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On Saturday I was watching a show about the 2007 Ford Iron Man World Championships in Florida. The show highlighted the top contenders and defending champions of course but the part of the show that really drew me in was the stories of the category racers.

The stories that these people shared were really compelling. One lady had lost over 80 lbs. during her training for the event. Her goal was to simply finish. She barely made it. The really amazing thing about her was that she was smiling the entire time. Even though she was the last finisher, she did it. She reached her goal. She had accomplished her dream.

Its great to see top athletes compete in top form and see the record breaking attempts. But for me, it is far more exciting to watch everyday people reach their goals. It inspires me to reach my goals, to try harder, to never give up.

You can learn a lot from people that accomplish what they set out to do. Here is my little list of what I think everyone can take away from people and events like the Iron Man Triathlon:

1. Lots of people have done great things with far more adversity and bigger setbacks.
2. Never Ever Ever give up.
3. Choose your goals for YOU. Whether it is to win the Iron Man World Championship or to loose 30 lbs. it can be just as life changing and important to You.
4. Make a plan to reach your goal and execute the plan.
5. If you have a setback, don’t quite, adjust your plan and move forward.

If you have a story of setbacks and accomplishment please share it in the comments. I would love to hear it. It could inspire others to keep working to reach their goals too.

I got gas today and it cost me $3.19 per gallon for the lowest grade gas at the pump.  It cost me $30.04 to fill up.  I know its higher in some places but this is still causing myself and people around me financial strain. 

So everyone knows you can save money by cycling but most people don’t think it’s enough to really make a difference.  That’s so not true.  Here’s how it works out:

1 gallon of gas = $3.19

My Honda Civic gets about 24 miles per gallon in town which is were you save money by doing the short in town trips on your bicycle.

I drive 4 miles one way to my office each day so that is 40 miles per week just to work and back. 

So lets do the math on this: 

40 miles per week / 24 miles per gallon = roughly 1.67 gallons of gas per week, which equals $5.33 per week or $277.16 per year spent on gas just driving to and from the office. 

I know $277.16 per year doesn’t sound like much but that’s only one daily trip and only based on gas savings at the current price.  There are many other short trips around town I can ride my bike on instead of driving.

What if the gas prices hit $4.00 like its predicted to this summer?  How much do oil changes, tires, filters, car washes, depreciation due to mileage all cost?  You can reduce all of these automotive costs by simply riding your bicycle on some of your short weekly errands. 

The other benefit to cycling is exercise.  There are many many medical reports and studies that show the benefits of exercise on personal health.  So by riding your bike and cutting automotive costs, you can also improve your health and reduce insurance and healthcare costs as well.

You’ll have to do the math your self to find out how much you would save but you can’t put a cost on happiness and health.  I assure you that you will be a far better, happier, and healthier person by just simply riding your bike and that is priceless.

So how much could you save by riding your bike?

There is an epidemic that is growing every day in this country. That epidemic is obesity and generally poor health. With every passing day people are getting fatter and fatter with ever more degrading health and quality of life. There are more and more quick fix, fat burning, diet pills and scams popping up every day.

The underlying issues here are poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. With the growing use of technology and automation driving today’s work force, workers have to do less and less actual labor.

Most of those employees get up everyday, eat breakfast and hop into their gas guzzling SUV to drive only a few miles on city streets to work. Once they get to work, they man some machine or desk chair where they don’t have to move very far for the majority of the day, except to get lunch. Then at quite’n time they drive the SUV back home to eat dinner and watch American Idol.

This all adds up to taking in more calories than are used during the day. This, any way you cut it, will make you fat. When deciding what to do about getting into shape you have to ask your self a couple of questions.

1. What can I do everyday that will improve my health and quality of life?
2. Can I continue that action for the rest of my life?
   

One solution to this would be to simply ride a bicycle to work and for the other short commutes about town. I know, I know, you think you live too far or it’s too dangerous. Well it’s probably not as far as you think and by planning a good route you can usually find a route that is just a block or two off the main thoroughfares so you don’t have to deal with as much traffic.

I live roughly 5 miles from my office. It takes me 10 to 15 minutes to drive to the office in the mornings depending on weather, traffic, and how I catch the stop lights. When I ride my bicycle to work it takes about 16 or 17 minutes. That’s only a 2 to 5 minute difference. I take all back streets and an alley. The busiest intersection I go through is a four way stop with no light. That route just isn’t practical in a car though. Too many turns and stops and starts with the stop signs. But, on a bicycle, it’s no problem at all. I ride along at a leisurely pace.

How do you carry your stuff?  Well depending on what I’m toting around, I either wear a backpack or a messenger bag. You can even go to the grocery store and stuff it all in you backpack after you check out as long as you’re only picking up a few things. I often carry my notebook PC back and forth with me. You just need to get a good bag that is comfortable and is big or small enough to meet your needs.  In the post, I Can’t Ride A Bike To Work, I Have To Carry Stuff, I list multiple options for carrying things by bike.

What if it rains? Just put on a poncho and go. I use those cheap, little, plastic, fold up types that you can pickup at gas stations and just about everywhere else for under five bucks. Just put on the back pack or messenger bag, and then put on the poncho over it. Your pants may get a bit wet but all you other goods stay dry. I always change cloths once I get to the office anyway so getting a little wet on the way is no big deal either.

I can’t go to work all smelly and sweaty! I’ve got that covered too. See, sweat itself does not smell bad. It’s our natural body odor added to sweat and heat that makes some people smell bad when they exert themselves. So with that said, take a shower before you ride (a lot of people shower in the morning already) and give your self enough time to make the trip without riding like its some kind of race.  I carry a change of cloths with me. That way if I should get dirty or have to hurry a bit I can change when I get to the office. Sometimes If I know I’m going to ride to work in advance I take some cloths in and leave them in a desk drawer so I don’t have to drag it in when I’m riding. I have a little mini travel kit with hair gel, travel size deodorant, and a wash cloth in a zip-loc bag too. When I get to the office I get the wash cloth damp but not wet and towel off the sweaty bits. Then I rinse my face in the sink, do my hair, redeoderize, change cloths, and I’m good as new.

Where do I park the bike? You really have a lot of options to take care of storing your bike. If you live in a real bike friendly town like Portland, OR or Seatle, WA you may have access to a bike locker. Your employer may even get tax credits for installing some. But if you live somewhere that is less bike friendly like me (fyi. I live in Central Missouri) you have to find somewhere else to put it. You can lock it up outside, just make sure you have a good lock and don’t forget to run it through both wheels. Or your boss may let you bring it inside (I even lean mine against my desk sometimes). If you work at a factory they may already have bike racks. I don’t know of any place that would tell you that you couldn’t ride your bicycle to work unless it somehow prevents you from doing your job and most employers will try to accommodate you in some way. Whether it’s letting you bring your bike inside or installing a bike locker its all good for them. If you ride your bike you will be healthier. If you are healthier you are happier. Happy healthy employees are more productive and have lower insurance premiums. See what I mean. So look around your office or place of work, come up with an idea or two of what to do with your bike and then run it by your boss or manager.

 So no more excuses get out there and ride.  If you already commute by bike please share your bike commuting tips in the comments.

This is an updated version of the article that was previously posted during the first few weeks of this blog.

I have gotten several responses to my participation in the Blog Action Day and my support for the Refill not Landfill campaign. 

One of those responses came from Elizabeth from the Filter For Good campaign.  This campaign is about filtering your own water using one of those filter pitchers or a faucet attachment.  This works hand in hand with the Refill not Landfill idea.  You put your own filtered water in your own bottle and its as simple as that.  Almost everyone can do this.  This can reduce a lot of waste. 

I know as athletes we use a lot of water.  We live by it.  Our health and performance is dependant on staying hydrated.  I know I consume a lot of bottled water or at least I used to.  I took the Filter for Good Pledge for a year.  I honestly think I can do it for way longer and I think you can too.   So go to FilterForGood.com and take the pledge and do your part to eliminate some waste in your environment.