Cycling has changed my life in just the past year. I'm the type who absolutely hates to exercise. I don't mind hard work, I just hate the idea of running down the street just to be running. But last year I noticed my T-shirts were getting tight. I dug the bathroom scale out of the closet, stepped on it, and didn't like what I saw. Plus the fact that my dad died of heart disease 15 years earlier told me that I needed to do something.
So I dug my old mountain bike out of the garage, cleaned it up and started riding. It was hard at first, was about all I could do to go 3 miles, but I kept at it and kept improving my endurance. Now with a bike which actually fits me and is easier to ride, I do at least 10 miles around town every morning and then enjoy going on longer trips out of town on the weekends. This, along with a firm resolve to eat healthier, has helped me lose 30 lbs. Plus I feel a lot healthier by getting regular exercise, of which cycling is the only kind of regular exercise I care to do.
I don't know if I'll ever do any long distance cross country rides, but for now I enjoy seeing how many miles I can put behind me. I plan to make an appointment with the local doctor to get a complete checkup along with bloodwork just to make sure I'm as healthy as I feel. I'm sure I will be.