rachel120

Long story short, I was on the bike nearly every day until mid-November. Health issues sidelined me for a month. I managed to somewhat get back in the swing of things but the cold finally won. Then hours were cut at work so much I had three day work weeks, then the wind got crazy high every day and most days I would be riding into it (and Mother Nature spins the wind nearly daily in the opposite direction after dark, so often it's into the wind both ways), then more health problems sidelining me, and then it was June with only intermittent riding over the past few months. Add in that cut hours, several steroid treatments, and a long-term medication with a nasty side effect of super powerful cravings for salty and sweet, and now I'm 20 pounds plumper and my blood sugar problems are back, and who wants a crash mid-ride?

Yesterday I fixed the flat tire that stopped me from riding my bike several days ago and went over the rest of it pretty well. I then packed my backpack with everything needed for a work commute, had it ready to go. Today I had a shift at work that started far earlier than usual, and I stared at my bike like a groggy zombie this morning and changed my mind. And then after work I felt shaky and sweaty (which happens most days now) and decided that yeah, leaving the bike behind was probably good because I would have had to get food and stay put for half an hour before riding and who wants to hang around work off the clock?

And deep down I know this is all excuses.

So what do you all tell yourselves in order to get back out on that road once you've gotten out of the habit?

mcours2006

It takes about two (or three) week to build or break a habit. Packing everything before hand eliminates that one excuse. It just has to start with the one time. Just one time. Then after that one time, it'll be another ONE time. Just one at a time. Just focus on ONE!

Good luck.

alan s 

Double0757

Dave Cutter

Great idea! I myself can sometimes be in need of motivation. And... just wrenching on a bike, or buying an accessory (saddle bags for commuting?), or going for a ride with a friend, or even just watching a movie about cycling.... is all I need to get me back in the saddle.

Bikewolf

A good idea is to start at a time when you don’t have to use your bike per se, when you have a lazy day off if you will. While you are relax and have energy. Do it maybe sometime in the morning. Pick a moment of your choice, and when the weather is encouraging. In addition, try to build up to that ONE TIME moment during the week; prep your clothing, food bars etc. Plan for a short and fun ride. Celebrate afterwards :-)

rseeker

One good experience makes you want to repeat it and have another good experience. So if you can, structure your ride so it's a good experience, whatever that may be for you. The impression I get is that that's *not* riding to work right now. Maybe you need a different kind of ride, one where you can bring whatever food you may need, make it as hard or easy as you need, until you know what to expect from your metabolism? Anyway, it's great that you're making the effort to get back into it. I hope it comes back for you soon.

surak

Reading BF and watching GCN vids gets me in the biking mood.

Since you posted in Commuting, are you not thinking of recreational riding? I've been finding RideWithGPS routes for the weekends that go to places that I've never been, because even though I've lived here for 15 years, I've barely gone beyond the neighborhoods where I've lived due to my dislike of driving.

It seems that you're feeling the weight of obligation and guilt, but I don't think forcing yourself to bike is the right approach. You should want to ride, and enjoy it too.

a1penguin

Develop a plan for getting back into the swing of things and help your body acclimate to biking. I didn't ride for almost six months in the winter of 2016-2017 because it just kept raining. Every. Damn. Day. When I finally starting riding again in March, I had lost a great deal of endurance. It took me several months to get back into the swing of things and improve enough to ride the 22 mile ride to work five days a week.

Perhaps you could start out by biking to work twice a week. Add another day of taking a ride around your neighborhood at an easy pace. It's summer and light until pretty late. I think if you have realistic plan, it will be harder to come up with excuses. I had a hard time this spring because i was just so tired of the colder weather and the winds. But I didn't wimp out and hopefully that lesson will make it easier the next time I feel unmotivated to ride.

BobbyG

Whatever that urge was that you felt that motivated you to fix that flat...grab on to that.

RubeRad

Would you really need to wait around for the sugar to kick in? Powerbars or granola or whatever is easy to bring along (but maybe hard to resist all day long if you're struggling through weight issues), you could eat it and ride slowly while it hits; or just keep it in your pocket and eat it half an hour before you expect to need it.

rachel120

The few times I wanted to go to the nearby thrift store I had to force myself to take the bike rather than wait until I could use the car (which could be days), I actually liked it once I was on the bike. The last few times that was my motivation. It's harder for six times the distance and the end destination being work and not shopping on the cheap.

Lol, the beginning of fixing that flat was "I can ride." The end of fixing that flat...and cleaning the chain...and tightening the seat...and jury-rigging attaching the rear light since the rubber housing broke trying to put it back on...and fighting that the nuts and bolts are all metric and I can't eyeball the difference between the 15mm bolts on the axle and the 14mm bolts on the seat and had to try multiple sockets...by the end the motivation had turned to the desire to chuck all the tools out the window, followed by the bike. That moment, I wanted to never see my bike again.

Work won't let me eat on the clock, so the granola bar in the pocket is not doable. Fixing low blood sugar means a fast acting sugar source along with or following shortly after a more complex carbohydrate and/or protein. You also have to wait a minimum of 15 minutes for the fast acting sugar to do its work in getting things right.

RubeRad

?!?! Is that even legal?

rumrunn6

be kind to yourself. pick an easy ride. maybe call out sick from work so you can take your time getting yourself together

rachel120

Yeah it is. Company time is company time. They can limit you to eating only on your breaks.

no motor?

I've had reactive hypoglycemia for years, and exercise if one of the things that helps me with that. As for motivation, I live in condo building. My upstairs neighbor is about my age, and she is suffering the ill effects of not taking care of her health for years. Between hearing the floors creak as she shuffles around in her unit and seeing her slowly walk to the elevator to go up 1 flight of stairs I'm motivated to take better care of myself to avoid ending up like her.

rachel120

I totally believe that. Getting the body in better shape certainly helped mine. But I still want food and a soda before riding if I'm shaky and sweaty from my sugar tanking during the last hour or two of work.

no motor?

I feel for you. I don' want to think about what kind of shape I'd be in if I couldn't eat early and eat often.

RubeRad

Sounds like you have a legitimate medical reason to be maintaining your blood sugar though. It's not like you'd have to leave your work station, go and sit down in a break room, setting out a napkin and fork and knife etc etc. Would taking a granola bar out of your pocket and taking a bite every couple minutes make an actual difference to your work? Or do they just have an unreasonable rule?

I guess I could conceive of some kinds of work situations, like working in a clean-room environment, or something with 100% no-break customer interaction, like grocery teller or something?

surak

So you're still focused on bike commuting, but if you enjoyed riding it at other times, why not try getting some mileage in recreationally and letting the bike commute bug come back whenever it may?

Also, maybe you can treat yourself/the bike to a pro tune-up, just to remove one less source of stress and barrier to riding.

rachel120

When I was formally diagnosed, the doctor told me I have hypoglycemia, told me to eat like I'm diabetic, and sent me on my way. A second doctor confirmed the diagnosis when I started having problems 3-4 times a week and told me to eat more often. I'm now working retail, always on the sales floor, and it's not worth it to spend the copay to talk to a doctor about this. From the doctors' reactions so far, it sounds like I need a dietitian more than I need a doctor.

It's partially my fault too. I look at the amount of work we (team) are expected to do, which is beyond possible with the hours allowed, and I tend to skip breaks to try and get it all done. My last job, an office job, was in a state where there were no state mandated breaks (federal law doesn't mandate breaks or minimum time between shifts) and we worked until goals were completed before we could get a meal or even a bathroom break, it's hard to lose that mindset and just walk away from the utter disaster that is my sales floor area.

RubeRad

Yeah, that's a tough situation. Surely they can't deny you hydration though, maybe you could prepare a water bottle with like gatorade or apple juice or some kind of drink that has the right amount of sugar to keep your levels in balance.

CliffordK

I look at my insurance, registration, and gas bills that I've put on hold... and it gives me quite some motivation to get back on the bike... Maybe...

I'd think with your health issues, that cycling would be of great benefit for both weight and diabetes?

Keep in mind that poorly controlled diabetes can carry huge long-term health benefits. That alone would likely push me back onto the bike.

rachel120

Not diabetes, hypoglycemia. I can't seem to get my blood sugar past 110, judging from all the blood tests and meter tests. Other health issues have involved the brain and a few upper body injuries.

Tomorrow is my next work day. Let's see how psyched up I can get myself about getting on that (bleep)ing mechanically frustrating machine. And since I just thought that for the first time, yeah, I think it's time to start saving for a shiny new bike.

CliffordK

Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia? Big difference.

110 is high for fasting sugar, but normal for sugar after eating.

Still, cycling can help.

How is your attention and balance? Recumbent trikes may be beneficial for some people.