I cheered Susan on as she pedaled her recumbent slow and steady down A1A. I met Susan earlier in the week at Bike Florida’s Gullah Geechee Tour. She began cycling at age 50 and became an avid cyclist completing numerous bike tours and riding a century (100-mile ride) every year. Pretty awesome for a 75-year-old active senior. This past week I was reunited with Susan…
Browsing Category Staying fit
10 years to unlock the door
I was a different person ten years ago. I was sedentary, obese, and unhappy. It was not a good situation to be in less than three years after open heart surgery. A change had to happen. Frustrated with my failed weight loss attempts, I pursued weight loss (bariatric) surgery. I spent most of my life trying to find myself. When I finally found “me”- the real…
My heart attack
The room was sterile and suddenly silent. The cardiologist told me I had four blockages in my heart and needed coronary triple bypass surgery. This was the loneliest, most emotional point in my life. I was left alone in the room with tears in my eyes. Nothing brings to light the life changing consequences of a heart attack more than a survivor’s story. February is…
The habit of exercise
There is no question that regular physical activity is good for me. It’s hard to ignore the barrage of news touting how hitting the gym makes life better. This is the time of year when fitness centers go all out enticing couch potatoes to become models of fitness. Bad habits strike again Exercising regularly succeeds when it is a habit. My blog post on healthy…
Viennese days
After a weekend in Vienna, tonight I end my first chapter of my journey. I begin the second chapter of The Guylas Road, my journey through Hungary. I am meeting the other cyclists in my tour group for dinner tonight and orientation on the ride. I must say that Austria is a beautiful country. Over three days, I got to experience a small slice of…
Jump off the hamster wheel
A Facebook post by Family on Bikes caught my eye today. It was the fifth anniversary of the Vogel family’s three year 17,000 mile bicycle ride from Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina. I had found their blog six years ago and followed their final year through South America. The Facebook post took me to the blog post documenting the final miles in Argentina….
5 reasons to get outside this winter
I am a winter hiker. That was not always the case. My friend Chuck introduced me to hiking several years back during my local park’s fall hiking spree. I was hooked. Using my northern bicyclist logic, I naturally put my hiking shoes away with my bike at the onset of cold weather. Some time passed, and I decided to venture out on a hike on…
What is an athlete?
The rain had settled into a drizzle after several hours of heavy rain and periods of clearing. I had finished the very wet Rubber City Race Series Get Thirsty 8K. From my perch on the upper end zone patio I watched the final runners cross the finish line. The official end was 90 minutes after the race start. Yet, race officials and finish line volunteers…