At the beginning of the new year, I stated that one of my new year's resolution would be to ride my bicycle almost every day and rid myself of a car (click here to view the page). I still use the car periodically, although, there are numerous times that I have chosen to ride my bicycle or walk instead. I have purposely let some time past since my last post to allow for a larger number of data points (days of bicycling and other forms of exercise to pass) to be collected in order to report more reputable results. Below are a few initial observations along with changes that I have made to rid myself or remove the my dependency of using a car instead of other means of transportation that have had a direct impact on my pursuit of better health and overall wellness.
I have to admit, a year ago I was not in favor of bicycling as much as I am now. Even a few months ago, I was still riding the bicycle with the idea that I would use the car if I had to buy certain items or go any appreciable distance. In the last few months, I would not have expected to become so dependent on my bicycle and dislike driving/riding in a car. I am absolutely amazed at the feeling/observation that runs through my head at various times. Just mentioning a trip across town can bring on more anxiety than the thought of riding on a bicycle the same distance. This was inverted just months ago.
You might wonder why I am telling you this? First, I believe this aversion was just in my head and that I could apply the same routine in my transformation from a car to a bicycle with other areas of my life. In that regard, I am talking specifically about challenges that I would like to change that require a change of mindset. This change in methodology could apply to any area that a person is having difficulty dealing with. I feel great and I am not just saying this to boast or convince you that I have achieved a change. I am being honest with myself by putting the words on the screen. The indirect effect of these words will be how each reader chooses to interpret them. Each person deserves to live a healthy life--this should be obvious. Not all of us are capable of achieving the ability to work to carry this out to visible results. I believe the reason is due to our own ability to sabotage ourselves both mentally and physically. I speak from experience.
Having ridden my bicycle to the train station to travel to a station near my work only to ride to the University (where I work) has changed my outlook on life. A simple change, which at first was met with some resistance (hesitation) is now a way of life. I am amazed that I could feel more comfortable riding a bicycle than driving a car to work. I have changed the routes periodically reducing the distance that I ride each day in order to change the scenery and keep me on my bicycling senses. In addition, I have noticed that I can still become complacent or used to riding a certain distance and although my metabolism has changed, I still am able to gain weight. This last observation surprised me initially. Over the last two months, I have noticed that my metabolism has completely changed from when I first started riding. Initially, I lost more weight and was on a path toward slimming down to a large extent. Then I started noticing that I would ride and other than that, I would be idle--which is not good. I am trying to constantly be aware of patterns of idleness that are unhealthy. How do I monitor myself? I just interpret my feeling or sense of health. Each person possesses the ability to do the same monitoring.
I have additionally, started to return to Martial Arts training on a more regular basis, which has substantially helped my perceived complacency. Since my body was getting used to riding during the week and on the weekends (not as much as initially), I noticed that I needed to get back into a routine and clear my mental obstacles with learning new techniques in my Martial Arts class. Let me explain a little. Previously, I would go at least once a week when I was really being serious about attending--which is not good at all. I would skip a week and this subsequent process of not showing up as much as I could was starting to have an adverse effect on my mental health. Here I was riding every day or nearly every day and I was leaving out another form of exercise that I was actually paying a monthly payment (not cheap) to attend. I was feeling great about riding. Although, in the back of my head, I wondered if I should drop out of the class or get serious.
Luckily, I have decided to get more serious which entailed the following: going each week at least 2 time if not 3. By attending the class regularly, I am feeling much better both physically and mentally. The change in mindset has really highlighted how much a person (me in this case) can really create a dilemma that can be a barrier to success. I mean the fact that I was having anxiety about not attending was actually holding me back to moving forward. After attending regularly, I am noticing slow improvement. I have been practicing this form of training for quite a while. To be honest, I have not really been serious about learning the moves. This fact was made apparent last week when I was unable to properly be on the offensive during a grappling session. My first instinct was to shy away from the training. How comical is that? Probably not really that uncommon for noticing failure in one's effort. Out of the experience, though, I have learned that I need to focus my attention and not let some anxieties get in the way of improvement. I am good at defense, but not so great at offense. I took away the realization of the area in which I could improve on mentally. A large portion of my colleagues would just shy away. Due to my progress over the last few months with riding my bicycle, I now know that I just need to apply myself more to the task at hand.
I have carried on for a while now and could write plenty more. Instead of rambling on, I will write more frequently. The overall message of this post is to capitalize on your failures in the form of opportunity for improvement. Instead of kicking or beating yourself up mentally, capitalize on the moment and make a positive change out of the situation. Over the course of just riding my bicycle to the store -- to get ice cream, milk, etc-- I have shifted my dependency away from a car and into a more healthy lifestyle. In fact, I would rather walk to the store than drive--how crazy is that? This would have been my thought (the end of the last sentence) a few months ago. With successive actions of either walking/or riding, I have reduced the amount of dependency I give to the use of a car to carryout my activities. Of course, the disclaimer would be that I do live in a small city which is good for using a bicycle or walking. That should be no excuse though. In closing, ask yourself, what is holding me back from changing my lifestyle to a more healthy one? Once you have a short list, start overcoming each obstacle and keep track of your success. I wish you well in your pursuit.