Image by shiner.clay via Flickr

In a previous post this week, I mentioned that my all-time favorite exercise period so far was riding a bike along Venice Beach in California. I had so much fun! But it was also a little scary, since I hadn’t been on a bike in a decade (give or take). Okay, maybe more than a little scary…

When I first stopped riding a bike, it wasn’t something I set out to do. The last time I rode a bike, I didn’t stop and say “Ayup, I’m not doing that again.” I had every intention of riding again the next day, or the next week, or definitely the next month. Time has a way of getting away from a person, though. And that’s what happened. A couple of months went by, and that turned into a year, and we get to this point.

Somewhere along the way, though, I started to become afraid of getting on a bike again. When I was a teenager, I was riding a bike down a hill. I stupidly thought I could ride down it hands-free. I thought damn, I look cool! And then I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to stop at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill if I didn’t grab the handlebars and hit the brakes.

Image via Wikipedia

I was right, I couldn’t stop for the stop sign. I went straight through it and ran smack dab into the side of a truck. The thud was sickening, the world stopped for a second, and suddenly I was on the asphalt. I stared up at the sky, wondering if what I thought happened had actually happened. The driver of the truck came running around to see if I was all right.

Obviously I was all right. Just had some bumps and scrapes and bruises. But that memory stuck with me. I was able to block out that image by riding my bike a lot more. Get right back up on that horse, right? I rode through my high school and college years. But once I stopped riding? From that point on, when I think of a bicycle, I think of slamming into the side of a car while going a good 15-20mph.

Back to the present: The city of Denver started a bicycle sharing program called Denver B-Cycle. The concept is as simple as it sounds. A person pays a token amount of money to rent a bicycle. You can then ride it throughout the city, returning the bike to any of the numerous B-Cycle stations around the city. It’s an easy way to get in some exercise without having to lug a bike in to work.

Ever since I heard of the B-Cycle program I’ve wanted to do it. I’ve come close – one day I actually planned on taking my bicycle helmet with me to work. I can’t get up the courage to do so, though. I imagine myself riding on that bike. I see myself hitting the brakes too late, riding out into the middle of the busy streets around my office building. I see myself not getting lucky this time, and running out in front of a car instead of smashing into the side of it.

As I sit here, I have two dueling thoughts running through my head. I want to start riding bicycles around town. I’m afraid I’ll get hit by a vehicle if I do. How do I reconcile these?

- M

Route

One of the things that we ended up doing during our recent California vacation was taking a bike ride. I wasn’t up for it at first: I was tired and just wanted to take a nap. But right as Erin was about to leave, I figured y’know, I really should do this so I jumped up and said “I wanna go too!!!”

I was mortified when I hopped on a bike. It was all I could do to not crash into the wall! I am trying to remember the last time I had ridden a bicycle…. had to be at least 10 years ago or so. I was worried that the old saying was false, and that one can forget how to ride a bike.

Image via Wikipedia

I was wrong, of course, and after a couple of minutes I was right back in the saddle. We got our group together and then got on the road.

The map above shows our route. We started out at the Marina International hotel in Marina del Rey. We had to ride a few blocks on city streets to get out to Venice Beach. From there, it was all bike path.

The weather was just about perfect. Not too hot, a cool breeze coming off the sea, clouds to keep the sun from growing too bright… Lots of lovely bodies to look at on the beach too, of course. And don’t look at me like that! If one goes out on Venice Beach, one has to expect to see attractive people. That’s part of the allure of the beach!

According to Google Maps, it’s a bit over 4 miles each way. My legs were feeling it on the way back home, too. I am one out-of-shape Biffster. Still, I managed to go the whole route without having to walk the bike. I kept up a very good pace – even passing people! – and I still had energy left for the rest of the day when we got back to the hotel.

None of that really matters, though. The important thing is: we had fun! It was fun to get outside and get some exercise in. I would’ve never, ever thought I’d say that.  :)

- M

Image by i_gallagher via Flickr

BOO-YAH!!! Please forgive me a little gloating here, but I am pretty sure I deserve at least a little self-indulgent celebrating here. I am down almost 5 pounds!  I am now officially down weight from the start of the year. Throw in a bit of a plateau and a little thing called a Caribbean cruise in there, and I still weigh less now than at the start of the year! I am trending exactly the way I need to be.

I am allowing myself a little extra back-patting this week for another reason: I worked damned hard to lose this weight. I followed the plan, tracked almost everything that I ate, added in some extra activity. Everything I am supposed to do, even when I didn’t want to. I stick with the plan, and the results show that.

Image by Express Monorail via Flickr

Not much else to say for right now, other than to note I am closing in on both my 30lb mark (just need to lose another pound) and my 10% goal (need 4 more lbs to hit that). I do have another vacation to deal with – a trip to California and Disneyland – but I like my chances at keeping control for this one.

For the most part, I’m just going to keep on keepin’ on. And I am going to allow myself to celebrate this loss for a while more. It was epic! And I deserve it.  :)

- M

Related articles

• Still on a plateau (Weigh-in for April 5th, 2011) (weightjournal.com)
• Surprise weigh-in (April 12, 2011) (weightjournal.com)

One of my dear twitter friends, @Dabobie, sent me a tweet that has me thinking. Her tweet was pure encouragement: “you’re on a roll ) this is your year!” Aside from being super-sweet, this tweet made me stop and think, though. Will 2011 be my year? Is this the year I get down to my goal weight? And, even more important, is this the year I stay there?

It is definitely shaping up as such. I had a bit of a plateau at the end of the year and the first week of this year, but that was by choice. I had hit one of my major goals, and it was time to stop, celebrate that, catch my breath, and then get ready to work towards my next big goal. Once I decided it was time to move forward again, I started seeing immediate results.

I am within a whisker of hitting my 10% loss this time around at WeightWatchers. I am motivated to keep going. I have internalized some of those things I should know by now, including not going inside convenience stores! I am slacking a little when it comes to exercise, true. Otherwise, I think I am at a really good spot.

Things will get a little interesting in a couple of weeks. My wife and I are going on a vacation – one of those all-inclusive things. I can eat and drink as much as I want. No one is going to stop me, no one is going to charge me any money. Talk about free reign!

On the other hand, opportunities to exercise will be everywhere! A half-mile walking track. ATV driving through a jungle. Power-walking along a stingray beach. Activity points should be a breeze to gain.

Add those Activity Points plus 49 weekly points, and you’ve got a situation where I’d have to work very, very hard to gain weight on this vacation.

Just somebody please save me from Bailey’s Irish Cream!!!

- M

Fortunately, there is one place where I am guaranteed to get some activity in, and I love to go there: the zoo!

Before you scoff, consider this: a day at the zoo forces you to walk. To walk a lot. At least at the Denver Zoo, if you want to see a lot of the animals there, you have a lot of walking to do. The elephants are at one area, birds off to another side, the polar bears and seals are completely across the zoo, etc. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the zoo’s map!

Lemme tell you, that is one heck of a walk. Especially when pulling a wagon that is loaded down with diaper bags, water bottles and children.

EXERCISE!!!!

One other suggestion for zoo-going: prepare your meal and snacks! Food at the zoo (or at least here at the Denver Zoo) isn’t too horribly priced, but it also isn’t the healthiest food. Instead of using up all of the exercise calories/Points by having a meal rife with fat (e.g. pizza, a burger, chicken strips), plan ahead. Pack a good, healthy lunch, along with lots of fruits and pretzels or the like for snacks. Kiddos will eat pretty much anything you give them at the zoo because of the wonders of the environment. And it may just build a life-long association between fun and healthy eating.

Or at the very least, you can enjoy the day, knowing that you’ve taken care of your body, and your weight-loss needs.

- M

Do you have similar experiences at the zoo? Or other places that also force you to get in a lot of exercise? Please share your story in the comments below!

Of course, this journal isn’t supposed to be about just the fun stuff. It’s supposed to be about the bad stuff, too. And I’ve had a lot of bad stuff going on. I am just so used to dealing with stress with eating that I don’t even notice it anymore. Busy work week? Eat an extra pastry at the coffee shop. Snow outside is making me nervous about driving? Carton of chocolate milk and a donut or two.

Then, for some reason that I cannot remember anymore, I stopped exercising. No more 45-minute walks at lunchtime! What the hell is wrong with me? That was cheap, easy exercise. I would combine that with a treat (say a non-fat latte from the former Peaberry Coffee), listen to some tunes, and just enjoy. Now it is hard to get myself out of my office chair at all. Seriously, wtf?

[le sigh] More sometime later.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Show notes:

Down a total of 10 pounds so far this year. Yay me! This is an important milestone to me.

Summertime heat is here. I hate summer. Too damned hot, makes my lunchtime walk almost impossible. So I am changing things up, taking a different train in the morning so I have to walk 20 minutes to get to the office.

Watch out for liquid calories! It’s easy to wreck one’s diet and not even realize it by drinking sugar-sweetened drinks. Via Our Lady of Weight Loss:
Liquid Calories: Evil, Alluring and Dangerous – Our Lady of Weight

Do you find it impossible to stop snacking? Here are 50 activities to do instead of snacking. Note that having sex is suspicously absent from the list. Hmmm…
theworldaccordingtoeggface: 50 Things to do instead of snacking

Tip of the week: Put things back! When grocery shopping, stop every couple of aisles and see if there’s anything in your cart which isn’t conducive to your new life style. If there is, put it back on the shelf.

That’s it for this week. Remember to follow us on Twitter, @weightjournal.