Here we go! It's the start of 2013.
Since we're starting off a new year, I decided to try something new today ... learn how to ride a bike.
I've never ridden a bike before. I know I tried a couple of times when I was younger, but I never really got into it. Then when I got older I was too scared of falling and breaking something ... so I never pursued it though I was always interested in doing it.
One of my friends, LAF, told me that she'd teach me how to ride a bike. So today we gave it a go. We went to a place called Green Island here in Kuwait where she told me we could rent bikes. There was only one adult sized bike left at the rental place so we grabbed it. It was a bit wobbly. I wasn't sure it was safe to ride as it didn't look sturdy at all. LAF tried it out first and saw that the wheels weren't straight ... when she went to adjust it, some screw fell off so we decided to take it back. I was going to carry it so I grabbed onto the handles and lifted it up, and this is what happened:
The handles came off and the front wheel fell off!! It caught me completely by surprise! We could not stop laughing. It was hilarious - and of course I was relieved that this did not happen while I was on the bike!!
Unfortunately no big bikes were available so I took a small one. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was something. LAF did what anybody teaching someone how to ride a bike would do -- she held on and ran alongside me while I got the hang of it. I felt like I was 5. The island was so crowded! I was constantly freaking out by oncoming kids on their bikes (show offs! lol), bouncy balls coming my way, and a ton of pedestrians! For some reason my bike was very attracted to crowds and objects ... the sidewalk would be empty save for one pillar and my bike would head towards it ...
One of many light crashes -- I'm just glad I didn't cycle into the sea!
After a few rounds we saw that the bigger bikes were back and could finally swap out for normal sized bikes. This felt much better. I didn't fall, phew, but I did screech to a halt many, many times, as well as just hit a wall because I couldn't bring myself to brake properly. By the end of the 1 1/2 hours, I had worked up a great sweat!
Me at the end of the bike ride! I survived without breaking anything (or hurting anyone)! :)
It was a great way to start off the year! Who knows, maybe I'll work this into my workout schedule too :) It was a nice break and definitely lovely to be outdoors and get some fresh air.
I know that I set larger goals for the year, but these are my specific goals for the month.
1) Complete 2 outdoor runs
2) Complete Week 7 of C25K (yes, I'm still not done, ugh!!)
3) Complete Complete 4 Body Balance/Pilates/Yoga classes
4) Complete a total of 15 cardio sessions
5) Complete a total of 15 weight training sessions
6) Complete a total of 15 MMA sessions (any form of MMA - boxing/kickboxing/etc.)
7) Complete Quizzes 2-4 of my Fitness Nutrition Course
8) Try 2 new healthy/clean recipes this month & post them on the blog
9) Complete the outline for my piece of writing that's due in April
10) Finish organizing my bookshelves in my home office
It may sound like a lot, but there's a lot I want to do and there's a long way I need to go before I get to where I want to be ... so let's get to it!
Today's Workout
Stretching: 15 minutes
Cycling: 1 1/2 hours
Burpees: 60 {challenge total: 60/20,130)
Today's Food
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with mushrooms and tomatoes; green tea
Lunch: A couple of dates, a handful of walnuts, and a tablespoon of peanut butter {I couldn't think of anything else to eat}
Dinner: Grilled salmon with mustard and herbs + steamed carrots and broccoli
Snack: 6 cranberries
Since we're starting off a new year, I decided to try something new today ... learn how to ride a bike.
I've never ridden a bike before. I know I tried a couple of times when I was younger, but I never really got into it. Then when I got older I was too scared of falling and breaking something ... so I never pursued it though I was always interested in doing it.
One of my friends, LAF, told me that she'd teach me how to ride a bike. So today we gave it a go. We went to a place called Green Island here in Kuwait where she told me we could rent bikes. There was only one adult sized bike left at the rental place so we grabbed it. It was a bit wobbly. I wasn't sure it was safe to ride as it didn't look sturdy at all. LAF tried it out first and saw that the wheels weren't straight ... when she went to adjust it, some screw fell off so we decided to take it back. I was going to carry it so I grabbed onto the handles and lifted it up, and this is what happened:
The handles came off and the front wheel fell off!! It caught me completely by surprise! We could not stop laughing. It was hilarious - and of course I was relieved that this did not happen while I was on the bike!!
Unfortunately no big bikes were available so I took a small one. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was something. LAF did what anybody teaching someone how to ride a bike would do -- she held on and ran alongside me while I got the hang of it. I felt like I was 5. The island was so crowded! I was constantly freaking out by oncoming kids on their bikes (show offs! lol), bouncy balls coming my way, and a ton of pedestrians! For some reason my bike was very attracted to crowds and objects ... the sidewalk would be empty save for one pillar and my bike would head towards it ...
One of many light crashes -- I'm just glad I didn't cycle into the sea!
After a few rounds we saw that the bigger bikes were back and could finally swap out for normal sized bikes. This felt much better. I didn't fall, phew, but I did screech to a halt many, many times, as well as just hit a wall because I couldn't bring myself to brake properly. By the end of the 1 1/2 hours, I had worked up a great sweat!
Me at the end of the bike ride! I survived without breaking anything (or hurting anyone)! :)
It was a great way to start off the year! Who knows, maybe I'll work this into my workout schedule too :) It was a nice break and definitely lovely to be outdoors and get some fresh air.
---------------------
1) Complete 2 outdoor runs
2) Complete Week 7 of C25K (yes, I'm still not done, ugh!!)
3) Complete Complete 4 Body Balance/Pilates/Yoga classes
4) Complete a total of 15 cardio sessions
5) Complete a total of 15 weight training sessions
6) Complete a total of 15 MMA sessions (any form of MMA - boxing/kickboxing/etc.)
7) Complete Quizzes 2-4 of my Fitness Nutrition Course
8) Try 2 new healthy/clean recipes this month & post them on the blog
9) Complete the outline for my piece of writing that's due in April
10) Finish organizing my bookshelves in my home office
It may sound like a lot, but there's a lot I want to do and there's a long way I need to go before I get to where I want to be ... so let's get to it!
Today's Workout
Stretching: 15 minutes
Cycling: 1 1/2 hours
Burpees: 60 {challenge total: 60/20,130)
Today's Food
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with mushrooms and tomatoes; green tea
Lunch: A couple of dates, a handful of walnuts, and a tablespoon of peanut butter {I couldn't think of anything else to eat}
Dinner: Grilled salmon with mustard and herbs + steamed carrots and broccoli
Snack: 6 cranberries
I tried ice skating for the first time when I was about 25 or 26. I had roller skated as a kid but not for years. I did okay until I fell and broke my tailbone. That ended my ice skating career. :(
ReplyDeleteOne of my goals last year was to try two new recipes a month but I did not keep it up. There are so many good sources for great recipes but I still hesitate to try something new because "we might not like it." On the other hand, we just might love it!
Happy New Year.
Fear is what definitely kept me off the bike. I had some close calls yesterday but I didn't fall! Whew.
DeleteI love cooking, but have found safety in my tried and tested recipes. Still, I do want to get back to a bit of exploring. I had originally wanted to try 4 new recipes a month but I thought that was too ambitious :)
Hi! Biking is so fun. You're going to love it when you get going.
ReplyDelete:-) Marion
I had a lot of fun trying it out. I think I will really enjoy it :)
DeleteLove that you tried something new!! Youre rocking the 'overcoming fears' mentality!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! It was a lot of fun :)
DeleteThe rental people should be chastised for not safety checking out their equipment before renting to the public. That would have scared off some people from even trying. I also am going to try something different this year, though not in January, February or March. (I think I'm a fair weather rider) I will take up horse back riding this summer. The longest I've ever been on a horse was about 10 minutes 18 years ago in Germany.
ReplyDeleteI know! I'm lucky that I didn't get hurt ... but imagine if a kid had been riding it. I hope that they check their bikes more carefully from now on (we did lodge a complaint - after we finished laughing) ;)
DeleteI went horseback riding this past February and would love to do it more often if I had time!
Yay for bike riding! I love riding my bike and do it as often as I can (and the weather allows). In fact, I have plans for a long bike ride with my friend tomorrow. I hope this is the first of many bike rides that you go on.
ReplyDeleteI love that quote you shared - so true.