Turning into a fanatic.

It's true. I've had lots of questions and emails about my new 'bike-riding obsession', so I thought I'd fill you in on more details. If this is boring for some of you, send me an email about what you'd rather have me blog about. I'll see if I can get around to some of your more pressing questions or stories of my life.
As for the whole biking thing...it really has been an interesting thing for me. As I told you before, exercise and me have never really mixed. There were times in my life where I made an effort... but it never clicked or made me feel good. It was a chore. I even tried to find something that would work for me- the in-home Cindy Crawford workout video (especially the 15 minute power workout segment), the time hubby and I spent a bunch of money and got a membership to LifeTime fitness when we were first married (no kids) and the building was right behind our townhouse; I tried to make exercise work for me.
So, when I hopped on Chip's new bike last month to take it for a spin, I was surprised how much I enjoyed that 15 minutes of exercise. It didn't really feel like exercise- remember? I was more thrilled with the time alone with my own thoughts and ideas and noticing the details of the world around me.
The past month then, I tried to get out on the bike at least every other morning. I rode about 4-5 miles which took at first about 30 minutes, now I ride the same distance but it takes me about 20 minutes or so. This past week, I rode the bike everyday...and rode the same 4-5 miles. As I said, I'm getting a little faster though. Yesterday I took the bike out twice! That's probably why I didn't post on my blog. I 'sacrificed' blogtime for exercise! I told you I was turning into a fanatic!
Ultimately, I have no idea what I am trying to do with this new found thing called exercise. I didn't set out with a goal in mind, or even think it would turn into something like it has. For me it hasn't been about wanting to lose a certain amount of weight (which would be nice...but hasn't happened yet- although as I said, my pants are fitting me differently lately), or about training for a marathon or any other lofty goal. I just found that I enjoy the backdrop of life from the bike as I spend time with myself and it just so happens that I am getting the added benefit of exericse as well.
Today I had to get Brock up and ready for school. It's the first time I've gotten up from the alarm going off in a long time. I had just enough time to get him breakfast, dressed and make sure he had all his school supplies, before Chip drove him off to school. That means Chip left early and now, even though my girls are still asleep, I can't hop on the bike for the ride I would like to take. I am hoping to fit it in sometime during the day. I'll just have to see.
If it doesn't happen, it won't be the end of the world, but it will make me a bit sad or edgy even. I hope I find a way to stay fanatical about fitness. Funny...20-30 minutes of low-impact biking makes me 'fanatical' about fitness. See? I told you I wasn't really into exercise.
Even though it's not about the fitness part. That's just the bonus part of it all. And therein lies the big secret of fitness, I believe. I think it's about finding something that doesn't 'feel' like exercise or a chore- but something that you can really get into and enjoy. That way you'll be more prone to sticking with it, not making up excuses for yourself, and even looking for ways to squeeze it into your schedule. Sometimes even sacrificing something you love- because it simply doesn't seem like exercise. There you go. Everything you wanted to know about me and biking. At this point in my life at least.