Bike Ride
A year and a half ago I quit smoking after having the nasty habit for almost exactly 25 years. That in itself is another story, but as a result of the quitting I gained 15 pounds within a few months. Anyone 5 foot tall can tell you that 15 pounds is a LOT of weight to distribute. I paniced and instead of feeling good about myself for the quitting smoking, I felt ugly from the weight gain. So I decided to do something about it and replace smoking with exercise.
At first I tried exercise videos. I read up on the internet a bit and decided to purchase Denise Austin’s workout dvd. I used it once. While it was a good workout, I honestly could not stand the lady. She was completely uninspiring and frankly annoying. While she looks like a perky blonde, she really is very monotone in voice and doesn’t project an attitude that incites one to work out. She also went so quickly through spots that I didn’t quite understand how to do certain positions and actions. Give me the old Jane Fonda of my college days please! Heck, I could even deal with Richard Simons over Denise Austin any day.
Having blown my whole budget to buy the dust collecting dvd I decided to utilize something I already owned. When we first moved to Florida we bought bikes for the whole family, mom and dad included. I used mine every once in a while, but nothing extensive since my son’s 3rd grade year when I rode with him to school daily. I did basic maintainance on my bike and off I went.
At first I had no “route” to go on. I just went biking around the neighborhood for at least 30 minutes. Soon I had a route all mapped out that took 30 minutes to complete. Before you knew it though, the 30 minutes turned into 15 minutes as I got into shape and completed it quicker. So I did 2 of the cycles of my route. I even checked with the car how much distance each cycle covered…. 3 miles.
Last Christmas I recieved gifts galore that revolved around my new biking obsession. I got an armband raidio, a gel seat and bought myself more bike comfortable shorts. I’ve worn one tire completely away and my husband is becoming an expert in bike repair and maintainance.
After a while the 5 days a week to bike turned into 7 days. Then somewhere along the way I added a third lap. So no I ride about 9 miles a day, 7 days a week, bar rain and hurricane.
I haven’t checked if I’ve really lost any weight, but I stopped gaining it. My legs are more tone and one day I actually looked at my butt in appreciation. I’m not skinny by far, but I’m sure as heck more healthy. And I really enjoy my bike ride. It gives me time to think, unwind, listen to music and just focus on nothing but myself. My husband looks at me crazy and laughs at me over my biking obsession, but it has kept me from having a complete mental breakdown through my mid life crisis.
Besides it being good for me physically and mentally, I get to see my neighborhood in a new light. I love our neighborhood! There are so many fascinating people that live in it that they make my bike ride so much more interesting and fun. I look forward to getting a daily glimps into their lives. And those are stories I’ll share along the way; the people along the bike ride route!