Who I Am Part III

I Ride
Sometime around September of this year, I realized that I wasn't going to lose any more weight on my current exercise program. I grew up riding a bike but I never really thought of it as anything more than a leisure activity and a means of transportation. I just loved to ride. Ten years ago, I bought a bike. Not the best bike, but not a terrible one either. I rode for awhile and then just let it sit. I did a lot of sitting myself. Design work will do that to you.

August 4, 2010, I decided to make a change. I truly believed it was move or die. I changed my diet to follow the food pyramid and started walking at the gym. After 20 pounds, I tried Zumba, but didn't really like it. Next was yoga. Walking and yoga helped me lose another 20. Then, after losing 40 pounds and being stuck there for a few months, I decided that something had to change. I had been wanting to ride my bike for awhile, but was afraid that my weight and core strength would be a problem.

One day, a friend brought over an air compressor to air up Michael's tires. Michael is my grandson and had gotten a bike for Christmas. My friend informed me that there was still lots of air left and asked if there was anything else that needed air. I took him out to the patio and we aired up the tires. I rinsed off the dust, oiled the chain and gave it shot. I have been riding ever since. I ride every day that I can, but I am not a morning person. I do not get up in the middle of the night so I can ride 30 miles before work. I do ride nearly every day after school and weekends. Most rides are 1.5 to 2 hours. Sometimes I can only do 1 and sometimes I can do 3. It just depends on my schedule, sunset, and the weather.

Some people tell me that they wouldn't have time to do what I do, but I think that every hour on the bike is another hour added to the end of my life. It's another hour of feeling better and another hour of feeling totally free.