Diligent Whole Living blog readers, the suspense must be killing you! Have you been sitting on the edges of your seats for the past couple of weeks, wondering, has my mom actually become a daily bike commuter? Drum roll…
The truth is more than word and goes something like this: she is trying! In my book, that means yes. As we all know, new routines are hard to integrate, especially physical activity routines.
Kudos, Where Kudos are Due
Me: Break the news lightly, mom. A blog post awaits and I am hoping I will have something to say.
Mom: You have no faith!
Me: Not true! I already drafted the post based on my guess that you have been bike commuting.
Mom: The bad news is that I have not been going to work as regularly because of summer hours (bad news?). The good news is that out of the 10 days that I have been since your last post, I biked 3!
Bike Commuting, Old Habits and New Routines
Okay, so 3 days out of 10 is not going to set any records. And it does support that old truism, that old habits die hard. In this case, my mom’s old habit is simply not getting enough physical activity.
When embarking on this mini-project, neither my mom nor I expected that she would be bike commuting like me (5 days a week, all year long) right off the bat. Actually, being patient and forgiving with ourselves when trying to introduce a new routine can be the key to it sticking at all.
Bike Commuting, Physical Health and Fitness
For women in particular, bike commuting has a demonstrated impact on health and weight control. The New York Times recently reported on a good study out of the Harvard School of Public Health. You can find the article here, but the basic gist of it supports the notion that a little bike riding goes a long way. And what better way to incorporate exercise than into something you have to do already: commute.
Mom: Are you saying I need to lose weight!?
Me: No!
In Conclusion
This concludes this fun, public experiment! Fear not, I will still send periodic updates. Next week I will be posting from the world headquarters of Fast Boy Cycles, where I will be learning to build my very own bike frame! Please post any questions you have in the comments section of this post and I will be sure to answer them next week in my update.
Caroline Samponaro is the Director of Bicycle Advocacy at Transportation Alternatives, an 8,000-member pro-bicycling non-profit founded in 1973. Caroline is one of the nation’s foremost advocates for cycling and has spearheaded New York City’s rapid transformation into a bicycle-friendly city. She lives in Brooklyn. Visit her at www.transalt.org and www.bikingrules.org.
