Bicycle Built For Whom?

My Good Health Bicycle Story.

I'm not sure who created this magnificent entanglement of wheels but it's obvious that the artist is emphasizing the importance of continuous motion. As to why the colors selected are black and blue, is also a mystery. We can only imagine what lies behind the designers mind when at work.

Work. In order to stay healthy it takes a great deal of work (effort), and it starts with our minds and how we discipline it.

Like many people out there, I'm not crazy about exercise. My reasons are simple. I'm very impatient and expect immediate results. I use to walk everyday for three straight months and instead of losing weight I remained the same. I was told that it was muscle mass by the friend that I walked the downtown canal with but I was unsatisfied with that explanation.

Unsatisfied why? Because I don't like walking it seems boring. So if I'm going to do something that doesn't interest me in the least, and for three months, then I expect it to yield positive results. Like put a smile on my face.

You walk, talk blah blah blah. Nothing exciting about all that. I'm a hyper person and have always been that way so exercise for me should be up beat and fun. No, I'm not talking about dancing or Zumba. I love bike riding. For me, that is truly a body in motion for the wheels can take me anywhere that I chose. And, unlike walking where I dread having to make the journey back. Bike riding for me is a guaranteed non dreadful come back, and I look forward to riding for exercise and pleasure again, and again.

I have to share this funny story. My children brought me a bike, though not the one that I requested. And it was not because of money the bike they purchased cost more than the Bus that I wanted. You know what a Bus bike looks like, its AWESOME! What they purchased was a mans mountain bike. Now first off, why would I want a mans bike with that bar across the middle and what mountains was I going to be climbing in Indianapolis? Not trying to sound ungrateful, I said thank you guys but this is not the bike I asked for. They tried to convince me that it was better and gave me all kinds of reasons. The three of them said. Momma, a mountain bike will grip rough surfaces better and it has 20 gears which will assist you when going uphill. It's faster, blah, blah, blah. But not once did I hear in their description the reason I wanted the bike to assist me with.

I have bad knees and wanted to get the up and down motion for my knees when I pedaled. But with this bike my knees never got the proper exercise that they needed. And, I had the worse back ache because because I was in the bent over like a pretzel position and could never sit up straight or I would not be able to reach the handle bars or brakes if I needed to stop quick. I would have been riding free style. NO HANDS! I'm not that talented. I feel the pavement.

So, after about 2 weeks of torture I asked the oldest son to return the bike and get me what I wanted. And he said, I tell you what, I'll take the bike and get you another one. Well you know how that ended. I'm now looking for another bike because the one that I saw at Walmart is gone and he carelessly left the other bike unattended only to be stolen. But when I find it, all three of them is going straight to the store and we are walking out with my baby so that I can ride the path to good health. Yeah!

Okay. Here are some important facts about exercise.

Moderate exercise daily or three times a week is good for building what I've taken for granted muscle mass which is important to supporting the body. Exercise is very crucial when it comes to strengthening the body frame of the elderly. It's been proven with studies that after about 7 weeks of lite Anaerobic exercise, in which you lift weights a short time each day, strengthens your muscles. Stronger muscles not only store more sugar and fatty acids but can burn these fuels more efficiently, helping your muscles resist fatigue.

Jogging, swimming, walking and my favorite Aerobic exercise bicycling, increases blood flow to your muscles and could possibly decrease the likely hood of heart attack. But there is a need to be balanced because too much of anything is not good for the body. So, don't become obsessive with staying healthy as though being a prisoner of motion. Be wise.

And now time for a few cycling facts.

‘World’s Most Efficient Transportation’
When you are traveling less than five miles in an urban setting, a bicycle may be faster than a car, reports The Island, of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The international environmental group Friends of the Earth call the bicycle “the most efficient form of transportation on Earth.” They point out that a bicycle can cover as many as 1,500 pollution-free miles on the food energy equivalent of just one gallon of gasoline, notes the report. It adds that bicycle use also provides health benefits. (Quote taken from Awake 1998 Watching the World)

Yet another health benefit of cycling is the good feeling it gives the rider. Research reveals that the exercise involved triggers the release in the brain of chemical Endorphin's, which can enhance mood. Apart from a feel-good factor, cycling certainly offers a look-good factor. How so? “At a moderate speed the pedaling bicyclist will burn off roughly seven calories [30 joules] per minute, or 200 calories [800 joules] in half an hour,” reports The Guardian newspaper. The consequences? Maybe a trimmer waistline and an end to flabby thighs.

Important things to consider.

First and foremost, wearing a helmet is very important. A couple of years ago I witnessed a bicyclist riding down the busy street, and traveling in the proper direction. He moved from the curb side of travel heading straight for the dividing section that separated the traffic moving in opposite directions. When he reached the middle his wheels got trapped inside the groove in the road and instantly locked causing him to be thrown completely over his handle bars and he landed head first. Sad to say the young man died later at the hospital from his head injury. He wasn't wearing a helmet which could possibly have saved his life. I still feel the sadness though I'm sure he wasn't expecting anything like that to happen.

So stay safe. Be cautious and aware of your surroundings when riding. Another important factor is make sure that the bike you ride is a good fit for you. Like I said earlier about the well intended mountain bike my boys brought me, it did more harm than good. A nice hybrid bike which is a cross between a mountain bike and conventional bike will give you comfortable ride. It will give you a more upright position and the pedals are lower so that if like myself you want to exercise those aching knees. Stretch and Bend. Stretch and Bend.

This bike is a little bigger than your ordinary tricycle and I have seen one like it in my neighborhood ridden by a man with special needs and boy does he get around.

But when it comes to the health of our children, there is so much concern about our children today being obese, so I taken the liberty to include word for word some facts and reasons why.

The Source - WebMD listed under Children's Health

Up to one out of every five children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Children have fewer weight-related health and medical problems than adults. However, overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults, placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later in life. They are also more prone to develop stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.

What Causes Obesity in Children?

Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Only in rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem. A physical exam and some blood tests can rule out the possibility of a medical condition as the cause for obesity.

Although weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves, but this can be linked to shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits.

A child's total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child's weight. Today, many children spend a lot time being inactive. For example, the average child spends approximately four hours each day watching television. As computers and video games become increasingly popular, the number of hours of inactivity may increase.

End of Quote

So guess what! Children love bike riding but if that is not within your budget, then you can take walks with them. There is nothing more precious then spending quality time with our loved ones. We make an amazing difference in a child's life in two ways and they both revolve around Health. We all do what we can to stay healthy, and we continue to build healthy relationships. That's called bonding.

Thank you all once again I enjoyed writing and sharing this article with you. Stay Healthy. Think Healthy. Be Healthy. Or Get Healthy.

Much Love

From Jeana Marie

Baron Karl von Drais, a German inventor, is credited with the invention of the bicycle. His scooterlike contraption, appearing about 1817, was basic in design. The draisine, as it was called, consisted of two wheels, a seat, and a handlebar for steering—but no pedals. Self-propulsion appeared in 1839 when a Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, attached treadles connected by levers to cranks on the rear wheel. Then came a turning point in the popularity of two-wheeled transport. A French father and son, Pierre and Ernest Michaux, fitted pedals to cranks on the front wheel and made the velocipede (from the Latin velox, “swift,” and pedis, “foot”), a faster and more manageable machine. (Awake 2002)