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Biker stops biking, weight balloons to 1,901 pounds

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In December, I hit my goal for the year: 2,000 miles ridden, and 200,000 feet climbed, all logged on Strava. The next day a major snowstorm hit and I parked my bikes in the garage for a nice winter’s nap. And with my bikes parked, I parked my exercise regimen. I read somewhere (maybe I heard somewhere, or maybe I just thought it up somewhere) that after a big season, it’s good to take time off from the bike. Give it a rest. Take a vacation. Your body will be stronger for it when you resume.

So I took some time off. I caught up on some sleep, I got some extra office work done, and I even enjoyed the extra hour each morning for a couple of months and I wrote a book. Well, the other day I hopped on the scales and I was shocked.

10 pounds! I had gained 10 pounds!!

I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t changed my diet, or frequency of eating. I hadn’t gone crazy with ice cream or donuts. The only thing I had changed was riding my bikes.

I came to a profound conclusion: Biking helps you lose weight.

And if you think about it, there’s an even more profound conclusion: Not biking makes you gain weight!

So, I started doing the math. 10 pounds gained in just 3 months = 3.3 pounds gained per month. 10 pounds in 3 months. I pulled out the spreadsheet and did some math. And here are the results. The numbers don’t lie. It’s just math.

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Summary: Without biking, I will gain 3.3 pounds per month. After only 36 months, I would weigh 270.5 pounds. I’m glad I went to MBA school. These realizations will probably save my life.Continue Reading

He was on Strava

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So Strava is pretty much the coolest app out there. Today’s world is literally buzzing with social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc, etc, etc. Well, guess what. They have nothing on Strava. My friends laugh that the best way to get in touch with me is to find me on Strava. Forget the phone, texting, Facebooking. Those are all way down the list of priorities. Strava is where it’s at. If you’re looking for me, chances are I’ll be checking my Strava notifications.

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Strava is an awesome motivator. It turns daily exercise into daily races where even though you’re riding solo, you’re virtually competing against friends, foes, people you don’t even know, and perhaps most importantly, it makes you compete against yourself. Sometimes it turns friends into foes, and sometimes foes become friends. It makes you push yourself faster and harder. Strava helps you discipline yourself. Strava equalizes the playing field. When you’re done with a ride and upload your data and the results come back, Strava can be brutally honest, or it can be extremely gratifying, padding your ego. For better, or for worse. It’s an adrenaline rush, all in itself. It’s awesome. It’s addicting.Continue Reading