"I think
about what cycling has meant to me
throughout my life and I cannot express how
grateful I am.
When I was a lost teen looking to find my
way into adulthood I had my bicycle to help
find my course.
As an adult I've had the solace of cycling
and the connection that cycling has with my
past to help
keep me on course while allowing me to
remember where I came from and how far I've
come." |
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Jon Patrick Hyde on his lifelong
love affair with cycling |
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I didn't have the
happiest childhood. Not that it really
matters because I truly believe that if you
are going to live your life to your fullest
potential you cannot allow the past to
dictate your present or cloud your future.
My childhood happened and I am who I am
because of the choices that I've made as an
adult. That being said it is always
special when in a difficult situation or
period of time you can connect with
something that gives you hope and makes your
situation much more tolerable. For me this
was cycling. I could escape the
difficulties and hurtful machinations of my
home life and find peace, happiness, and
safety on the road as I was able to press
the boundaries that defined my world by
pedaling a little farther on my
bicycle.
Because of my
discovery of cycling during a very difficult
time in my childhood I've always been
attracted to it like a beacon that
brings you home safely in the dark.
When I eventually freed myself of the bonds
of my childhood and was able to explore the
world as an adult I found that it was
comforting and familiar in a very satisfying
way to find a few minutes in each day to
jump on a bicycle and feel the wind and sun
on my skin as I rode off to embrace a state
of inner tranquility.
Habits that form
early in life are the ones that are often
hardest to break. In my life I can say
that I cannot express the depth of my
gratitude that I was given the opportunity
to embrace such an amazing and wonderful
habit; I simply love riding bicycles.
When I was laying in
CCU pondering
just how I could have had a heart attack and
nearly died (when I'd spent an hour on my
bike the day before, and the day before
that...) it struck me as ironic that the
activity that I feel saved my life as a
teenager once again saved my life as an
adult.
When I say that cycling saved
my life as a teen I mean that it gave me a
positive outlet to focus my energy. I
had a lot of anger and I was very unhappy
with my home life; I could have easily gone
down much darker paths in life. But my
bicycle and the open road was always there
calling to me in a positive way and I found that pull
irresistible.
Since that time
I've found that cycling has become a
centerpiece to my lifestyle. I plan
activities around when I can get a short (or
long) ride in. I sometimes ride 4 or 5
hours in a single day (typically my longer
weekend rides). During the week I get a
minimum of 1 hour in each day. I ride 7
days a week and average between 35-45 miles
a day. That's some 15,000 to 17,000
calories per week. And an average of 900 to
1100 minutes of intense cardio workout
time. The WHO (World Health Organization)
and the AHA (American Heart Association)
recommend a minimum of 75 minutes of intense cardio workout
minutes per week to reduce your risk of CAD. |
THE
CYCLING LIFE |
The Cycling Life
is what I call the lifestyle I've adopted
and that I chose to live. I make
vacation choices based on if there are good
cycling paths or courses at my destination.
A relaxing day for me includes a 2-3 hour
bicycle ride. And my diet has slowly
changed into a mechanism for building my
body so that I can become a better cyclist.
I eat foods that help me with energy output
and endurance. I see food as fuel now.
I still enjoy food but I don't waste
time with food that doesn't help me with my
cycling goals; regardless of how good it may
taste.
The Cycling Life
is about taking charge of your health and
being a little selfish (selfish in a healthy
way). It's OK to say that you need a
little "you" time and that you enjoy the
solitude of riding a long bike path by
yourself. Or you can choose to commute
to various places on a bicycle. I
regularly visit the Post Office on my
bicycle. There's a bike path that runs
right behind my local Post Office. It
makes it very convenient.
The Cycling Life
is about feeling good; feeling healthy and
having excess energy with which to attack
each day and live it to the fullest.
With regular exercise comes more energy and
better sleep and a stronger immune system.
The positive health benefits go on and on...
You get an increased quality of life while
greatly decreasing your risk for a number of
life changing illnesses.
Are you sold
yet? No worries if you are still
trying to make up your mind... How
about I give you some more useful
information regarding my favorite fitness
activity? |
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Studies show that cardio exercise such as
cycling may be key in surviving a heart
attack.
I personally do not need to read some
lengthy scientific paper to know the facts
of my own life; I survived a heart attack
with a 90% mortality rate because I have
been a hard-core cyclist the majority of my
life. But don't take my word on it;
I've got scientific papers to back my claim.
Click for more... |
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Cycling made easy - tips for the new
cyclist.
Cycling may seem like a really involved
activity with all the gear you need and the
skin tight outfits; but the truth is that
cycling is an easy activity to embrace and
it has far reaching benefits. What I
can tell you is that because my goal is to
get you on a bicycle, not sell you bicycles
or cycling gear - I'll tell you the truth
about what you need and what is hype (and
with hype usually come a big price tag).
Click for more... |
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How a
regular exercise can greatly reduce your
risk for a number of life-changing
diseases.
The health benefits from daily exercise
are well documented; a significant reduction
in your exposure to a number of life
altering diseases such as CAD, Diabetes,
Obesity, Cancer, Arthritis, and the list
goes on... What makes cycling an ideal
fitness activity is that it is low impact;
it doesn't cause the issues with joints that
high impact activities such as running do.
Click for more... |
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Cycling is shown to reduce stress while
improving overall health.
I look forward to my hour or two in the
saddle (saddle is a fancy name for your
bicycle's seat) each day. My
cycling time is ME time.
There's the road, me, and my bicycle.
Cycling is relaxing because you are
constantly working through problems and
finding solutions. You have to be in
the moment and aware of your surroundings.
This keeps your mind sharp and your body and
mind well connected.
Click for more... |
