Post #33623

Bike bike bike! Specifically, road. Put yourself aside, and just try it properly. The freedom is amazing and self motivating. The reason you don’t see many people is primarily because they don’t try road bikes and don’t understand them. People tend to prejudice the unfamiliar. The bike is optimal for human anatomy in unintuitive ways. The efficiency is amazing. The number of disabled people that ride is far higher than you likely imagine. While women are a more rare segment in cycling, the primary barrier is only self perception. Roadies are super friendly and accepting of everyone, except during a race. If you’ve got a slower metabolism like me, you will likely excel at endurance activities. The airflow keeps your body temperature lower than any exercise other than swimming. That is why I always struggled with a gym routine; getting uncomfortably hot. Committing to a ride is not like other exercise where you are able to contemplate stopping early. It takes 3 weeks to get used to a saddle, and 6 to turn actively pushing yourself into a neutral routine your body accepts. Everything after 6 weeks starts to become harder to stop than it is to continue. I was 350lbs in 2009 and under 190lbs by 2013. Even after a broken neck and back in 2014, it is still easier for me to keep my routine than it is to stop. Your sugar problems will go away in a few months time. One of the other groups of avid cyclists is celebrities. Like Robin Williams was famous for people encountering him on the road and at events. On a bike, in a kit, helmet, and sunglasses, you are totally anonymous. It does not matter how you think it will be before trying it, on a bike you assume a new identity and no one knows who you are unless you tell them. Road is the only type of bike that is like this. Every other type of bike is a compromise and totally different experience. I’ve worked with diabetic amputees, people that could not walk, and been and worked with the morbidly obese. You can do it dear!