Fitness, healthy living, and long bike rides!
An active lifestyle is something I genuinely enjoy. I took on the fitness lifestyle back in my college days not because I just wanted to "work out" but I needed an outlet for my stress. Fast forward 10 years later and I'm happy to say that despite the everyday hustle and bustle of my personal and work life, I've managed to stay pretty consistent through the years. I am not a personal trainer by trade but my passion for it has allowed me to bring a positive influence to friends and family. As an example, last year I started training one of my high school buddies in long distance cycling. He never did any sports in high school or college nor was he about the "gym life," but he always wanted to do something that was active, fun, and healthy. One day he reached out to me after seeing my post on Instagram doing a 100 mile bike event, also known as a Fondo. He told me he'd like to get a 100 miles under his belt one day and I responded with "training starts tomorrow!" Ever since then not only have we become close training partners but even better friends. We've fed off each other's motivation and it's only getting more infectious as we slowly bring more people in the cycling scene.
Living a healthy lifestyle has taught me that one of our greatest investments is ourselves. This may sound cliché but if we can take care of our minds and bodies, our minds and bodies can help us take care of anything. We can share our knowledge, experience, motivation, and camaraderie with anyone willing to take on a positive lifestyle.
Do you have any health and fitness stories you'd like to share? Can you suggest any creative ways to maintain and a healthy and active lifestyle? If so, please share! I'm always willing to learn and pass on the knowledge!
Below are a few pics from our most recent bike ride from North Jersey all the way into the downtown New York City!
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Nice post and bikes, there is a Cannondale synapse, what is the other one? Can't quite see it.
I cycle to work everyday, just over 20 miles, it has definitely kept me fit over the last year and a half. I wouldn't swap it for the world. Cycling is definitely one of the better ways to stay in shape it isn't high impact, it is free (obviously after you have paid for the bike) and it gets you out in the open air. This is why going to the gym has never really appealed to me.
I haven't done a century cycle yet but would definitely like to give it a shot.
Great piccies of New York by the way, the scale of the buildings are completely off the charts. Would be great to visit.
Thanks for the props dude!. Yes the Synapse is my buddy's bike and mine is a Specialized Tarmac Sport with Mavic Pro Carbon wheels.
I've only been in road cycling for 3-4 years and I continuously love it more and more with each ride. It really is an awesome combination of exercise, sightseeing, and recreation. I'm actually preparing for at least two more ride events before this season ends so I've got training to do. As for doing a century ride, I highly recommend it. Yes, it involves preparation but anyone at any skill level can achieve it. I highly recommend you try one out.
What bike are you riding nowadays?
And if you're ever in the New York City area, explore as much as you can. There's so much to see. My buddy on here, evolved08gsr has a lot of interesting posts about his NYC experiences. Feel free to check his blog out!
I'm currently riding a Cube SL Road Pro. Nowhere near as good as either of your bikes. I think the wheels on your bike along cost more than my entire bike. But truth be told I wouldn't want to ride your bikes everyday through the Scottish winter, it would be far too expensive. The state of it after every ride is horrendous. Lol.
I will definitely take a look at your friends blog, when a get a spare minute, cheers for the heads up.
Man, I wish I could ride my bike to work. I used to ride my mountain bike all the time back in college in TN. Now that was fun! Now, the closest thing I can do to keep track of my fitness is to carry around my fitbit. If I see I haven't done at least 10k steps, then I jump on my treadmill and huff-and-puff away.
One thing I like of the fitbit is you can do weekly challenges. And because I'm very competitive, I try to always outdo everyone else...so I end up pretty wasted by the end of the week.
Funny you mention the Fitbit challenges because I'm currently in one right now! It's definitely a great way to get yourself active. My friends and try add a little incentive to the challenges such as the winner gets treated to lunch/dinner.
I give you props for pushing yourself to stay active. The challenge nowadays is getting a workout in with all the hustle and bustle in our daily lives but it can be done! Jumping on a treadmill is a great start because any workout is a workout and the little that you can do each day builds up. Before you know it, you'll be exploring new ways to stay fit and you'll develop a variety of routines that will suit your needs. Sometimes I find myself walking into a gym only to walk out. Why? Heck I'll go straight back home, get some simple elastic/tension bands, some light to mid weights, and bring them to a local track and do some circuit training on the field. Again it's really all about finding ways to make it interesting and make it your own. Keep it up the good work and most especially keep tracking with your Fitbit! Being aware of your progress will only help you challenge yourself and diversify your routines. If you ever any fitness tips, feel free to reach out to me!
Man I'm telling you...it's hard once you graduate from college. I'm in IT (Computers) and I'm sitting on my butt 90% of the time while at work. I have to remind myself to get up and walk around a bit. But I'm trying to push myself to also hit the treadmill during lunch for a bit. Having fitbit challenges definitely encourages me to get moving, lol!
I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm in accounting and finance so I'm all too familiar with butt sitting all day every day lol. When lunch time hits I try to step out for a quick 10-15 minute walk, granting the weather permits. When I get home, I grab myself a quick light meal for some teompary fuel and I hop on my bike trainer or go out for a run. Again, all these little things that you can do throughout your day can add up. 10-15 minutes of something here and there and you top it off with at least a half hr to 45 min of your treadmill session next thing you know you've accumulated at least an hr of activity, which is pretty much average amount of time someone spends at the gym.
What it ultimately comes down to is a balanced diet. I always it's 20% workout 80% nutrition. You don't have to deprive yourself of food you love to eat, just take things in moderation and in proper timing. That way you won't have work any harder to burn anything off.
Ok, I'm determined today. Going to do 30 min on my bike for lunch!!!
That looks like it was a good ride!
Riding down NYC's West Side path all the way down to the Freedom Tower was such an awesome experience. I've worked in the city for many years and it's such a different experience seeing everything on two wheels. Not to mention you can get a good workout in!
Way to lead by example and help encourage others in healthy living! Great post, active lifestyle is the most satisfying.
It really is. Some people say it's impossible and I say, if you can spend 45 min to an hour watching your favorite TV show, then switch on the DVR and spend an hour just enjoying the outdoors!
Awesome pics, man! Maybe I'll bother you during lunch again one of these summer workdays when we're both not too busy.
Keep up the fit life. You're my motivation for getting to the gym tomorrow morning!
Totally game for it bro. We've got plenty of catching up to do!