BWL Column: Resolve to ride, make your goals come true

This week's BWL column speaks to your New Year's resolution to make biking and walking part of your daily life.
 
BikeWalkLee's Column in News-Press "Go Coastal" Section: 1/9/14

This is the time for resolutions, so why not make a resolution that will help you achieve your other goals for the year ahead? Resolve to include more biking and walking in your life.

How can that help?

Well, if you’ve resolved to lose a little weight this year (a popular post-holiday wish), biking and walking can be a valuable part of a weight-control plan, helping you move more while you eat less.

Calorie-wise, you’ll get out of your bike or walk efforts what you put into them – but you’ll definitely burn more calories doing either of these activities than you will sitting around hoping the pounds will simply melt away.

Say you’ve decided just to get more active this year. Again, biking and walking are great exercise, getting you out and about without a huge investment of time (but a decent investment of energy).

Both are activities that can be done to fit in your schedule and with a minimum of preparation or cost – all crucial components for exercise success over the long haul.

If you already have a bike or a good pair of walking shoes, you’re ready to go right now – no membership fees or fancy equipment needed (at least at the start). You can even easily make biking or walking part of your daily routine and share the experience with others – both also important to build and maintain the exercise habit.

Resolved to save some money in the months ahead? Not only are biking and walking affordable to start (or continue with), but they can help cut costs in other parts of your life. Rather than starting up the car every time you need to run an errand, see if you can plan your trips to use your bike or your feet instead – and see how much you’ll save in monthly gas costs and how many calories you can burn.

Now is a particularly good time to try a few car-free trips, while the weather is cool and the chances of rain are low, and the roads are already jammed with traffic you’ll be able to avoid if you’rr biking or on foot.


How about your resolution to spend more time with your family? Round them all up for a bike or walk outing – activities that cut across the age and fitness levels found in your typical family, but with the social aspect that helps to build relationships as well as muscles.

Finally, if you’ve resolved to find a little more “you” time this year, time to refresh and refocus, a quick bike ride or walk is a great way to clear your head, get you out of the routine and give you some time to think. Sometimes, the best ideas come to us when we’re doing something else – so make that “something” a bike ride or a walk. (Just don’t be too distracted to pay attention to the things going on around you.)


This year, make your resolutions matter. Get out for a ride, a run or a walk around the block, and see your goals become reality.




 

Upcoming events Running/walking:
• Saturday, Jan. 11: Mud Run, to benefit Golisano Children’s Hospital. 3-mile adult run, 0.5- and 1-mile kid’s runs. Red Neck Yacht Club, Punta Gorda (southfloridamudrun.com)
• Saturday, Jan. 18, Tour de Cape 5K, Cape Harbour Resort, Cape Coral (tourdecape.net/)
• Sunday, March 2: Hooters Half Marathon, Fort Myers (hootershalfmarathon.com)
 
Cycling & other events:
• Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 18-19, Tour de Cape, Cape Harbour Resort, Cape Coral. Sunday rides of 15, 30, 60 and 100 miles, plus a short kids/family fun ride on Saturday (http://tourdecape.net/)
• Saturday, Feb. 15: Ride for Hope, Bonita Springs. 10- 25- and 50-mile options (http://www.hopehcs.org/ride)
• Sunday, March 16: Royal Palm Classic, organized by the Caloosa Riders. Details at www.caloosariders.org
• Saturday, March 29: Walk, Wheel, & Wobble for Ataxia, Florida Gulf Coast University. 10-, 30- and 62-mile rides, 5K run (http://knowataxia.webs.com/)

— BikeWalkLee is a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County—streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at BikeWalkLee.org.