Friday, January 16, 2015

Going nowhere...but working hard!

So I made a New Year's Resolution, of sorts...well, I guess you'd have to call it more of an "anti-resolution", really. You see, ever since we moved 300 miles south I had this notion that I would become one of those people that rode their bike...year-round. You know the ones--they're bundled to the eyeballs in all kinds of specialized thermal and wind-proof gear, and they're out there pedaling away come rain, chill breeze, freezing temps, or whatever else Mother Nature throws their way. And I was going to finally make an effort to condition myself to withstand the elements, and join their ranks. Except...I kept making excuses to put it off. Um...it's too blustery today; that'll be uncomfortable. Eh, it's overcast, so it won't warm up enough...and, you get the picture.

After several months of finding lots of reasons NOT to get out there, while simultaneously beating myself up mentally for not being sufficiently tough, or determined, I finally decided to just Let. It. Go. I allowed myself to accept the fact that I'm not that person...and that's actually OKAY. (I realize it sounds ridiculously simple and obvious--especially when I shared my thoughts with Husband and he immediately, emphatically validated my opinion, "Oh, yeah, there's nothing fun about the wind chill you create by riding a bike when it's cold out!" So it's not just me...hey, maybe we should start our own club: Warm Weather Wheelers...I'll get right on that..in the Spring...)

On the plus side, I saved the cash I could have squandered on lots of expensive apparel, which would have been necessary for me to even have a prayer of transforming into a Winter Cyclist. On the other hand, it's going to probably still be several months until I feel...meteorologically motivated...to get back out there, so we needed options in the interim to make working out inside a viable alternative. In short, a stationary bike would get us through the cold(ish) months in comfort, and also help maintain those pedal-pumping muscles for when Spring calls us back to the streets. (Historical note, of sorts: We actually had an indoor Schwinn model in Maryland, but sold it before the move. It was several years old, and super-duper-heavy, so we decided that rather than deal with that particular apparatus, we'd start with a new one...if it came to that. Aannnnd here we were, having arrived at "Uh-huh, we gotta get us one of those"...)

Thus, by the magic of the Internet, I researched, selected, and ordered one...which showed up at our door in just a couple of days. About an hour of expert assembly (from Husband, to whom I automatically assign all of these...Master Mechanic...types of tasks) and--voila!--we had a fully-functional exercise bike. And I can tell you that, having given it a spin (sorry!) last night, it's a nice little piece of equipment. Besides all the normal stuff you'd expect (programmable resistance, heart rate monitor), it featured some characteristics that set it apart from our previous machine: vented seat, to facilitate evaporation of moisture; on a related note, a FAN to blow cool air on you as you labor away; an included cable to plug in your preferred audio device; easily adjustable seat (unlike the old one, which I had to virtually wrestle with in order to move it forward after someone taller had been perched there); and finally a cupholder large enough to accommodate both my insulated water bottle...and the remote control.

That's right, we've got that baby positioned just perfectly in the Bonus Room so that if you want to use it on a nice day, you can slide it forward just a smidge to be next to a window for fresh air. And it's placed in direct view of the TV...so, just theoretically, of course...one could plop down, choose a pre-loaded workout program like "Rolling Hills", set the duration for a reasonable 30 minutes...and pass the time huffing and perspiring (because by the way, those dang slopes felt more like mountains, the first time through) whilst enjoying, say, a recorded episode of The Librarians.

So, let's sum up, shall we? I achieved what felt like a very effective sweat session...in the agreeable environment of my own home (where the standard Winter forecast would be: a pleasant, climate-controlled 68*...and no breeze whatsoever)...and was entertained at the same time. Yeah, I'd say there's only one way to describe it: W-I-N!

Yep, that's sooo what I look like while working out:
huge earrings, full makeup, perfectly coiffed hair..
hahahahahaaha!!!!



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