Bike commuting

I am surrounded by inspiring people. In our church, we discuss sustainable living as part of our faithful living. There are many who ride their bikes to church, including my husband and my oldest son.

We are part of a supper coop, a collection of 3 families who eat together twice a week to share meal resources as well as to foster relationships and interpersonal connections....and one of our members is a bike enthusiast. He rides nearly everywhere. My admiration for him is immense and am frequently listening to him as one would a guru. He knows what he is talking about when it comes to bike as primary vehicle. I want to learn.

I want to commute to work. I dearly want to be a bike commuter. But, I am 44, overweight by a significant amount and out of shape. The bike I bought 2 years ago, while a great bike, is the wrong one. It is made for pleasure riding. It is not made for a middle age woman to commute to work on.

So, I'm making changes to make the commute to work by bike possible. I joined Curves, so that I can get in shape. I don't mind being the plump middle age woman I am, but I want my heart to be able to pump blood without exploding, and I want my leg muscles able to pedal me uphill and through town. That was a great move and I can already feel the benefits of a good cardio/resistance program.

What I haven't figure out yet, is how to show up at work without looking like I commuted by bike! Helmet hair! Sweaty and red faced! Oy!

So, I guess this is my public confession, hoping that i will be more accountable with these thoughts outside of my head rather than inside my head. I don't think I have to be a bike commuter overnight, so will continue to take the small steps toward this goal until I reach it.

amysgr