miscellaneous bike thoughts

[topaz]

I noticed a long time ago that when I have the option of riding my bike to work or taking the T, I always prefer biking.  Always.  Every single day that I chose to take the train, I found myself wishing I'd biked, and on the days that I biked, I never regretted making that choice.  Even in the pouring rain and the freezing cold.

(Okay, I think there was one day that I decided I shouldn't have taken the bike.  When it was 40 degrees outside, and icy cold pounding rain, in a hurricane, and I got a flat tire, and I was attacked by rabid lemurs.  Both ways.  But seriously, that was the only time I felt like I would have been happier not biking.)

• Last Friday I rode from Bedford to Kendall Square, about 13.5 miles, to see if I could still do it.  I could.  (I hurt, though.)
• My average speed from Bedford to Kendall was 15 point something miles an hour.  Average speed on the return trip was 13 point something.  My goal this year is to bring that up by 2mph each way (a 12-15% speed increase).
• Achieving that is going to require losing a bit of weight.  It'll be a lot easier to improve my speed by 12% if I can reduce my weight by 12%.  Less wear and tear on the bike, too.
• I have fallen into this pattern: when I'm biking heavily, I let myself eat pretty much whatever I feel like.  Riding for two hours a day means I can get away with that, but it also means I'm not losing weight.  Problem.
  
• Discussing this with moominmolly over lunch last week led me to a revelation.  When she's actively biking she's motivated to eat things like salads and veggie wraps, because she associates biking with taking care of her body.  It's all about the framing, baby.  I should keep myself in a "taking care of your body" mindset when I'm riding, and see if I find it any easier to resist the siren call of the double cheeseburger with fries.

I really needed to get back in the game.  I knew I missed riding, but I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I forgot how much better I feel when I get to ride every day.

Comments

[wotw]

I find that when I'm working out heavily, it's easier to control my
eating---because every time I take a piece of cake, I think "I'm
going to have to work out hard for an hour to work this off----is
five minutes of pleasure really worth an hour of hard work?".

[keyne.livejournal.com]

...is five minutes of pleasure really worth an hour of hard work?"

Hasn't stopped you in other areas, has it? :-)

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

But that's all pleasure, as far as I'm concerned!

[dancingwolfgrrl.livejournal.com]

I will get motivated to bike to work, I will get motivated to bike to work, I will get motivated to bike to work!

[sharpstick.livejournal.com]

I have some important stuff (well, I think it's important anyway) on my experience with exercise/ eating that I want to share. But I realize that I want to share it with the world at large and here it would just get burried in your comments. So I am going to do some writing this morning and post it to my LJ. Look for it if you are interested :-)

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

I should keep myself in a "taking care of your body" mindset when I'm riding, and see if I find it any easier to resist the siren call of the double cheeseburger with fries.

[resists temptation to add a lascivious comment]

[wants you to take care of your body so you'll be around and healthy a long, long time]

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

You? Resist the temptation to add a lascivious comment? Puh-leeeeze. :-)

Let's compromise: I'll take care of my body so *you* will have an opportunity to, you know, take care of my body. *nod*

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

*conspiratory head inclination*

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I fell into very sloppy eating habits before M. was born. I realized exactly how sloppy when I started writing down what I wrote (there are online systems that make this easy). Being confronted with the evidence made it much easier to reform. I still eat junk but now I pay attention to it when I eat it, so I get the same enjoyment out of less junk.

And isn't it a pity to ruin all that good work by chomping down junk without even properly enjoying it?

Where are you locking the bike up?

[zsquirrelboy.livejournal.com]

I've been a little hesitant to bike out there, as I don't know where I'd lock my bicycle...

Re: Where are you locking the bike up?

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

There's a rack right outside, close to the south side of the building. If both ends of the rack are occupied (the front-wheel fender on my bike makes it impractical to lock it in the middle of the rack), I lock it to a street sign on the street.

[zsquirrelboy.livejournal.com]

As far as eating healthily goes, I find it easier when I'm biking a lot, not because I'm in the habit of taking care of my body, but because I feel like I *have* to. Once I start pushing myself hard, if I eat garbage, I'll feel sick. Bike harder and you won't be able to eat poorly. :)

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

With all that biking do you need to lose weight? Maybe you're healthy the way you are? (Although eating more fruit and veggies is probably a good idea for all of us.)

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately Tim has a spare tire, and since a bunch of his Morgan relatives have succumbed to heart trouble in early middle age, we're concerned about the health issue.

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that sometimes you exercise and build muscle mass (and reduce body fat) but your weight stays the same.

I have a bit of a spare tire myself, but every time I think I should do something about it, I read a scary article on eating disorders or osteoporosis and decide I'd rather have the spare tire!

(I might change my mind if my cholesterol and bp were bad-looking.)

[inseriatim.livejournal.com]

My goal is to reach your old speeds.

I knew I missed riding, but I didn't realize how much I missed it.

Word! I bike 120+ miles a week now and it is really boosting my mental health (even though I can't seem to average more than 12mph). Sometimes the long ride is inconvenient, and sometimes my head wants to fall off, but overall I may enjoy it more than commuting three miles to Kendall. Until this creepy fall weather ends and it snows, that is.

I'm with Molly: my enthusiasm for eating healthy has definitely risen a lot. (If only that were easy in Dedham!) Having a pretty clear indicator of my progress helps, too.

Go Tim!