New Year's Resolution: "EXERCISE" LESS, "PLAY" MORE!

This is the time of the year when many of us embark on our annual journeys into failure. Yes, the New Year Resolutions have started, and Gym's everywhere are bracing for a tsunami of new clients, or old clients who they remember only through monthly invoices. For the next few months, many brave souls will force themselves to drag their tired or sleepy bodies for an hour of exercising at the gym (at least 3x a week!) By the time March rolls by, the routine gets to be unbearable, work too busy, and the weather too cold for yet another trip to the local treadmill temple. And by the time April comes along, well, let's face it, we don't even remember our New Years Resolutions in April!



Not all Indoor Activities involve Dumbbells and Treadmills
That's me riding a bike on what seemed like a wall at the Velodrome!
(courtesy of HopCycling)

I believe that most exercise-based resolutions (or diets for that matter) fail because people simply don't want to do them. So, I propose another way to look at a life-long resolution: "EXERCISE" LESS, "PLAY" MORE! It's time to start playing that sport you loved in High School once again, or try your hand at that other sport you always wanted to do, or even join your spouse for a dance class! Whatever it is, get moving! You are alive, make the best of it! The key is to become active on a daily basis, and there is no better way to do that than to have fun, to play!

Now, if you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, mother nature will appear to do everything in her power to stop you from being active (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, please bookmark this page and check back in June - in the meantime, go out and play!) Being a Brazilian who lives in cold climate countries, I struggle tremendously with the weather during this time of the year. So, I decided to embrace it! I try to make the best of it - shoveling snow can be a timed event, and dragging your laughing children on a sled is a heck of an exercise! But let's face it, "making the best of 10F or -10C" is never going to be the kind of playing that will keep you coming back for more!

Since this Blog is about cycling, I must mention that there are tons of cycling gear out there that will make you comfortable on even the worst types of winter conditions, so riding your bike is always a good option. For me, riding my bike during the winter is almost a meditative experience. You become much more aware of your surroundings: the sounds are crisper, you are more aware of your breathing and how your body interacts with the bicycle. The rides are slower, you ride just for the pleasure of being outside, breathing fresh air. And the coffee, the recovery meal, and the warm shower after a sub-freezing bike ride are as epic as the weather you just endured! But I am not going to be delusional to expect people to ride their bikes during a blizzard and "have fun" doing it! The point is to find something that makes you smile so that you look forward to it! 

Getting lost in a forest to start the new year! I highly recommend it!

And if your favorite activity is somewhat hampered by the cold or snow, Winter is a good time to experiment new things!

Not all cycling needs to take place outdoors! This week, the Cycling Club I am a member of here in Poland, We Ride Warsaw, hosted a track night at an indoor velodrome. I couldn't pass on the opportunity of riding a bicycle wearing only my summer gear, and the experience was phenomenal. And the -10C snowy weather did not bother me a bit!

But I really enjoy riding outdoors, and my road bike tires (measuring 2.5cm - an inch in width) is not the best tool to brave snowy and sometimes icy roads. So I was able to secure a mountain bike, and with it, I can not only ride in the snow (it takes some practice, but it can be done safely!), I can also go on trails that are out-of-reach on a road bike! My first ride this year involved me getting lost in a forest south of Warsaw - but being among the trees this time of the year was phenomenal!

I've even started jogging just to be outdoors when I only have an hour or so available for exercise. Now that I am a lighter person and with proper running shoes, I've found that jogging is no longer too hard on my joints (something that would've been impossible for me to do during my +300lbs years).

My local jogging path during Christmas. Even a simple jog can
make you realize that Winter can be a beautiful time to be outside! 

I will be writing more about my ventures into Track Cycling and Mountain Biking along with their culture in future posts, but for now, these activities just enabled me to stay being an active, sane human being. (Note: you might also want to consider winter sports, such as cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, or ice-skating - but I am Brazilian, and that disqualifies me from discussing such sports any further)

Chances are that if you adopt an active lifestyle revolving around fun activities you enjoy and look forward to, many other Resolutions such as "smile more often", "be a more positive person", or  "learn to handle stress" will just take care of themselves!