Finding motivation to get back on the bike
 

Trying to find motivation to get back into shape after recently losing a bit of weight in the last couple of months. I'm thinking about restarting cycling this spring, and hoping that my motivation will carry through until then. I'll be setting up my old Fluid trainer shortly to see if I'll use it … although I always found it quite boring in the past. It's been a long time since I did any real amount of cycling. Did any of you guys get back on the bike after a long hiatus? Did you struggle with keeping up your motivation?

At the end of August, I started riding again. It had been 7 or 8 years since the last time I'd been on a bike. The thoughts had been building for a while and I said, "It's August! The bike will melt out from under me. When it cools down I'm going to start". I started riding my Magneto trainer the last week of August, and as you say, it's boring and I hate indoor riding. In October, when it finally started being under 90, I started riding outdoors. In the last couple of years, I'd lost 60 pounds, but doing no exercise aside from being up doing light activity several hours a day. I did nothing in particular for motivation except suddenly the urge to ride hit me.

Trying to motivate yourself to do something you don't want to do brings up a big "why??". Is there anything you'd like to do? If you'd rather walk or do just about anything else, you're more likely to stick with it.

I had planned to get out for a ride this morning, but spent a couple of hours yesterday sitting in an odd position working on stuff and woke up with my left hip hurting badly. I thought discretion argued to rest it. I still expect I need more recovery time at 64 than I did 10 or 20 years ago.

Thanks for the reply. Nice to hear others went through a restart as well. I hear you about the amount of time it takes to recover. Honestly I know I'll enjoy biking … always do when I finally get on the bike, it's more the motivation to get off my butt to do any kind of exercise. Only after losing 35 lbs do I feel like I have energy to get up and do stuff. I'm enjoying the momentum my weight loss has created and I'm just looking forward to getting into some kind of shape. I used to commute to work on bike many years ago. It was a 10km commute either way. Perfect way to start and finish the work day. I just wish I lived closer to work now. However, I live on an acreage which is connected to amazing country paved roads. I just need to find time before or after work to go for a ride.

Motivation: have fun. Try to think of it as sweaty recreation, not a chore.

I know a couple of guys who have lost over 100 and say that they felt so much better, they wanted to get out and do things again. You almost couldn't stop them. I was gaining while I was riding but didn't ride at my max weight. When I got closer to my desired weight, I started wanting to get out. That has stayed with me.

There's what feels like a big gap between "I have to go for a ride" and "I want to go for a ride". Sorry if I've got this wrong, but you sound more like you're thinking you really should ride more than just that you really want to ride. I'm with tyrion here, don't think of it as a chore - or shouldn't be. Sure, everyone has crappy days. Break downs, flats, nasty dogs, you name it, but the fun should be the emphasis.

When I'm on an indoor bike, it's all I can do to make myself go 40 or 45 minutes. When I'm outside, I'm likely to say "I wonder what's down that road" and go look, never even noticing the time. Since I haven't ridden in so long, every block has aspects that are new or it's completely new.

Part of the issue with getting from "I have to go for a ride" to "I want to go for a ride" is confidence. This confidence is often cemented after just one or 2 rides. Think of yourself as a creature of habit. You are out of practice! Do what you have to do to make it out the door and actually embarking on some kind of adventure. For me, I do better if I leave on rides from home. With that arrangement, I can roll my bike out into the driveway, do my final tire inflation, maybe wipe down the brake pads or lube the chain. Then get dressed in attire that is appropriate for the outdoor temperatures, get your shoes, helmet, gloves water bottles, clif bars, apple, cell phone and anything else you need. I start my app on my phone and start my Fitbit too. I don't use Strava but instead use Endomondo. It works very well to capture my time and distance and ascending and descending and is a good motivational tool to credit yourself towards you annual total miles and maybe monitor your average ride speeds progress. You might join a club and just plan on attending group rides for your skill level once or twice a week. If you are not quite ready for this, you can still aspire to get there and continue working on your own in order to "rehab" yourself. Your actual performance on the road will be a bit of a moving target as we get better as the season progresses (so long as we stay consistent).
Good luck to you in 2019.

All good advice. Thanks guys. To Masi61's point … yes I want to make my biking an adventure. I'll be taking my camera out when I/we go biking. I'm hoping to convince my wife to come out once in a while. A few years ago we did go on a ride through our country roads. We came upon a moose who was crossing our path to get to a nearby pond. This is the stuff I'd like to capture on camera.

Good points. I think it's good to talk in terms of making riding a habit. The late-70s running books used to talk about "creating a positive addiction". Although I've been riding pretty regularly since late August, I've been shooting for every other day and find that a harder habit to form than when I used to tell myself to ride every day, no matter what. That comes from the "longer recovery time at 64 than 20 years ago", and the idea about not being too compulsive that I got from the Haywire Heart (last couple of days in the Pills & Ills forum, riding with Afib).

But you mention Strava and Endomondo. I need to go look up what they are. I'm really out of touch with what's new and cool in the cycling world. Figure I've been out of touch 7 or 8 years.

Nice to see you back on BikeForums again. I won't go into, but I've a couple of out periods, the first in 2009 thanks the dreadful bushfires, and then for almost six months after March last year.

Try to look at cycling as a great physical fitness method that doesn't hurt much at all, but will get you meeting different people even if briefly, seeing stuff in a different way, and maybe adopting it as a method of cheap transport.

And irrespective of different views on the matter, wear a good-quality helmet when riding. Trust me on this. :)

Machka invested in Strava for me, and it got me cycling on a trainer again after last year's break. Great for when bad weather blocks plans for getting outside, and it helps improve fitness. But don't take it badly if someone on BFs boasts about their outstanding efforts -- set your own goals and work at achieving them over a reasonable time.

Thanks. It's good to be back. So I shouldn't wear the helmet I bought in 2005 anymore??? Seriously, I might need to go shopping. Great to see you an Machka are still around. You both were among a small group that inspired me back when I was first starting out way back when.

Once you get on it you will want to keep on doing it

good luck! I think motivation is personal. meaning, yours won't work for me & vice-a-versa. I'm struggling with it myself. I ride & go to the gym, but not enough of either. certainly not when compared to other years

I think you are a candidate for an e-bike. Al least try one or rent one before saying no way. The wife will want one too. Try www.electricbikereview.com. Most e-bikers are over 50 years of age.

The thing abour riding, at least for me, is once I've started and gotten past the but-toughening stage, I don't need motivation. Riding is energizing and improves my mental health. So I make a deal with myself ... get on the bike x # of days for x amount of time, regardless of how fast or far I go, and I get to buy something totally frivilous that I want but wouldn't normally spend $ on.Make the rides "no pressure" rides, you will ramp them up on your own anyway. Figure out what kind of reward will work for you to get you out and riding long enough to get to the point where it starts to feel good, that's all you need. It's literally addicting once you get past that rough patch.

The only motivation I need is just thinking about the fun of cycling. When I ride down the drive way I am free to ride anywhere a whim takes me. I have a LWB recumbent, and a trike. The trike is the most relaxing form of cycling there is IMO.

Just got back on after about 4 years. I found that it took a couple of steps to actually get on the bike. First, I took it to a local shop and had them do a "tune-up". Next, I got my clothes, helmet, shoes, etc. out and organized. Finally, actually went out for a 30-minute or so ride close by the house to make sure I still knew how to ride. Immediate satisfaction. Slept great, felt great, now ready to ride a few times this week, even though it's cold outside. Bottom line, for me, it was breaking down the path to actually getting on the bike to a few small steps. Hope it goes well for you.

How about the thought of waking up with a nurse on top of you doing CPR ??? That's my motivation ,every day!!!. And thank God everyday also ....

You know, i was going to recommend some kind of goal orientation. Set in your mind something you want to achieve and plan how to get there. For me, as a former half/metric/century rider I wanted to get back into those long rides, so I picked a half-century I want to ride, signed up, and have communicated to my friends so they'll keep me honest.

The challenge, though, is not to let your goal focus create the "have to ride" vs. "want to ride" mentality, as has been mentioned on this thread. I'm finding that myself -- I have to put in the miles to keep to my training plan, and sometimes that becomes a drag. Sometimes though, when I least want to ride, I hop on the bike and have the most exhilarating ride -- a fast ride on a beautiful day that leaves me wanting more.

Good luck finding that thing that motivates you. Keep us updated.

Here's what happened to me:

• 2008: Rode 2500 miles in Los Angeles. First child born in November.
• 2009: Rode 700 miles. Spent a lot of time being dad.
• 2010: Rode 500 miles. My second child was born in December.
• 2011: Rode about 300 miles. Dad the rest of the time.
• 2012: About like 2011.
• 2013: Moved to a hilly part of the Salt Lake Valley (east Sandy, near the mountains). Busy year. Riding dropped down to about 200 miles, mostly on mups. I feared the hills.
• 2014: 200 miles, mostly on MUPs. Still afraid of the hills around me here.
• 2015: 150 miles; started a new job.
• 2016: 150 miles.
• 2017: 300 miles, mostly on MUPs still.
• 2018: I came to the realization that the hills aren't going away, and neither is my love for biking. But my fitness level was in the decline and I had gained some weight.
  • Started riding a little in March and April. The hills were terrible but didn't kill me. So I figured if they didn't kill me they would make me stronger.
  • Lost 36 pounds.
  • Rode 3000 miles.
  • Got a gym membership for the cold months.
  • Layered into my routine weight training.
• 2019: Lost another pound (it's still January -- and loss is no longer a goal)
  • Visit the gym 3-4x/week.
  • Ride a little, when the temperatures rise above freezing.
  • Goal of 4000 miles starting in March.

I posted this to show three things:

1. It's really easy to fall out of the habit. I was a regular rider before 2009, and then it came to a halt, mostly. After awhile I couldn't imagine getting back on and facing those hills. I would put the bike on a rack and take it to level areas.
2. It's a lot of work getting back in shape, but even at 50, totally possible. The hills don't scare me anymore. My training rides were typically in the hilly areas, and I would do hill repeats at least once a week too.
3. Losing 36 pounds is hard work, but simple math: Each day either eat less, or burn more calories, or both. Strive for a calorie deficit every day. Calorie restriction is no fun. Riding is. Plus riding makes you more fit and healthy. So for me at least, riding was the primary component to my weight loss.

If I, 6'3" at age 50 can come from a relatively sedentary lifestyle at 212 pounds, and can get healthy while dropping to 175 pounds, then anyone without a major health issue can too. But expect it to be a lot of work... and honestly, a lot of fun.

Thanks for all the supportive replies. Some really good suggestions around motivation. I like the idea of goal setting. My goal for this spring is to join our local cycling group and learn how to ride with a group. I've always ridden by myself or with one other person. In the meantime, I have set up my trainer. As long as I can watch a movie while on the trainer, I should be good to go :)

I haven't really ever had a break in cycling since high school . Even after a two year "no car" period when my wife and I lived on a sail boat , I still found time to go for a ride. The high from zipping along and the whole "wind in the face" thing keeps me strung out! At 64 it is the best high I can achieve and the benefits are plenty. If you use an app to keep track/ manage your riding it helps with motivation if you need it. Joe

My motivation is my health, I'm a diabetic, riding reduces the amount of drugs that I use. I read that if I can control my diabetes that I won't have the detrimental effects of diabetes, such as blindness, loss of limbs, heart problems, kidney problems, etc.

I family has a history of heart disease, my brother had two heart attacks and required quadruple bypass two years ago. I also have bad knees. After a bunch of physicals and tests the last couple of years, a stress test results indicated that my heart was in good condition and the doctor told me to keep doing what I was doing. I had my knees looked at last year and that doctor wanted me to keep riding a bike because my knees were in good shape.

I retired last year and want to enjoy the next 30 years riding a bike, life with my family and being physically active.
My wife always reminds me that our health is so important as we grow older.

Back in 1996 I rode my rollers every night during the winter and trained hard in the Spring. All in anticipation of doing a favorite 20 mi. ride at 20 mph on my 50th birthday which is June 19th. I worked and I worked hard. On my birthday I did the ride at exactly 20 mph. But, I was so burned out that I basically gave up riding. I just hated what it had become. Totally of my own doing, of course. About 8 years later I met a woman who wanted to take up cycling. I offered to give her some advice. This turned into getting back on the bike, buying a new bike (3 actually) and living with her for the past 12 years. So, I blame her. :)