Celebrating 2 Years Back on a Bicycle and Entering a New Phase in Fitness

(I took this picture. This'll be me one day soon.)

Aside from playing unorganized sports with my friends as a kid, I've never really pushed myself physically. A lot of obese people I know just haven't ever gone down that road. During my first weight loss and exercise kick in my late twenties, I monitored my fitness through heart rate with the intention of burning the most fat and losing the most weight. That meant moderate exercise as per the conventional thinking at the time, twenty years ago.

There are overweight people who train for marathons, half-marathons, triathlons and mini-triathlons. You hear about them from time to time. I saw photos from the local mini-tri held last month and I was inspired to see lots of overweight people giving it their all, no doubt training for weeks or months for that day. They look fit and healthy but I sensed they were using the event as a fitness goal to battle their own demons with excessive weight. Even after all I've been through and learned, I'm still taken aback when I realize what the obese person's body is capable of through exercise.

I see it this time of year on ABC's Extreme Weight Loss. Those shows are like AA meetings for me. I see myself in others, not just physically, but more importantly, how they think. I see so much of my old self, especially the dysfunctional thinking and rigidity mixed with fear that people with severe weight problems seem to have. It's a reminder to stay strong and not retreat to my old ways. I know those TV shows can be controversial, but they do have a way of being therapeutic and inspiring when you see what's possible through exercise. Hopefully these shows inspire people to make positive changes to their lifestyle.

Two years ago this week I very nervously went biking with my son. I wasn't sure if I was ready or if I should wait another year to get in better shape and lose some tonnage. The whole expedition was intimidating. I struggled with biking and had to stop to rest every few minutes. I became dizzy from exertion and even crashed when my wheel slipped on some sand. When I realized I wasn't hurt, it was one of the greatest feelings I had had in a long time. Crashing was the best thing that could have happened to me that day. I felt like a kid again and I wanted to feel like that some more.

Now I'm training for a mountain biking race. The date is not firm because they take place every week. But I'm getting close to completing the race course without stopping to let my heart catch up. Very close. My heart is racing to 100% and each week I feel better when that happens. I'm getting clearer-headed at the top of the hills as I prepare to rocket down them. It's a sport I took up less than a year ago and I love the challenge, the skill required and the unpredictability (no one likes monotony in exercise.)

I'm not doing it to lose weight. I'm doing it because I can. I'm doing it to make up for all the things I chose not to do in my life. I'm doing it because I'm thankful for the body I have, a body that is healthy, strong and perfectly capable of just about anything.

And I'm doing it because I've decided I like to have fun.