When I first start biking in the fall or spring, I always go back through the soreness associated with the seat. Once I get past this (it does fade by the second week of weekend riding), biking is the best way to enjoy the weather and local sights. Dallas has so many great bike trails with beautiful foliage and birds, and not too many pedestrians.
Our old favorite was White Rock Lake. White Rock can be circumnavigated in an hour by a beginner (9.33 miles). It has gorgeous trees and 217 species of birds. There are lots of places to stop and relax if you get tired. White Rock has all levels of riders going around it. We get passed up by most bikers, but we have the pedestrians beaten!
Our new favorite is a trail off Royal going south to Northwest Highway (White Rock Creek Trail). The pedestrians are minimal and the trees are plentiful. You're basically riding through the woods on a paved trail.
Katy Trail is the worst for riding bikes as it's really a pedestrian trail. I don't like slamming on my brakes to avoid mothers with strollers or unpredictable dogs on leashes. Fun biking requires riding on autopilot and enjoying the scenery for it to be a true blast.
BENEFITS OF BIKING:
If you have knee problems, the doctor will recommend the stationary bike to strengthen it. Why not go the next step and ride outside? This is also the least damaging exercise for your joints. Hey, you're going to have to get your cardio in somewhere....why not do it on the one thing you learned and loved as a kid? All you need now is a bike and a bike rack (and don't forget those padded biking shorts.)
DANGERS OF BIKING:
We can't ride on city streets anymore. There's a lot more cars, and on a bike we're totally unprotected. Back in the 1980's I knew one woman who lost her leg when a driver on an isolated road hit her on her bike, throwing her 30 feet from the road. He drove off leaving her to die. This was in Tucson, and she was just lucky that another driver came along to rescue her. Another acquaintance of mine in El Paso, while driving drunk, hit a young person on a bike and drove away in a panic. I don't know if the biker lived. The driver eventually turned himself in. Here's the thing, we can try to brave it out, but what's the point when there are so many cool bike trails? Riding a bike on the street is about like walking on the street. You're equally unprotected. With people talking on cell phones, texting, and eating while driving, it's so not worth it.
BUYING A BIKE:
I've never paid more than $100 for a bike. My racing bike I bought for $100 from a guy in a cyclists club (worth over $1,000 new) and my el cheapo road bike I got at a garage sale for $25. Until you know whether you're going to ride the bike on a regular basis, why invest a lot of money? There are so many people who buy a bike and never ride it and you can find them all online. Before you buy it, ride it and make sure it's your size by riding it up and down the street. I've found buying new online is half the price of the what you can find in the store. Hint: Try out a bike in the store, then go find it online (Amazon).
BUYING A BIKE RACK:
Here's where you might want to spend some bucks. To get to the trails, you have to transport the bike. A cheaper bike rack will not protect your car. You will have to get one that positions the bikes away from the car so that it doesn't scratch up your paint job.
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:
Health doesn't just happen. It actually takes an incredible amount of effort. Besides all the remedial work (medication, weight loss, kicking addictions, etc.), health requires a lot of proactive preventive measures. Like cardio to work your heart, avoiding greasy food, staying active mentally and physically, reducing stress, avoiding destructive people. We cannot expect a doctor to prescribe our lifestyle. It's up to us to (1) figure out HOW to get healthy and (2) make the CHOICE to live healthily (3) actually LIVE a healthy lifestyle.
I'm very lucky my boyfriend is on board with living healthily with me, but if he weren't it wouldn't matter. Just like not waiting for a doctor to prescribe my lifestyle, I can't wait for my mate to share or approve my lifestyle. I see lots of couples where one is a health nut and the partner is a couch potato. Oh well. My boyfriend not only supports me in getting my cardio in, he drags me out the door to do so. So yes, I'm very lucky he's a major walkaholic.
I'm far from perfect at being a fitness fanatic. In fact I live healthily about 50% - 75% of the time. I lie in bed when I should work out; I eat Mexican food a couple of times a week. But to offset these lapses, I have to make up where I can. The key is to make it as enjoyable as possible. I vary the routine as much as possible to keep it interesting and avoid burnout. Biking is one of the many ways we play outside together. It brings back all those feelings of joy we had as kids riding our bikes all over the place, he in Athens, Greece and I in Dickinson, TX. It's universal.
Now please enjoy my piano teacher, Eric Scortia, playing the piano.
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