TWO-WHEEL OUT YOUR DOOR AND ENJOY THE RIDE.

There are a lot of advantages of biking on a regular basis. And, just about anyone at any age, youth or adult, can get a lot of personal benefits from biking. Nearly half of daily trips by American adults cover less than 3 miles. That’s an easy distance for even moderately healthy people to pedal, so the bike should be able to replace many car trips, depending, of course, on the weather and the traffic conditions.

To mention just a few of the benefits, bike riding is cheap, friendly for the environment, and fun. While cars get into terrible jams, bikes stay mobile and can be ridden to get around the worst traffic. What’s more, bicycling benefits society as well as individuals. The more people who bike the fewer cars are on the road, and that helps reduce traffic congestion and carbon-based emissions and saves our local governments money for road repair.

Your two-wheeler also offers you some real health perks. A long-term study of over 30,000 people in Amsterdam showed that regular bike commuters had greater health benefits (40% less risk of death) than those who regularly did other types of exercise, including high intensity sports. And that makes sense, because commuting is a moderate, every day activity while sports and going to the gym are usually done only a few days a week.

Those are just some of the reasons that bicycles are the most used form of transportation in the world (that’s about 1.4 billion bicycles to only about 400 million cars). Other eco-friendly pluses from two-wheeling include the possibility of using the bike for transport businesses (package delivery and bike-taxis), bicycle-powered water pumps, and even generating electricity.

Most of all, the automobile is expensive, and cycling is the only real alternative to cars for short commutes and errand trips. According to one expert study, the average American car-owner can expect to pay a lifetime total of about $300,000 for cars and related car expenses. But that estimate is based on past experience and doesn’t take into consideration rising fuel prices and higher costs for future vehicles. And, just think, bikes mean no circling the block looking for parking spaces and no parking tickets or towing fines. Best of all, you can expect to pay hundreds of dollars (not several hundred thousand dollars) for your bike costs over a lifetime!

Get wheeling!
So, if you’ve got a bike in your garage or basement or have been thinking about buying one, this is the right moment.

If your bike’s been sitting somewhere a long time, get it out and examine its condition. Does it obviously need maintenance? If it does, don’t take it out until you sure it’s running safely and comfortably. If you see something that needs fixing, visit your local bike shop. Get it right at first before you start wheeling around and continue giving your bike periodic tune-ups as needed. It will last a lot longer that way and be a safer means of transport. Hey, with a little study and effort, you can learn to do most of the maintenance yourself.

If you don’t have a bicycle, most new ones cost in the range of $100 to $200. But you’ll save a lot of money and be even eco-friendlier if you buy a used bike. So, stop by your local bicycle shop, cruise thrift shops and yard sales, or take a look at the classifieds in the newspaper. There are also some online sources for used bikes such as "Craigslist" and "Freecycle".

What more do you need to get started?
While biking sounds great for many reasons, still many people are hesitant to start out. And, the main reason most people aren’t riding bikes right now isn't lack of interest or low levels of physical fitness - it’s fear. Most of us are afraid of taking a spill or getting hit by a car.

So, how can we feel (and be more) safe while two-wheeling? First, always use the bike helmet and be properly dressed (closed, tie-up shoes, arms and legs covered), so that a minor bike accident stays minor – without any major consequences. Then, study city maps to find out where there are bike paths and protected lanes – and avail yourself of them whenever possible! Also, you probably have the option of biking on the sidewalk. That may be your safest bet in high traffic areas. And, if you’re wheeling on the sidewalk, you should cross streets by getting off your bike and walking with the light (or cautiously waiting at the corner) the same as pedestrians are supposed to do. Don’t forget to use bike lights and reflectors if you’re going to be biking at night or at dusk.

Also, petition your city and county government for more bike paths and protected lanes and show enthusiasm by supporting community bike rallies. Experience in cities around the world show that two-wheeling tends to be safer when more people are biking. The accident rate actually goes down because more car drivers become bike-aware and start driving better around bicyclists.

SO, THEN THERE WERE TWO.

Just a few months ago, I commented on the joys of owning a dog. Enrique, my husband, and I love our 8-month old mixed breed - German Sheppard, collie and husky – dog, Sofi. Our dog is a lot of fun, but as it turned out, she was lonely. Her home was outside and she spent a lot of time at the door, crying for us to come out and play. She is a good-size dog now and weighs, by our guess, 50 pounds, and she is still growing. To us, she seems hyperactive, always playing rowdily with her toys -- with us or by herself. We play with her at least twice a day, and my husband and I take her for walks two or three times a week.

We knew she needed more company and more opportunities to play. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any more time to dedicate to her. It seemed apparent that she needed a companion dog. But we weren’t ready to get another dog. Our yard is small and we don’t have much money to pay more vet bills, which are substantial in the first year of a dog’s life. So, while we talked about having another dog, we didn’t really make any effort to get one.

Last Wednesday, we took Sofi on a morning walk - for her much needed exercise and ours, as well -- to a small park at the bottom of our hill. It is a quiet park and we have taken Sofi there once or twice a week since she was a puppy. We walk her around the park two or three times and then my husband lets her loose in a semi-enclosed area that is a children’s play ground with swings, see-saws and a slide. She makes her usual rounds leisurely in this area, sniffing just about everything.

Everything was going well with our walk, and I crossed the street to buy a few things at the small grocery store on the corner. Enrique stayed watching Sofi. According to his account, Sofi suddenly barked, wandered over to a secluded spot in the play area and began pawing at a black bag that was on the ground. To Enrique’s surprise, something in the black bag started moving around. When he investigated, he found an abandoned puppy. The stray dog was in terrible shape. It clearly hadn’t eaten in some time, had all kinds of ticks and lice, and showed signs of having been mistreated. Nevertheless, the little dog gathered up what strength it had left to greet Sofi and Enrique and began to follow them around.

At about that time, I returned with the food that I had purchased at the corner store. Enrique yelled to me to come over and see what he had found. I saw a tiny stray dog. Enrique looked at me and asked: “What can we do with it?” At that point, we didn’t know whether it was a male or female. I looked at the tiny face and knew right away that I wanted to take the dog home and care for it. The dog was in really bad shape, but it was still wagging its tail and jumping around. On closer inspection, it was clear that the dog was some kind of terrier. It showed a lot of vitality, which amazed us under the circumstances we found it in. I knew at once that the puppy was a survivor.

We walked Sofi back up the hill, and Enrique carried the small dog to the house. We fed the puppy, as much as it wanted. It ate like it was starved, which we knew was the case. Enrique made the tiny dog a cinder-block “cave” so that it could stay away from Sofi who was, by that time, not so happy to have found a cousin in the street. Sofi continued to snap at her new companion, but the tiny dog didn’t seem to be very frightened. In fact, it showed clear signs of wanting to make friends.

We weren’t sure that the older dog would accept her new companion, but Enrique said we should feed the puppy as much as she wanted and call the vet the next day to examine her. We wondered if the stray dog would survive the night, what with having such poor health and Sofi's hostility. The dog did last the night, of course, and by the next day the two dogs were acting fairly friendly. The new dog ate everything that was offered and tried to eat Sofi’s food also. Sofi wasn’t happy with that idea and growled and nudged the little dog, but didn’t seem to want to hurt it. So, then there were two dogs dignifying our small yard.

By midday, the two students who work in our vet's office had come by to give Sofi her regularly scheduled vaccine and to examine our new dog. They also brought us a special soap to wash both dogs, to be applied each day for two days. This soap kills all kinds of infestations including fleas, ticks, and lice. The vet students said that the little dog was a female and that she appeared to be a schnauzer, but easily could also be some kind of mix with schnauzer. They said she was at least two and a half months old, but terribly underweight from malnutrition. They told us to bring the little dog into the vet's office as soon as possible for a check-up and vaccines and to rid her of parasites.

We talked about calling the new dog Elena because Santa Elena is the name of the neighborhood that we live in. But then, the name Elena seemed too formal for such an active, small dog. So, we decided to call her Helen, the English translation for Elena.

Well, that was several days ago, and the two dogs have made friends. Sofi seems like a giant dog beside the tiny terrier, but in spite of the differences in their size, they seem to get along. They play together a lot and sometimes their play gets rough. When this happens, Helen eventually gets hurt. She yelps several times, and Sofi backs off, not really wanting to hurt her tiny companion. Helen is gaining weight and does her best to keep up with the bigger dog. She is really a dear and follows Enrique and me around all the time while we are outdoors. She doesn’t ask for much, but eats heartily and generally shows her appreciation for having been rescued and given a chance for a good life in a new home. We also feel lucky to have a dog like Helen.

HEALTHY LIVING INCLUDES PHYSICAL EXERCISE.

For me, a day without physical exercise is like a day without sunshine. Things just don’t seem to be right. I can do many things on such a day, even be very busy, but I won’t have the same good spirits and energy if I haven’t been active. It’s a life-long habit and I look forward to it. When I use my energy for exercise, I find that it is returned to me at least twofold.

Having said that, I want to clarify that I'm not an advocate of extreme sports. I’ll leave that to those younger people that enjoy it, and I don’t always do strong physical exercise -- although, sometimes I do. On some days I jog or practice martial arts. My husband is a karate instructor and I enjoy that kind of exercise and helping him with his classes. But, as I get older, I can’t do that much exertion every single day, and so I alternate days of strenuous exercising with walking and/or yoga.

We also have a lively young dog, and that gives my husband a reason to run a bit and me a reason to follow along, usually jogging or walking behind. After a few minutes, all three of us slow down to a more comfortable pace and just enjoy being in movement together. As for yoga, I have practiced hatha yoga since I was a young girl, and it has been a joy and a comfort to me. Yoga is probably the most important reason that I’m able to do as much as I do at my age.

I mention my experience here because I hope that you are finding some time in your busy week to include a regular exercise routine. If you are keeping up with your exercise program – good for you, and more power to you. You may not need to read any further (unless you just want to reaffirm all the good you’re doing for yourself).

If you’re not maintaining an exercise routine right now, I hope what I include on this page will be your motivation.

I hear you saying: “I’d really like to, but…”

I know it’s all too easy to find justifications for not doing regular exercise. I know it from personal experience. There were also times in my life when I did a lot less exercise and tried to justify it for different reasons. But it always came down to: “I would, if I could, but I can’t.” That kind of justification doesn’t hold up very well. Let’s look at the most usual excuses for not exercising, and I’ll do my best to counter them.

“I’m just too old or too unfit.” Just forget about your age and current condition. Young or old, physically fit or not -- unless you are already bedridden –- there is an exercise program that is right for you. Look for some activity you like and start off slow. You’ll gather skills faster than you think. (By the way, if you know someone who is bedridden, go visit that person and, if possible, help him or her to get some fresh air and to do a little light stretching. It will do a world of good for the other person and for you.)

“I just don’t find time.” There are 24 hours in every day. If we sleep eight hours, work eight, travel as commuters - two, then we still have 6 hours to do some other activities. It’s a matter of making exercise a priority. If you have a busy family life, get up a half hour earlier and get moving before everyone else wakes up. Or, find an activity that you can do with your children or grandchildren. Or, instead of watching two to three hours of TV every day, take 45 minutes to exercise. If TV watching is really important, figure out a way to exercise while viewing your favorite programs. Stretching, calisthenics, running in place or two steps up - two steps back, jumping jacks, or jump rope are all possible to do in a small space, and they won’t take your full concentration.

“I don’t have any extra money.” Even if you don’t have money for exercise classes or a gym, that’s not a great problem. You can begin by walking or jogging, doing simple calisthenics and stretching. Those activities aren't too complicated, and you don’t have to pay a trainer or buy special products. With some tennis or walking shoes and comfortable pants, you'll go a long way. And, if you feel you need to follow a particular exercise program, there are free websites that will tell you how to go about achieving your personalized plan.

Now that you know that your excuses are not very good ones, make a plan to start exercising today or tomorrow, at the least. If you've gotten this far, then, take a look at some of the ways that keeping fit can make you healthier and happier.

Build strength and shed a few pounds

Too often people want to lose weight, and that is their main goal for exercising. But weight loss is usually slow, even doing proper exercise, and occurs over a period of months, at best. So, if rapid weight loss is their only motivation, they have set themselves up for frustration. Don’t fall into that trap.

There are a lot of other objectives that can be met by exercising, well before seeing a lot of weight reduction. These “intermediate” objectives are just as important as losing some pounds. The fact that you are exercising your muscles means that, from the very first day, you are increasing your body strength and stamina. Everyone needs to maintain strength throughout life – better muscle tone and overall staying power will help you in all your daily activities. You’ll find that by exercising, you’re achieving considerable success right away--even before your clothing size shrinks a lot.

Feel more competent and boost self-esteem

One way to feel more competent, in general, and to increase your self-esteem is to be engaged in something that is good for you – something that helps you achieve an objective. Exercise, like practicing any other skill – piano, painting, writing, etc. – is a means of affirming the best in you. Knowing you have skills, gives you the confidence to strive for new and more meaningful personal goals.

When you feel good about yourself, you know that you are somebody who deserves respect. That self-assurance can help you in many areas of your life. So, exercising is just as good for you mentally as it is physically. Besides, you won’t have so much time to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. You have more important things to do – like getting out there and working through your routine.

Socializing and rediscovering play time

You aren’t the only person who needs to get moving. Exercise can be a motive for socializing, and vice versa. Some of your family members, friends, and even your dog would be very grateful if you included them in your walking, dancing, or some other type of lively company. All of us with a body, people and animals, young and not so young alike, need a chance to stretch, run and play. And, it’s much more appealing to be exercising with our buddies than it is to do our routine alone.

Even though we don’t admit it much, we, as adults, still like to play in an active way. Exercising with others is fun – a time to be carefree and focused – just as we were as children when we played sports and games. If you don’t have anyone at the moment with whom to exercise, look for a group activity in a park, church or community center. You’ll find teammates there, and sweating together, they’ll become your friends. Look for sports, games, and other activities that you enjoy and wish to improve in. When you like an activity and enjoy it with friends, it’s fun and you benefit the rewards in health and well-being.

I hope that you’re convinced from this brief summary of exercise benefits -- that by keeping fit, you’ll be healthier, feel better about yourself, and have more opportunities to be social. So, don’t waste time and get a jumpstart on your workout program.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: owning a dog.

This article has now become a part of Grandma Susan’s Almanac Calendar.
(See month of June, 2010).

To see Grandma's Calendar, click on the tab at the top of any page.

HEALTHY LIVING: achieve a healthy weight

This article has now become a part of Grandma Susan’s website
(See month of September)-

http://grandmasusans2010almanac.yolasite.com

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