Ever get to a place in your life where you want to say, “Okay, stop the ride... I want to get off of this one and try another one.” I think most of us have been there.
My husband and I are in the middle of changing rides. We’ve both decided we don’t need the big house, the big cars, the big yard, and the full-time, all-consuming jobs – we want to live with abandon.
There’s a new song by the Newsboys called “I Want to Live With Abandon.” It’s about a different type of living than what I’m speaking of; it’s about a person giving his life to God and living with what God intends for him to live with – you know, quit pushing against life.
It’s one of my favorite songs right now, but that’s not what I was particularly talking about when I started this story.
My husband and I have recently downsized our house and yard, and are now thinking about down-sizing the big SUVs to smaller SUVs. He’s in “retirement mode,” so we want to get off this ride and start a new one. A slower one. Some call it “opening to a new chapter in the book”; others say they’ve “gone fishing”; and still others call it “growing old and slowing down.” Nah – I don’t particularly care for the last one.
There are all kinds of ways to portray that thought – I want to call it “living with abandon.”
One of the other things I’ve started doing is riding my new bike. I’ve ridden it only once; however, I’ll be riding it more. And more. And more. It’s fun, and I’ve always heard that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget how. Well, it’s true. Other than a few shaky moments with the handlebars, I had no problems; I just hopped right on and took off – and went three times around our neighborhood!
Believe me, that was a good start. Other than riding a stationary bike at the gym (a mounted-to-the-floor-you-can’t-fall-off-bike), I haven’t been on a bike in years. Years!
Another good reason I took my bike-riding back up? It’s healthy. I’ve been reading more and more on the health benefits of riding a bike, and a lot of the reading says it’ll make you lean and mean with sculpted abs. (Well, I’ll have to wait to see about that part!)
I did find “7 Reasons to Start Riding a Bike” on womenshealthmag.com, which offered what sounded like good reasons to get into this low-impact sport (providing you don’t fall):
1. It torches calories: According to the magazine, a 135 pound woman pedaling 12-14 miles an hour burns 488 calories in 60 minutes. I rode only about 20 minutes, and it certainly wasn’t 12 miles an hour – but it was my first time. At least my legs aren’t all sore today.
2. You can do it on the go: Half of American workers live within five miles of their workplace, according to the most recent National Household Transportation Survey. That’s a 20-minute ride each way, burning up to 3,000 calories – close to one pound of fat – each month.
3. It tones you all over.
4. It boosts energy.
5. It saves your joints. (I knew it!)
6. Every muscle feels it.
7. It protects your ticker. Heart disease is the number-one killer of women, and two top risk factors are high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol.
I say enjoy it! It’s exercise no matter how fast and furiously or slow and leisurely you go. I prefer to relax and look at all the flowers and big landscaped yards I don’t have to fool with anymore. How relaxing! And the next time my granddaughter comes over, I can ride around the neighborhood with her. I prefer to live with abandon...