Unexpected benefit

Before I started biking everywhere, I used to jump in the car to drive to the gym which is less than one mile from my home. (Feel free to guffaw out loud) My thinking at the time was that during the winter I would need a place to work out when it was too cold, icy, etc. Not having much experience with winter road conditions, what I failed to realize was that when it is icy, driving to the gym is not a good idea. Also I found that when it rains really hard here, flooding occurs that has shut the gym down no less than three times in one year for about a day or so.

When I decided to spend the summer using the bike to get around I decided: NO MORE biking to the gym. While I do have a quick jaunt on the trail and a local road, cars inevitably reduce their speed a bit, are less aggressive, and nothing scary has happened. However, what I have found is that if I spend time during the day getting around by bike, I don't need to go to the gym and some days I am simply too tired. I come home from biking, do some situps and call it a day.

Today I did bike to the gym, walked on the treadmill for an hour, and noticed that I had to increase my speed from normal by over 15% in order to get my heart rate up. I walk on a steady incline that starts at 3 % and every 5 minutes I raise the incline by 1% so that I am usually between an 8-10% incline after an hour of walking. I am good and tired when I finish. But today, even with the steady incline, I had to walk over 15 % faster to get my heart rate up. The first few times this happened (about a month ago) I thought the treadmill was off or possibly broken and so I just cranked it up and kept going. Today I realized it is because I have been biking everywhere and I am fitter so it takes more effort to get my heart rate up. Nice discovery.

As I biked home, I added up how much I have spent on a gym membership this year and it came to $600. I don't think I am going to renew my membership when it comes due this winter. It is a great gym with great people but I am fitter from riding for transportation and recreation than I ever got from all these years of walking on treadmills in one place. And now I am going to be $600 richer! As Austin Powers would say..."Yeaaah baby"! :-D