip is helping me change my body, my mind, and my whole life for the better.

Because I want other people to look at me and think “if she can accomplish her dream, then I can accomplish mine”.

Because I want my son and my daughter to know that any achievement is possible if they just want it bad enough.

Because I want my son and my daughter to be proud of me.

Because I want to be proud of me.

Because it gives me a concrete fitness goal I can stick with.

The list goes on. From there, I started to think about a common misunderstanding among those who don’t completely understand how “getting in shape” works on the body. In an earlier post, I stated that I’d like to lose at least 60lbs, which would put me at 180. I am currently 240lb. Having said that, I know from previous experience that I have a body type that bulks up easily, whether that bulk consists of fat or muscle. Even when I was weights training regularly, I had little need of supplements because my muscles built up really quickly.

The thing about “getting in shape” is that muscle is denser than fat. So, if you have a plus sized figure built on to what would otherwise be a slender, wiry muscle structure (even at its fittest), then it is possible that your scales will show significant amounts of weight loss. However, if you are like me and you have a plus-sized figure built on to a stocky muscular structure, then the numbers on the scale may not show significant total weight loss… even though you may lose fat and thus inches around your trouble areas.

Since I have a plus sized figure that is built on a stocky muscle structure, I will lose inches more than total weight. It’s entirely possible that I will never get below 200lb.

And you know what? That’s o.k., because I will still be a lean, mean cycling machine.