Having recently joined the Adventure Cycling Association, I've been getting mail (and cycling route maps) to help me think outside the gym.
Although I've started working out and tweaking my diet for general fitness and health, quality of life is bigger than just that. Pretty much everything has been getting easier as I lighten the load (to the tune of 1-1.5 lbs/week) and increase in strength & flexibility.
And that includes cycling! I just returned from a bike route featuring some challenging hills. We call it "the Booger route" in honor of a friendly dog named Booger we used to encounter along the way.
One hill in particular is traditionally a real beast, and more than once I've run out of steam before making it all the way up. But today I made the entire route with a few additions in about 55 minutes without even taking a break.
My workout routine is a combination of resistance training, cardiovascular work, and stretching. I believe each of these is making a meaningful contribution to my ride.
But not every workout should be in the gym. Just as in golf playing a round isn't treated like a trip to the driving/chipping/putting facility, I don't approach the gym the same way I'd approach cycling, swimming, canoeing, or going for a walk.
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3 comments:
Ah, you're a cyclist too. I just had shoulder surgery so am out of that for awhile, but I usually bike everyday.
Yup, and just this past week I bought a house cycling distance from the office, so the car can gather yet more dust! :D
We're lucky here in that there are lots of bike lanes and bike paths, yet no place--in this country anyway--is as nice for cyclists as it should be.
We have out streets bikes, but we also have two Bike Friday folders that we take to the Cascades.
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