By Lucy Burningham
|
BicyclingHub.com Encourages You To Ride More In 2013! |
Let’s be honest. If you live in the
Northern hemisphere, it’s a difficult time to get out and ride, no
matter how much you love being in the saddle. Whether you’re
staring out the window at lashing rains or blowing snowdrifts, or in
the middle of making hot cocoa or beef stew, most likely every cell
in your body is saying: “Stay indoors. Or else.”
|
Does this look fun? Try Cyclocross to keep the pounds off
Photo Courtesy BikePortland.org |
But the “or else” is your sliver of
opportunity. Or else what? Or else you’ll pedal your way to better
mental and physical health, which is just as, if not more, important
than when it’s 70 degrees and sunny outside.
Start with your state of mind. With
shorter hours of daylight, many of us are fighting symptoms of
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Easy cures? Going outside and
exercising regularly
Exercise helps! Then there’s your body. This is the season of potlucks, rich foods
and holiday drinks, which means you’re likely to pack on some extra
pounds. Getting on your bike will
help prevent weight gain. Besides, if
you keep up a regular riding schedule now, you’ll be the one
dropping the pack during springtime training rides.
How to make it happen? These are our
favorite ways to make sure we get out the door, Remember, riding is
fun!
1. Establish your riding posse.
Organize a reliable group of friends, family or coworkers who aren’t
above applying some peer pressure when it comes to showing up for
rides.
2. Schedule regular rides that happen
no matter what, which includes weather “events.”
3. Organize your gear ahead of time.
It’s way too easy to get lazy if your favorite waterproof gloves
are M.I.A.
4. Winterize your bike. Clean your bike
and re-grease your chain on a regular basis. Consider switching to
studded tires, depending on where you live.
5. As the Scandinavian say goes, "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing." From your head to your toes, BicyclingHub.com can help you stay warm and dry with the
right clothing for winter.
6. Promise yourself a sweet reward.
There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a little treat for
getting out on your bike, be it a snifter of scotch or permission to
call in sick on a powder day.
What kind of obstacles have you
overcome to continue riding in the winter? We want to hear your
story. Send us an email telling us how you’ve become a winter
riding warrior to
sales@bicyclinghub.com. We’ll be posting our
favorite submissions in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Award-winning author and writer Lucy Burningham has been working as a journalist for the past twelve years. She covers travel, food, and craft beer for a variety of magazines, newspapers, and guidebooks. Her work has appeared in Sunset, Imbibe, Outside, Men's Journal, VIA, Edible Portland and Beer Northwest, as well as The New York Times, The Oregonian, and The Los Angeles Times. http://www.lucyburningham.com/. Lucy is also the co-author of "Hop in the Saddle" A Guide To Portland's Craft Beer Scene, by Bike.