Ten miles a day

Ten miles a day on my bike. That's my regular routine exercise these days. I go through phases, though, where I might pick riding. Or I might walk. Or I'll hike up a mountain. But I must do something physical.

I've learned to pay attention to what my body wants and needs. It wants and needs exercise. Without it, I lack the energy I need to get through the day.

That once made no sense to me whatsoever. I wondered, how can you gain energy by using it? Why wouldn't you just be more tired? But it's like this: The more you do something, the more you get used to it. And if it's good for you, all the better. I just didn't want to see it that way back then. I was stubborn.

But I exercise now because I know I must. It's no longer me who's stubborn, it's my body. My body requires it, demands it even. If I let my body down and try to skip a day or two or more, my body lets me know about it. THAT'S when I'm tired. THAT'S when I lack focus. THAT'S when I do less than what I can. "Hah!" My body says to me, "You can go without exercise, but if you do, I'll make you pay!"

And so it is. I follow orders.

I nearly proved my body wrong once, though. When I first started riding my bike in 2002, I was beat after a ride--and those were short rides. No more than two miles. They killed! But then they didn't. It didn't take long, maybe a month or two, before my body wore my mental toughness down, allowing me to actually enjoy and look forward to the rides. My body made me change my focus to a more positive one. It tricked me, really.

It tricked me to the point where I can now say that two miles would never do anything for me. That would be like me saying I'm going to enjoy a bag of jelly beans, but I only eat two jelly beans--Just two, out of one of bag, the same color, even. Hel-lo! Where's the enjoyment in that?! Two would not be enough. Not. At. All. And the same color?! Bah!

But ten jelly beans, now you're talking! I could actually enjoy 10. It wouldn't be too much. I could eat 10 different colors. I could make a pattern and eat two of five colors. I could even eat all 10, all at once. With 10, I'd have enough to get creative.

It's like that for me with 10 miles on the bike. With only two, I can only do so much. But with 10 miles, I can change things up. I can create something with that. And it gives me time to think, to relax, to create a pattern, to veg out, to get a good enough work out that I'm sweating. Ten miles isn't too difficult.

But it's still going to be a good enough ride. I've learned what works for me. Ten miles on the road gives me the oomph I need to muscle through a difficult assignment back in the office. It helps me get away from a bothersome contract or digest a challenging issue that I might need to address but would rather not. It gives me the time away, the freedom to let my mind wander and think through what I need to do. In two miles, I would not have time for that. I would be rushed.

These are good reasons to take up riding. These are good reasons to give yourself 10 miles a day. It's good for your mind, body and soul. It's a BIKE path worth taking.

What do you think?

When was the last time you rode your bike?

My friends know all about me and my bike riding. They know I'm all about the BIKE. They know it's my passion. So it was with great pleasure when I read that a writer friend of mine started riding her bike today.

I mean, I was absolutely thrilled for her.

It sounds crazy, I know, to care that much. And I know I say this mental BIKE isn't about a bicycle or exercise, for that matter. But that's where my work with BIKE originated. I'll continue to be a true believer for as long as I live in the healing qualities of bike-riding and the importance of giving yourself the time it allows for meditation and introspection--even if I'm not riding myself. I know that there is power in the pedaling. I know there is power in the rides. I know there is much to be discovered about oneself when given the time and opportunity to do that. I know there is growth waiting for my friend from the seat of her bike. So, yes, I'm thrilled.

I may have mentioned this before, but I remember some of my earlier rides, about a year into it. I'd lost something like 40 pounds (probably more) and had gone from a size 12 to a size 2 because of my rides. I was in the best shape of my life in all aspects: physically, mentally, spiritually and sexually. I had never felt better about who I am as a woman. And there I was riding around this loop in a city park at the end of the path I rode daily. I always added a few extra miles there. And as I rode, I'd watch other women walk around the loop. At one point, I remember literally stopping to chat with one of them.

"You should try bike riding," I told her, sharing with her my weight loss success.

"Yeah, yeah, I've done that before," she said, and kept on walking.

I think she may have been bothered that I disturbed her, but I wanted to spread the word. I wanted other women to feel how I felt. I still do. I had never been more comfortable inside of my body than at that time. I was at the beginning stages of learning to love myself. And like any love affair, it was hot and heavy in the beginning. It's that feeling that keeps me motivated to continue with some form of exercise program still today, whether it's bike-riding, jogging, walking, or anything else. I know what it feels like to feel my best. And I never want to lose that for long.

Oh, I have had my moments where I've lost that good feeling for a while. You know, the challenges of the day affect me just like anyone else. I get caught up with work and off-balance from time to time. Life happens. But I never stray too far from those good feelings about myself, even though sometimes I may have to fight for it. But part of the reason that I can stay focused like that is the exercise. Part of it is the bike-riding or whatever other physical activity I can fit into my day. I remember all too well how good I felt, and I just won't allow myself to get too far from that. It would be a real shame if I did.

Yes, I am thrilled for my friend who, today, just got on her bike for the first time in a long time. She reported she only rode a little more than 10 mintues. But I could tell she was proud of herself. I told her that's exactly how I started. And those first ten minutes or so changed my life.

So...when was the last time you rode your bike?

(I took the photo above of that painting I mentioned a few posts back. It now hangs in my office. Painted by an artist who goes by the name of JoJo, you can find more of his work at his gallery called Lola in Jerome, Ariz.)