Six weeks of commuting by bike and I can definitely say that my life will never be the same. eBike commuting has been so beneficial to both my mental and physical health that I can’t imagine not continuing to commute by bike. I think the biggest challenge will be learning to overcome the weather issues. The second week of October it has been rainy and in the mid 30’s, not ideal biking conditions. But I have the resolve to continuing biking as much as weather will allow.
If you have been following the blog you might be tracking that my six weeks was up at the end of September. The first week of October I took time off of work for my wedding which was a major success. I bring up my wedding for two reasons. The first is that I am just completely overjoyed by the day and I just want to share it with whoever I can. The second, more pertinent, reason being that I believe my lack of continued weight loss was due to the stressful lifestyle leading up to the day. So while the first half of my commuting experiment resulted in weight loss the second half highlighted the psychological benefits of daily exercise.
Here are some photos of my wedding day:
Here are my up to date riding statistics. If you have any interest in following my rides or seeing my full commute feel free to check out my Strava.
To show the full progress of my journey I am including the first 3 weeks of data to this update:
- Week 0: 8/12
- RHR: 80bpm
- Weight: 259 lbs
- Week 1: 8/13-8/21
- Days Commuting: 4
- Fun Rides: 0
- Miles: 142.3
- Avg MPH: 19.5
- Avg HR: 138 bpm
- RHR: 76 bpm
- Weight: 254 lbs
- Week 2: 8/22-8/28
- Days Commuting: 4
- Fun Rides: 1
- Miles: 159.2
- Avg MPH: 19.6
- Avg HR: 139 bpm
- RHR: 76 bpm
- Weight: 250 lbs
- Week 3: 8/29-9/4
- Days Commuting: 4
- Fun Rides: 0
- Miles: 138.3
- Avg MPH: 20
- Avg HR: 144 bpm
- RHR: 76 bpm
- Weight: 248 lbs
- Week 4: 9/5-9/11
- Days Commuting: 4
- Fun Rides: 1
- Miles: 176.9
- Avg MPH: 19.5
- Avg HR: 140.7 bpm
- RHR: 78 bpm
- Weight: 246 lbs
- Week 5: 9/12-9/25
- Days Commuting: 5
- Fun Rides: 0
- Miles: 173.6
- Avg MPH: 20.5
- Avg HR: 136 bpm
- RHR: 74 bpm
- Weight: 245 lbs
- Week 6: 9/26-10/2
- Days Commuting: 3
- Fun Rides: 0
- Miles: 98.8
- Avg MPH: 19.8
- Avg HR: 139
- RHR: 76 bpm
- Weight: 246 lbs
The last three weeks of eBike commuting show that during a time in my life of great stress (wedding prep & planning) I wasn’t gaining weight. And while I wish I could say that I was eating a balanced diet, that was definitely not the case. Like many Americans I have a history of succumbing to “comfort foods.” I fully expected to be gaining weight and losing progress during the few weeks before my wedding but instead the opposite happened. Rather than gaining weight during a stressful period, bike commuting allowed me to maintain the weight loss.
Like I mentioned previously the last three weeks of bike commuting illuminated the mental benefits of daily exercise. I started to notice that when I came home from work I was happier and generally in a better mood. The ability to take the stress, problems, and general “weight” of a work day and shed that as I was riding home made a noticeable difference in my attitude. Coming back from my wedding and not being able to ride due the weather has been difficult. Even though commuting by car can be 10-30 minutes shorter it is much “harder” than eBike commuting.
Considering the success I have already had with eBike commuting I am planning on continuing with this commuting experiment. At the beginning I had committed to riding at least 3 days a week. The weather this last week has showed me that I might not be able to ride as many days per week during the winter, so I am committing to ride every day that the weather will allow. As I learn how to dress for cold riding the amount of days I ride will be able to increase. I am hopeful that through eBike commuting I can continue to improve my health, and with the stress of wedding planning being over continue to lose weight.
As I learn more, I will continue to share my experience. I will also continue to put out health updates for 1 month intervals. Thanks for reading and supporting my journey to better health through eBike commuting!
Kyle