What motivates you? AND WHY?

I am trying very hard to keep riding my bike. I don't want this to be
just another one of my crazy ideas that lasts a month then on to
something else....I sometimes have to kick my butt out the door just
to get on the bike. (I really had a hard time getting up and out today
because it's Saturday, the day I can sleep late) While riding I
realized how many people are out in the morning riding, walking,
jogging etc.... This is like a whole new world. There are actually
people who wake up early and go out to exercise every morning. You may
find this ridiculous but I was really shocked at how many people were
up and out taking care of themselves with various styles of exercise.
I even saw this old guy in the park doing that tai chi thing. It's
Saturday, no work, yet people are up and running. Where the hell have
I been all my life? Last week when I watched the NYC Marathon I could
not believe how many people ran just for the sake of finishing...not
to win....but to finish...to accomplish a goal. They interviewed a
woman at the finish line who was 60 years old and only started running
5 years prior. She went to NYC to run a marathon. I am being driven in
by car tonight to see an opera at Lincoln Center. I have no idea how
some people stay so motivated. Are you born that way? I have had 1001
hobbies in my life. Spent so much money on them its obscene..... Now I
have this bike, I have this newsgroup, I have links to cycling clubs
in this area......I guess its all up to me. Do I change my life and
my health for the better or do I shop and sip martini's? How do you
stay motivated? Does it just come naturally? Is it a personality
type? Why are some people so focused when they start something that
they remain dedicated and win. What is it that drives some people to
succeed and others to give up. Is it genetic or is it will. What the
hell is it? What puts that determination into some people and not
into others. I am tired of being a slug. And a slug I am when it comes
to exercise. Seems I can't blame it on my age any longer....I am
running out of things to blame it on. What keeps you motivated? Do I
have to have a heart attack before I wake up and exercise willingly
and with determination?

http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html

http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/

Maggie wrote:
..

|| I am tired of being a slug. And a slug I am when it comes to
|| exercise. Seems I can't blame it on my age any longer....I am
|| running out of things to blame it on.

Think about this....

|| Do I
|| have to have a heart attack before I wake up and exercise willingly
|| and with determination?

Well, either do it now or *hope* you can do it later, after.....

Maggie wrote, in part:

I am tired of being a slug. And a slug I am when it comes
to exercise. Seems I can't blame it on my age any longer....I am
running out of things to blame it on. What keeps you motivated? Do I
have to have a heart attack before I wake up and exercise willingly
and with determination?

I realize that there are people who get on the stairmaster with grim
determination every day and grind out their 45 minutes or whatever it is
they do. If you aren't one of those people by now you probably aren't one
of those people.

Stop thinking about cycling as getting your exercise. Start thinking of it
as going out to play. Be 12 again. Explore. Get cold, wet, and dirty
sometimes. Get off the bike path. If you see something interesting, stop
and watch it. Visit neighborhoods you used to avoid. Eat strange food at
hole-in-the-wall restaurants you never noticed before. Try to ride to
places, like the airport, that you're not sure you can get to by bicycle.
Laugh if things turn out badly. Worry your family a little.

The bike is the right vehicle for exploring where you live. It scales
correctly. Walking is too slow and you don't see anything from a car. Take
possession of your town. Have some fun. Let fitness by an unintended side
effect of play, the way it was for all of us once.

--
Paul Turner

Maggie,

I've commuted by bicycle for over 30 years. There was a gap of several
years as I recovered from injuries received in an automobile crash. I ate
too much and gained a LOT of weight. Several things happened that convinced
me to ride and exercise regularly again. The big one was holding up that
pair of jeans with a 42 inch waist, and being shocked at how WIDE they
looked. I couldn't cut the grass without taking a rest. And I saw
co-workers my age who had heart disease. One in his thirties had a coronary
and died.

Developing an exercise habit takes time. And it takes about a month of
regular riding to get your body accustomed to the bike. But once you're
well and truly hooked, you'll find that on those days you can't exercise due
to work or family or any of the other demands on your time, you'll miss it.
Exercise junkies are endorphin addicts. We really do need that daily shot
of hard effort.

So stick with your riding, but make it enjoyable, not work. That is, keep
it as something you want to do, not something you have to do. The 'want to'
part will come in time, as you adapt. If you try commuting, you'll know
when you're committed when you decide you really need a spare bike for those
times the main one is out of service. And the neighbors will wonder why
your car never leaves the driveway.

--

alan

Anyone who believes in a liberal media has never read the "Daily Oklahoman."


"Maggie" wrote in message
om...
I am trying very hard to keep riding my bike. I don't want this to be
just another one of my crazy ideas that lasts a month then on to
something else/

"Maggie" wrote in message
om...
I am trying very hard to keep riding my bike.

Take a look at "The Man Who Loved Bicycles" by Daniel Behrman, which
I think is the best bike book ever written. Other books tell you how
to ride, this tells you why.

The entire book is on Scott Munn's www.bikereader.com web site. I
xeroxed a copy for him. It's long out of print, and I wasn't going
to let the orginal out of my hands. He read it, and immediately
spent an entire weekend retyping it all, the whole book, for his site

Paul Turner's post to you, about exploring, hit's the spot too

Jeremy Parker

It's a lot more fun and easier on me than running. The only time I have bike
riding motivation problems is when it is very cold.... and then it comes down
to I rather ride than restrict my calorie intake.

Ben

"Maggie" wrote in message
om...
I am trying very hard to keep riding my bike. I don't want this to be
just another one of my crazy ideas that lasts a month then on to
something else....

I find - shoulder injuries aside - the hardest part is getting out there;
Getting the gear ready [water, lock etc] and getting going.

After I am on the road it's easy. So I fool myself. I tell myself I'm just
going for a _short_ spin. Of course once I start it's hard to stop and I end
up going further than I ever expected.

--
'Do as you damn well please
Or you could end up
being a pot-bellied boring hairless fart'
- billy connelly

- save $$. that was my first reason to get a bike. I bike to
school/work...and i save 100$ on my monthly public transit pass.

- doing sports makes me feel better mentally and physically

- doing sports is an escape for me. it helps me forget all the stuff i
stress about 24/7 like school and work

- when i noticed that i've lost weight and gained muscle, that felt
good..and that motivates me to keep going.

- it REALLY helps to have an athletic friend to participate with you in
physical activities. i don't like solo exercises like jogging, going to
the gym, yoga (except for biking). I like group sports like volleyball,
badminton, etc..coz it's more fun and stimulating. My roomate and I are
going sign up for volleyball/squash next month.



-


--
*Alice

I do it because it makes me happy. It makes my spirit soar. It makes me feel
free as a bird. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment that I could get
on a bike and ride 100 miles if I needed to. I am not tied down by anything.
It makes me feel carefree---like a kid again.

I think perhaps you have been telling yourself it's something you HAVE to
do. Just like you have been telling yourself you "hate" exercise (to fit in
with your friends, maybe? or, to fit in with their outlook on what is proper
for a woman of your age?). You have been approaching it as a chore. It's not
a chore---it's freedom.

Pat in TX

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 06:18:29 -0800, Maggie wrote:

in this area......I guess its all up to me. Do I change my life and
my health for the better or do I shop and sip martini's?

Well, that's the choice (but I still sip the occasional martini -- not
recommended right after a ride, though)

How do you
stay motivated?

It's the only exercise I've ever liked. My feet are somewhat "off" (had
to wear corrective shoes as a child and all), so running is not great
for me. Also, as I get older I*may not be as quick as I was, but
endurance lasts longer, and cycling is an endurance sport.

Most other sports involve running, and often a lot of jumping around and
changing direction that can easily injure knees and things. Cycling is
better in terms of injuries, except for road rash and being run into by
big metal boxes.

Why are some people so focused when they start something that they
remain dedicated and win.

I don't care about winning anything. For me, the big thrill that kept me
going when I got back on the bike about 10 years ago was when, after
about a month, I felt like I had 7-league boots. I could go anywhere
I*wanted, just me. Once you get to that point, you're hooked.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I can assure
_`\(,_ | you that mine are all greater. -- A. Einstein
(_)/ (_) |