Bike Riding To Better Myself

[asuewrowt]

I just want to first say that I'm 29 years old and haven't been on a bicycle for about 15 years now, up until recently (about a week ago).

I've been living with various physical and mental issues, ranging from severe depression (I'm bipolar), weak lung capacity (due to childhood asthma) and being overweight (due to stress and depression).

I'm so glad I got into biking again. I'm currently 5'11" and about 240lbs. I'm getting serious about fixing that and have changed and watch what I eat, eating more healthy and ride from anywhere between 30-60 minutes every single day (60 minutes if I take a road route that is flat, 30 minutes if I take a route with lots of hills and climbing). My goal is to get down to a good normal weight for my age and height which is about 170-180lbs.

Biking has also greatly improved my mood and I don't feel depressed so much anymore. It's also helping me relieve stress. I don't feel down and depressed all day, I don't feel like I have a dark cloud following me overhead all the time. I feel better all over both physically and mentally. My stress levels are way down and I feel like I'm on cloud nine most of the time and I'm feeling a lot more happy about life.

Needless to say, biking is saving me from a life that was self destructive and full of stress, depression and out of control weight gain.

I might not be one of you fancy road cyclists with my mountain bike and full on cycling outfits, but I'm still very glad I've gotten back into riding and I'm going to keep going on.

 

[BikeBikeBikeBike]

Yea man I am in the same boat. I'm around the same age as you and have been in the saddle for almost 2 decades.
Life's been a series of ups and downs, more downs then ups.
One thing I can always count on is biking.
It's made the rest of my life better!
Ride on brothers/sisters.

 

[tarverten]

Proper exercise, a sound diet, good sleep, and a spiritual and productive life.... are all part of a healthy lifestyle. Those things.... mixed with proper medical care like the medications for your bipolar condition.... can make your life a very long and happy one. Glad you added the exercise of cycling. I know cycling brings a lot of joy to my life.

 

[blastguardgear]

One thing I'd add is to keep it fun. I have some family experience with depression, and from what I've observed (which may not apply to you), motivation can be a problem. If you're feeling down and crappy anyway, and your schedule for that day calls for a hard 2-hour workout, it's easy to stay on the couch. If you leave some slack ("OK, I'm not up for that today, but I'll do an easy 15 minutes around the park"), you'll at least get your butt out of the chair. I used to do that when I was training for running races, and I often found that once I got moving, my mood and ambition improved.
Incidentally, I've been a cyclist for more than 40 years, and I got rid of my fancy cycling outfits years ago. You need decent shorts, but I don't even own a jersey anymore--cotton T-shirts work fine. I have cycling shoes because I bought them when I was equipment-obsessed, but one of my bikes has toe clips and one has BMX flat pedals. I do half my riding in running shoes or light hiking boots.

 

[shadowsupernature]

Welcome to the forum...I am your height and was about 6 lbs heavier than you are... I have lost 80 lbs and a whole lot of medical issues by riding my bicycle and adjusting my eating habits... you are on the right track... keep it up.

 

[thepieeatingjay]

It's amazing how many of life's ills simply riding a bike can cure.

On the other hand: If I believed that this life were all that there is; and all that the future held was a guarantee of ceasing to exist, I'd be depressed too- and no amount of riding would cure that!

 

[Corzhens]

That's also my primary reason in biking before, i.e. to make myself better physically, mentally and emotionally. When I was younger, I would rent a bike for 2 hours and just ride around the block, slowly like a sightseeing trip but it was actually to relieve me of the tension. When I got older, I had my own bike and I could ride whenever I want. There was a time when I went out of the house at midnight to ride with no direction at all. After half an hour, I was back to my senses.

 

[Totalarmordestine]

I swam daily in my 20s and have bike commuted for 23 years. The times in my life with no activity (whether through choice or injury) were bleak and depressing. I will echo what others have said, consult your doctor about all meds. You may be able to taper off, or even quit them...or you may not. Anyway you have taken a step (or pedal) in the right direction, and finding the motivation and sticking to it is not easy, so congratulations to you on that. Welcome to the forum, I look forward to hearing about your progress!

 

[llfsa]

Biking has done for me what most therapists couldn't. It's amazing the good it does for you

 

[ZXD22]

I love biking! Personally it teaches you to keep going even when you are at the end of the line. It teaches you persistence which is a good virtue to have. Remember what FDR said once? "If you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on". Fits perfectly if you ask me.

 

[niightwind]

That description of yourself there makes me feel like I'm looking in a mirror. I'm 10 years younger than you and half a foot shorter, but with very similar struggles. I was diagnosed very recently with bipolar depression and fibromyalgia, which has taken a huge toll on my health. I'm doing my best to get serious about improving things as well, though it can be hard to push through the pain. That is why I turned to cycling; it is one of the few exercises I can do without immense pain. I'm glad that biking has had such a good influence on you so far! Keep up with it, have fun, get healthy, do your best.

 

[Lizel]

Of course sport is very healthy and, so is also bike riding it keeps us motivated and helps us stay positive during the rest of the day.

 

[Keyan]

One of the reasons why I ride a bike is to have some peace within as it calms my spirit. I prefer to bike alone and considers it as a me time. Just like walking it gives me the opportunity to be quiet even if the world around me is so busy