As the official start of winter approaches here in the
northeast, the weather has conspired to keep me indoors and off my Trikke. The past two weekends were completely rained
out, and when we got one mild, sunny day yesterday, it coincided with the start
of a head cold which kept me inside and in bed.
Because it’s so easy to get down about the weather and fall out of the
habit of exercising as a result, I thought this would be a good time to take a
step back and reflect on the past year to remind myself just how far I’ve come.
A year ago, I had a total disdain for exercise. I work at a desk job, and my favorite hobbies
(reading, video games, model making) are all equally sedentary. I should also mention that I’m a part-time undergrad
student, which keeps me seated at my computer long after the work week has
ended. Is it any wonder that I had
packed on close to 100 excessive pounds and found simple things like climbing
my stairs to be exhausting?
But something changed last year around this time. I don’t know whether it was the beautiful,
mild winter we were blessed with? Or
whether approaching the age of 40 set off some warning bells in my head? Or that the more I sat still and lay around,
the more my body began to ache? What matters
is that something changed, and it changed rather spontaneously.
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| The walk that started it all . . . |
It was a mild late-November day, and I had just gotten the grade
for the final project and presentation for my first semester back after a
17-year absence from school. Much to my
relief, I earned an “A” and wanted to reward myself by taking the day off from
housework. So I went to my workshop in
the garage and plunked myself down at the workbench to work on a model
car. Despite the cool, fresh air blowing
in through the open garage door, I found myself getting restless and antsy. All I had done was trade one desk for
another.
So I went for a walk!
It was completely spontaneous, but a walk along the beautiful D&L
Trail alongside the Lehigh River seemed the perfect way to enjoy the mild
autumn day, and to reflect upon the successful completion of my first semester
back in school. I enjoyed my walk,
except for one small problem. After just
a half-hour of walking, I was exhausted, winded, light-headed, and nauseous. Is it any wonder I had such a disdain for
exercise when it made me feel so rotten?
As tempting as it was to retreat into my sedentary world, something
shifted in my mind telling me that if I didn’t do something soon to change my
health, it might be too late. I was sick
of feeling entombed in a sack of flesh that just seemed to bog me down in
misery. So I kept walking. I made a commitment to walk three times a
week, gradually increasing my pace and distance as I felt able to.
I walked through the winter, even on the coldest days, and I
saw others out there riding their bicycles.
I yearned to ride mine again, and decided that I didn’t need to wait for
that “perfect spring day” to do it. So
on February 5, I rode 6.5 miles on the Slate Heritage Trail on a sunny, but 41
degree day. It was torture; not because
of the cold, but because every crank of the pedals was difficult and
agonizing. I must have stopped every
half mile to rest, but the important thing was I made it to the end of the
trail and back. Bicycling had seemed so
spirited and effortless in my youth, yet here I was crawling along at snail’s
pace, gasping for air every inch of the way.
I was even passed by an older gentleman riding a rusting bike that had
to be as old as I was.
Determined to conquer the limitations my neglected body imposed
on me, I set a goal of biking 1000 miles in 2012. Of course I wanted to lose weight, but
instead of saying “I want to lose 100 pounds,” I opted to set a more concrete
goal, that if followed, would ultimately result in me losing weight. I credit this back-door approach with the
success I have enjoyed since.
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| Some of the Lehigh Valley's best sights can only be reached by bike |
I continued to walk and bike regularly, feeling stronger as
the spring months approached. My biggest
problem now was the literal “pain in the butt” that resulted from my bike
rides, which started topping 10 miles. I
had been eyeing Trikke’s carving vehicles for years, and decided the time was
right to buy one. This would give me
something to do the day after a long bike ride, instead of resorting to the “my
butt hurts” excuse to avoid exercise.
My first ride on Lean Green, my secondhand T78 Deluxe, took
place on March 10 in 37 degree weather.
I was like an excited kid with a new toy, and wasn’t going to let
anything as petty as the cold weather stop me from riding it. I had practiced the basics of riding in my
driveway, but my trip to Bicentennial Park was my first time on a “real trail.” I managed to do 2.1 miles, which left me
gasping for air and sweating out of every pore, yet also left a huge grin
plastered on my face. They say you need
to find something you love to commit to an exercise program, and I knew that
day that I finally had.
Combining my three forms of exercise with a newly adopted
high-protein/low-calorie diet left me feeling like a new woman by the end of
March. I no longer felt sick and
exhausted after exercise, and was instead beginning to feel invigorated by
it. I racked up the miles on the bike
and the Trikke, and when the heat wave hit in July and August, I bought a
kettlebell and training DVD’s to take my exercise indoors. I had come so far already that I didn’t want
to regress to the state I was in just a few months earlier.
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| My new passion for living!! |
During this time, the Trikke stood out as not only my favorite
exercise, but a newfound passion in my life.
I joined the Trikke Riders of Pennsylvania, and attended June’s Riding
Clinikk in Philadelphia, making new Trikking friends along the way. I eagerly returned to the trails as soon as
the heat wave broke, and continually rode faster and further than ever before.
With Rokk-It Red, my new T8 Sport, I conquered the steep
hill at Rodale Park on October 20, and completed an epic 21.2 mile ride with my
friends in Stroudsburg on November 11.
Although every muscle in my body ached after these rides, it felt so
good, and had reignited an internal energy that had been missing for close to fifteen
years.
Although I did not meet my literal goal of biking 1,000
miles this year, I still consider that goal met in the sense that I have
adopted a healthy and active lifestyle as a result of it. Although the year is not quite over, I have
achieved the following:
- Biked 305 miles
- Trikked 227 miles
- Lost 40 pounds
- Dropped 6 pant-sizes
- Regained the energy I had in my mid-20’s
- Discovered the benefits of cross-training
- Made over a dozen new friends
- Started this blog
A variety of circumstances beyond my control have prevented
me from exercising for the past three weeks.
While I cringe as I feel myself starting to slide back into that familiar
lazy abyss, I realize that I’m writing this post to inspire myself as much as
to inspire you. The winter weather and
this head cold are just a minor detour on a long journey. If I can revive myself after two decades of unhealthy
living, and go from being sick after walking 30 minutes to feeling energized
after Trikking three hours, then I can certainly pick myself up and dust myself
off after the setbacks December has thrown at me.
The coming new year will be an opportunity for me to set new
goals and to share them with you. I have
become a big believer in the idea that we are more likely to achieve our goals
when others hold us accountable for them, so I will put mine here for the world
to see.
If you’re just beginning your journey towards health, what’s
the first step you will take? If you’re
already on that path, what can you do in 2013 to up your game? I’ll be posting my official goals closer to
New Year’s Day, and I’ll look forward to hearing what yours are too. Let’s work together in 2013 to inspire each
other to new heights!
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