Biking

I just don't remember how to do it, and am afraid to try. But I am going to do it. I have the bike shorts from spinning classes. No bike shops here have how to learn to ride classes, sadly.

I can absolutely understand being afraid to try. But there's scientific evidence that you can't really completely forget how to ride! The skills are "procedural memory," so even if you consciously don't recall how to do things like keep your balance, you'll find that your brain will still be able to do it!

Here's a neat article about the science behind it.

If you're worried about falling down, it may be handy to pack some first-aid supplies in your bike bag. I always carry alcohol wipes and band-aids for "just in case." (I have pedals that lock my feet in place, and when I was first learning to use them I had LOTS of crashes where I couldn't get my feet unlocked!)

I have faith in you! You can do it!

Oh yeah, one other idea-- even if the bike shop doesn't have a class, you should call one of the shops and ask if someone would be willing to help you. I'm dead serious!

Bike-shop people are unfailingly friendly and helpful, and I'm willing to bet that somebody would be more than happy to spend half an hour with you in the parking lot as you get some practice. They're all about getting people involved in cycling, whether it's helping with a little mechanical problem or helping you remember how to ride :)

How exciting to be riding your bike. It makes me feel like a kid again. Maybe the hardest part will be starting off. I suggest starting at a curb or something high enough that you can sorta lean your bike against it while you get on the seat. Once seated, keep your foot on the curb, then push off. You will be coasting slow, so start pedaling. Go a short distance and then practice stopping.

I am big time into road biking. That is where people wear all the spandex clothes. Spandex helps when you ride over 30 miles to wick the sweat away from your body and reduces chaffing. I usually cycle between 3-5,000 miles a year. There are people in my club who have cycled over 150,000 miles. It is a great sport as it is easy on the joints. You don't have to pedal all the time, you can coast. In running, when you stop running, you are stopped. In cycling, when you stop pedaling, you are still rolling. OH yeah!

If you have trouble cycling. Look for a step through bike or a bike labeled flat foot technology. They have the pedals slightly forward like a sit-down bike in the gym (recumbent). That allows you to keep your feet on the ground when you are sitting on the seat. My husband has a bike like that which he used after knee replacement surgery. It is his fishing bike. He has a mount on it for his fishing pole.

Have fun!!

I started bike riding last summer, at my highest weight, and managed to get in 198 km for the season, which was amazing at 304 Lbs. I had a blast. I bought a special bike, a Townie by Electra, because it is a crank forward bike, which means the pedals are not directly under the seat, but forward on the bike, which allows the seat to be low enough that you can keep both feet on the ground when you stop. This really helped my confidence as my balance was bad last year.

I loved my bike, because for the first time in years, I felt like I wasn't basically handicapped by my asthma and weight. I could only walk a block or two and then need my asthma puffers, but bike riding was different; it let me go much further, and faster, and I only needed my puffers if it was super hot and humid, or if there was a hill.

This year, after losing weight, I don't need my asthma meds at all to bike, walk, or swim. I've cycled 111 km in the month of May (plus 2 or 3 days in April), and 52 km so far for the month of June. I want to try to reach 500 km by the end of the season in the fall. I absolutely love it. I bought a lined picnic blanket (fuzzy on one side, slick on the other to prevent dampness) and bring it, a book, some G2 or water, and half a protein bar on my rides.

I'm hoping to build up enough endurance to do a short overnight bike tour, and then a longer one after I reach my weight goal (probably next year).

Give bike riding a try; you may love it as much as I do. I couldn't imagine my life without it now.