I’ve been thinking about the boost my well being has gotten in the past year.  I think the boost is mostly due to a small change in my approach to exercise.  I simply changed my mind about exercise.  Well really, I changed my mind back –back to when it wasn’t a “fitness regime” I was working on, it was just going outside to play.  That was Wisconsin in the 50’s and the weather didn’t matter.  Winter or summer we played outside.  And, you know, we had fun.

So about a year ago, I quit working on my fitness and started going outside to play.  That’s what boosted my well being.  It was easy, once I changed my mind.  And really that’s about all I changed — my mind.  That, and I got the bike out of the garage.

Here’s how it happened.

I used to love cycling.  Of course it wasn’t cycling.  It was “riding bikes” as in “Wanna ride bikes?”  The call of freedom — zooming around on a bike.  It was very cool…until high school… when it wasn’t cool.  But that only lasted a couple of years.   The first time I bought a bike for myself was in 1968. That bike and two or three successors were my transportation through college and grad school.

After grad school life got serious.  I traveled a lot and left the bike in the garage more and more often. Years turned into a decade and that expanded to two.  I walked past my bikes hanging in the garage and didn’t even see them.  I moved two or three times and brought the bikes along.  Them hoping for a reprieve from their exile and a reprise of the good old days, me, I don’t know what I was hoping for.  I got to the point where I’d rather just take a nice walk around the neighborhood and relax afterwards with a glass of wine.   I’m just getting older, I thought.

Sure, I tried to exercise more, longer walks, even different classes at the gym.  Nothing clicked.  In my head it was just more work and more stress.  And when I looked in on a group ride class, it seemed pretty hard core and I thought everyone was half my age.  I didn’t want to make a fool of myself so I put it off.

Finally, I got desperate so I slipped into the back of the ride room just before a class started.  And it felt good to be starting something, anything.  For about five minutes it felt good. After ten minutes I was really struggling.  I kept going back.  Susan started joining me and eventually we improved.  It started to be fun – being part of the regular group.

At the beginning of 2011, we were planning a September vacation in Truckee.   I asked Susan if she would be willing to try the Tour de Tahoe while we were there.  She agreed to try the half ride and that’s when my life changed – back to the time when cycling was fun.

At first, just imagining the ride was fun.  Susan needed a new bike, so researching and anticipating that purchase was fun.

We rode almost every day last summer.  Sometimes only a few miles, but we always climbed hills and the hills around here are pretty steep – well some of them.  It was nice to go outside to play with Susan, my best friend.  To be honest, even by the end of that summer we weren’t certain we’d be able to manage the climbing and elevations around Lake Tahoe.  But we did.  And we’ve kept on doing it.

Oh, I forgot to mention the best fun of all – zooming around on bikes is as much fun today as it was when I got my first brand new two-wheeler back in 1959.

This year Susan and I are turning 60.  In July we’ll be tackling our first overnight ride, Whidbey Island and four additional days in the San Juan Islands. We’ll be camping or Lopez Island and we’re excited.

Wanna ride bikes?  Do you remember riding bikes in the 1950′s and 60′s?  Do you want to have fun?  Why not get the old bicycle out and take a spin around the neighborhood.  Have some fun. It will do you heart a world of good.