Zoe's new bike

It was time to move up. Everyone has outgrown their bikes. I found this one on craigslist cheap and it was in the town where I had a gig yesterday.

Which Bike?

I just noticed the seal leaking on the fork of Jason's old Cannondale. I really like riding this bike on the mellow flat hard-packed dirt trails with Sherri. The fork is not fixable.

Since I wrecked that fork, I have been using my full suspension Specialized below. Its a bit overkill for these mellower trails.

So now I am contemplating a change of some kind. I may replace the fork with a rigid steel fork and also turn the bike into a singlespeed. I figure it would be ridiculously light (about 19-20 lbs.) and really fun to ride. Probably a great workout too.

Or I could scrap the bike altogether and get a really cool steel singlespeed 29er like the Surly Karate Monkey below

Let's Get this Blog Goin Again

Its time we got back to sharing pictures and stories to keep in touch and stoke the flame of inspiration. Above is Sherri's new Shimano SPD shoes and her new Shimano SPD pedals.

Yesterday was Sherri's first time out on the new pedals and she did great. She loves them. Today we took the kids out for a 7 mile ride. They all handled it beautifully and can't wait to get out again.

Planning to ride Tuesday on dirt and Thursday on the road.

Do you find you lose your motivation to keep up your daily workout or exercise routine? Are you in a cycle of constantly starting and stopping an exercise routine or not feeling motivated to continue to exercise? Are you sick of this endless cycle? Well, I have been in your shoes. If you want to put an end to this frustrating cycle and produced the physical results you desire then keep reading. I found out how to find my motivation every day I wake up. Let me show you how.

First let’s talk about why people stop an exercise routine or workout

The problem for most people is that they start out with lots of motivation but after some time, the motivation to exercise and workout slips away from them.

Primary reasons people stop their exercise routines include frustration or discouragement over lack of results, unrealistic expectations, reaching your goals and then losing the motivation to push yourself, lack of proper instruction from a qualified trainer.

As discussed in previous blogs, lack of form could lead to injury, slow or no results and joint pain to name only a few side effects of improper form. By exposing yourself to any one of the above side effects of improper form, you will most definitely lose the motivation to exercise or workout. Doesn’t matter if you have been working out for years or new to working out, you MUST learn the right form to minimize injury and maximize results.

A majority of people start their exercise or workout routines with unrealistic expectations. It’s important to set realistic goals. Every goal plan should be fully customized and specific to each individual person’s goals. Everyone body has a different genetic makeup and setting more obtainable goals in the beginning will keep your motivation level in tack. Too often people set unrealistic goals and if results don’t meet up to their expectations, they will get discouraged and lose their motivation to continue.

Usually in the beginning of an exercise or workout routine, you may show very encouraging results. Some people may see significant results in the first few weeks, but as the weeks go on, your body adapts to your routine and results will not come as fast. By knowing this in advance, you will avoid discouraging and demotivating yourself. You need to constantly change your exercise or workout routines to produce maximum results. Work with a trainer to find the exercises and routines that produce the best results for your body type.

The point where you’ve reached your fitness goals and feel satisfied is a big dropping off point for a lot of people. At this point, your motivation to workout may drop since your motivation to continue to workout is no longer as strong as it was. You may stop working out all together or you could work with a trainer to create a routine to maintain all the hard work you put in to reach your goals.

If any of the above has happened to you then you’re not alone. It’s inevitable that all us will be challenged to maintain our motivation. Don’t let your motivation to exercise or workout deteriorate, find a trainer to help develop and maintain your motivation to produce serious results.

In order to maintain your motivation you will need to have the right mindset when approaching your routine, an increase in desire and dedication, find your inspiration, educate yourself on your diet & exercise routines, avoid excuses, understand the setbacks will happen, track and measure performance results,

It all comes down to having the discipline to stay on track and focused on your goals. Do you have what it takes to find your motivation? The number one thing is having the determination to make a lasting Lifestyle change. When you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way to reach your goals no matter what.

It will be challenging in the beginning to get accustomed to this new lifestyle.

The good news is that when the results come, your desire to live a healthy lifestyle will increase. This will ultimately increase your motivation to continue to push your workouts and exercise routines even further.

Finally when you reach your goals, you’ll inspire others to set goals for themselves. You’ll serve as their motivation and in turn you’ll be motivated by everyone that is inspired by your results. It’s a great cycle when you can help motivate and inspire another person to begin a healthy lifestyle as a result of you achieving your goals. This will continuously motivate you as you help others.

Mother's Day Treat

What did the mama wanna do when she woke up on Mothers' Day? Go riding!! She must have been really motivated too because it was the fastest 6 miles we've done together yet. About 33 minutes.

She tried to get me mid-air on a bunny hop but I guess I wasn't getting much air time and didn't give her much of a chance to snap the pic in time.

Beautiful day. Great ride.

The Week in Biking

Very productive week with 6 rides in total. My last post showed the 2 rides from last Sunday.  

Tuesday I took a ride in Bethel near home in Huntington State Park. Ran into some guy who knows the trails well and followed him for about an hour. Felt great on all the climbs. Thursday I took a 6AM road ride before work. Love those sunrise rides. Then Friday afternoon did the rail-trail with Sherri after work.

This morning I went with my buddy Mark to hit the trails at Waldo State Park right near home. The trails here are new and really well designed. It was a great workout and a great way to start the day. We were done by 8:30.

bike porn

great scenery along the way

Another Two-fer day

I did an hour ride at 6:45AM. Part on the road and the rest on the Gussy trail near home. I pushed it a bit and finished this route 6 minutes faster than I've ever done it. Felt good and my HR averaged about 150. I hit high 170s on a couple of hills but otherwise I was usually much lower.

Then at 10:00AM Sherri and I rode the rail-trail again for another 6.5 miles. Later in the afternoon I had a gig. Then at night we did a ballroom dancing class. Never did that before. Its more work than I thought. I am freakin exhausted.