Apr 26, 2008

Biking for Frugality

I'm not a fitness buff, though I am trying to get in shape. When I lived in Berkley a few years ago, pre-car ownership, I bought myself a fairly decent bike to get me to and from work. It was about a 30 minute bike ride each way - flat for the most part, though to was a bit uphill and home was a bit down (which worked out perfectly, who wants to ride uphill on the way home?)

My weight has fluctuated from 163lbs to 123lbs over the last 4 years. The lowest, 123, was after I biked to and from work five days a week for about three months. Well, I had gotten down to about 130 and then went through about a month of deep depression and didn't eat much of anything, which was an unhealthy way to get down to 123.

Regardless of my weight, I've never felt "healthy." The closet to healthy I've ever felt was at 130lbs, when I was eating normally and biking daily. That's what I'm hoping to get back to again.

But apparently the sheer quest for health isn't enough of a motivator for me. What make me bike when I lived in Berkley? Sure, I wanted to get healthy. But the real reason I biked every day was that my other option, a BART ticket (BART is the subway in the bay area) would cost me about $3 round trip a day. $3 a day? That seemed like such a waste of money, esp since I owned a bike that could get me to my destination almost as quickly.

Ever since I've bought a car, I find it's easier to ignore the specific cost of fuel as you travel from one destination to another. But with gas prices hitting an average of $4 a gallon around here, my bike is once again becoming my new best friend.

I need to get back in the swing of biking, really, as it's tough to force myself to leave 45 minutes for my commute to work as opposed to 15 for the drive. But those 45 minutes are precious me-time that could either be spent moping around in bed or out and about enjoying the day's sun. And I certainly know that I need my time in the sun in order to be healthy and happy.

So - thanks to $4 a gallon gas, I might get back in shape again. I hope I will. I won't be in great shape when I leave for Israel in a month, sadly. Even riding my bike every day and eating healthy won't help me look good in a bathing suit. But maybe I won't be completely embarrassed by wearing the appropriate swim garb.

Meanwhile, there is one pair of Banana Republic jeans I bought when I was 123lbs, and my goal right now is to fit into them again one day. Of course, that means that most of my other clothes won't fit anymore, but it would be worth it just to be able to wear those jeans again!



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'll be saving money, being green, and getting in shape! I think it's great! Good luck and I hope you stick to it!

Anonymous said...

Good luck and how tall are you? Just trying to put things into perspective. Thanks!!

her every cent counts said...

I'm about 5'4"

SavingDiva said...

I have to admit that my motivator for biking to work is not paying for parking ($60/month). Plus, I get an awesome parking spot (right outside the building). I'm trying to force myself to bike to the grocery store and stuff, but I can't...

Jerry said...

Whatever the reason, getting and staying fit is a worthwhile goal. Your insurance may even go down depending on your coverage. I hope the quest leads to good changes all around.

Good luck!

Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com

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