One Does Not Simply Walk Off Second Breakfast

“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Female hobbit from The Lord of the Rings

 “I’m not short. I’m just part Hobbit!” This has been a favorite quip of mine for a long time. As someone who is just a jot over five feet in height, I’m often loomed over by others. And as someone who is also loves tea, comfort, food, and stories of high fantasy, “hobbit” has always been my favorite identification rather than “kind-of-curvy-short-woman.”

Sadly, this past year, I have been a regrettably sedentary hobbit-lass. As someone who lives in the pacific northwest, the long, wet, and cold winter this year got me in the habit of sitting on the couch more (playing video games, watching cartoons, and reading fantasy books) and walking less. Soon, comic and game conventions became some of my most intense walking days. As a cosplayer, I also found myself soon covering up more and posting on my costume blog less. It was after I looked over the pictures from this year’s PAX West and Emerald City Comic Con that I realized that I was somewhat subconsciously picking characters to cosplay whose costumes I thought would cover and hide my new stomach pudge and widening thighs.
Yes, I was embarrassed by my body. After gaining almost twenty pounds over the course of the year—a rather significant amount on my barely over 5-foot frame—I knew I needed to make a change. I knew I needed to get in shape and start new habits. But how?
 

One step tracker and a Middle Earth map, at your service!

I decided that, this summer, I'm going to work extra hard to be healthy and I decided to turn to the perfect inspiration: J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic (and, to me, most relatable) hobbits. 

Both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins made long journeys that challenged their typical, comfortable, and sedentary lives. They had to abandon the sweet pies and afternoon tea of the Shire, and instead eat food more hunted and foraged than bought at the market. They had to push past their doubts and their stomachs in order to complete fantastical quests, something I realize I must do now as well.

Sure, my quest to get healthy and lose weight isn’t quite as dramatic as defeating a dragon or destroying the One Ring, but I figure this hobbit-ish blogger can still approach this goal in an epic manner. And I can tell you all about it as I do so! 

This summer, I will be trying eating healthy and attempting to make the walk to Rivendell—just a fraction of the distance either Bilbo or Frodo traveled in total, but still a daunting 397 miles—before the end of August. Biking and walking can both count toward my total, but no “eagle flights” (cars, planes, or trains). Along the way, I’ll be writing about my process, cataloging what keeps me motivated, and connecting iconic scenes from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to my journey. 

Map source: Tolkien.co.uk

I hope you’ll join me on this journey (and become either amused or inspired) as I try to walk off my second breakfasts, have some hobbit-y fun, and become a healthier, fitter fantasy geek along the way.