I've Been Out Walking
Fast forward to a couple of days ago. With some snow and ice on the roads, I had not been on the roadbike for a few days and was feeling stir crazy. I decided to take a nice walk. It was 20°F out, so I donned my new unpadded bib tights (I am determined to get all the milage I can out of those!), some layers, and set off. This was the first time I'd attempted a real walk since maybe November, but it did not even cross my mind that it would be in any way challenging. I mean, I've always walked. Walking is what I do! Plus I've been cycling like crazy so I was in good shape.
Now I used to hear about this sort of thing from cyclists, but thought it was nonsense until it happened to me. Too much cycling can make you unlearn how to walk? You have got to be kidding me. But I kid you not. After a pathetic half hour of brisk walking my feet and legs were aching, and I could feel some weird muscles around my knees straining as I tried to take my usual long strides. Like these muscles had gotten all scrunched up now from making pedaling motions instead of walking motions. I turned back, and then for some reason decided to run the last few blocks home. Within seconds there were shooting pains in my ankles and I arrived at my door practically an invalid. Unbelievable.
From now on, I am going to make it a point to walk several times a week. The very idea that something I think of as a lifelong ability and a physical strength of mine could atrophy so quickly is astonishing. I will get my walking groove back this winter and will try not to lose it again. Cycling isn't everything.
I'm a big walker too, and I cycle a lot. Last Sunday was in the low 20's and very windy, so I decided to forgo a bitterly cold ride and go for a run. I NEVER RUN - the last time was a one-off three years ago. I proceeded to run about 3 miles at a slow pace (10min/mi). I was surprised to find that due to all the cycling, my lungs were fine - I felt like I could just keep going. But as I was running, I starting to think about the short motions my legs were making in comparison to the longer motions of cycling. I should have known better - the next day, I could barely walk, and it took three days to feel close to normal.
ReplyDeleteVelouria, it's great that you made this discovery (as I have) and it really highlights the necessity for cross-training so that we cyclists keep our bones strong and healthy. Bone density is very important to cyclists of both sexes. Here is an article ( http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/16/health/he-cycling16 )
ReplyDeletere bone loss in cyclists and although it is more problematic for probably professional cyclists, still we all need to continue with weight-bearing exercise. Thanks as always for a thoughtful read. Jim Duncan
Yeah, I've often noticed the distinct difference between the muscles that walking and cycling exercise :) I can ride 20 miles on my bike, no problem, but if I walk up two flights of stairs I'm panting :)
ReplyDeleteI do walk fairly often, but I don't walk more than maybe a quarter to a half mile at a time very often, though I really enjoy walking. I should do more walking, with my camera. Maybe I'll start doing that every other weekend or something - plan out some walking/photo time.
I too am an avid walker. I love being able to walk to places. If I'm living in a place where the only way to get from one place to another is by car, I feel claustrophobic. I purposefully park as far away from the store so I can walk a little bit more (much to my boyfriend's annoyance). Even though I'm not a runner I've started to get interested in minimalist shoes (Luna Sandals, Vivobarefoot boots, even Toms) and barefoot walking because it just feels nicer for my feet and joints. When my boyfriend and I go on our regular walks around the block he is constantly asking me to slow down, as it's just natural for me to walk fast and not realize it. I HATE crowds as I feel like I can't freely move about.
ReplyDeleteI applaud your effort to walk more. There are a lot of things you don't notice while on a bike that you do while walking. While I do really love my bike, walking is my original love. The time and energy needed to walk from place to place feels more honest than other modes of transportation (if that makes sense). Not to mention we as humans were built to walk (while we have yet to evolve with the bike -- maybe if we just give it some time).
If you were to start a walking blog, I for one would read it. :)
I really need to add some "cross-training" to my regimen, as I have started to suffer greatly from pain in my hips when I walk too far... it's a sad thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have that song in my head all day now.....
ReplyDeleteCross training is good for your joints. I would like to start running again now that I've strengthened my quads and the muscles around my knees that gave me such problems before.
Back to the stir crazy, have you done any further research into indoor trainers? I know you haven't needed to with all the good weather- at least so far.
Did you add the link to the Nico version of "these days" ? I don't think it was there at first. I put the Fountains of Wayne version (that I had on the work library) on repeat to keep me company all afternoon- and hummed it all the way home.
DeleteIt was linked to a more subtle part of the text before and I relinked it. Need to listen to the Fountains of Wayne version now.
DeleteI've never given up on walking. It's one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated good things that anyone can do for their, as the saying goes, "body, mind, and spirit."
ReplyDeleteWalking is dramatically different than cycling. Besides being weight-bearing, which is crucially important, the range of motion is much greater and the movement is multiplanar, so it taxes the core, the hip joints, the legs and much more in a far greater manner than cycling. Cycling, for all its greatness and despite how much we love it, really isn't a very dynamic form of exercise or locomotion. Simply put, IMHO, anybody who only cycles is neither fit, nor an athlete, and isn't even all that healthy. Over time that becomes more and more apparent, which makes something as simple as walking an absolute must for anybody who wants to remain mobile and active through their whole life.
I have somehow managed to build up core muscles from cycling (maybe from propping myself up over the drop bars?) better than I had been able to do from any other form of exercise before, but I feel that this is finite. Walking feels so enjoyable because it "stretches me out," almost counteracting the scrunched up effect of cycling. It seems that when done together the two activities complement each other nicely. Wish I also had time for yoga.
DeleteHah, I've been thinking of asking if you did yoga.
DeleteI just started doing it more often (twice a week for an hour, for about the last month) and not only do I feel much stronger (especially in my lower back/abs) but my balance is improving in class, which is why I thought of you! I don't know if it carries over to the bicycle, really, but I think it probably will. Maybe I should try riding no-handed more often to find out? ;^)
That being said, as someone whose baseline of balance is awful, "improving" means that I only flail a little in balance poses, instead of always falling over. Gotta start somewhere!
I did kundalini yoga in my 20s when I lived in England. I had a very special teacher and I was really into it, but later in the US I found it impossible to capture the same feeling with different teachers. But now there's a Kundalini yoga center that's opened up locally and I keep meaning to try it. It is a big time commitment though.
DeleteHuh. I took a Kundalini class once and it was all just breathing hard. And the teacher was all like, "feel the natural high!" and I remember thinking, No, we're all just light-headed. There weren't any poses/asanas involved.
DeleteIs the Kundalini yoga you took different?
I go to a studio that specializes in Vinyasa, which means more moving around, which I like. They're a bit on the spiritual side, but I don't mind because I like them so much in every other way.
How bizarre! Must be something to do with different muscle groups used in cycling that aren't used or used as much as compared to when walking. Did you notice any change in your gait before the pain started?
ReplyDeleteFunny walking story:
Last week we got a dusting of snow and I walked to work (left the Pashley outside overnight after it had been rained on all day - the brakes and u-lock froze!). It's only a half mile if I take the sort route. My boss was horrified that I walked there! Could not believe that my husband would allow such a thing! Could not wrap her mind around the idea of a woman deliberately setting out on foot in "such terrible weather" without even asking for a ride first. And that I LIKED it! She said that "maybe if you were in your 20's I could see it, but for a 35 year old woman, your just not so young anymore! You need to take better care of yourself and let your husband take care of you too!" The husband and I had a good laugh at this story when I got home. I have to forgive her, she's a 60 some year old Korean lady who has lived VERY comfortably in this little TN town for the last 40 years. She's just al little old fashioned. :)
I was just thinking to myself today, as I got drenched in a downpour riding through streets completely covered in 3 inches of standing water, that I go out everyday during the winter in weather that most people nowadays consider actually impassable without a car. I'm not saying it's a thrill to get cold and soaked, but I think we've done ourselves a disservice by telling ourselves that we are weak and must rely on technology to do anything remotely difficult. In fact, humans are incredibly resilient and we are much more capable than we give ourselves credit for. I'm not some kind of heroic exception to the rest of humanity, I've just accepted that in order to get to work some days, I'm going to have to get wet.
DeleteOh that is just sad. :^( I'm 32, and 35 is hardly old. Not to mention that muscles are a "use it or lose it" kinda thing, and walking is some of the gentlest exercise out there (depending on speed and distance, of course). I walk and bike and do yoga partially so that, injury and illness notwithstanding, I'll be able to keep walking and biking and doing yoga for plenty more decades.
DeleteI used to have to walk from my workplace to a light rail station. It was a mile each way, and people were aghast when I turned down rides. I needed that walk--it was my decompression time! I actually missed that walk when I started biking it instead.
Walking *is* taking care of yourself! Hmph.
portlandize - So true! And the weird thing is that she sees no problem at all in my bicycling to work, no matter what the weather brings. This might have something to do with growing up in Korea and seeing lots of people getting around by bike. But they walked too, so I'm not sure why this was so disturbing for her.
DeleteApril - Like you said, "use it or lose it!". I intend to use this body to it's fullest extent for as long as it will let me. Which might have something to do with being 35 and people always assume I'm in my early 20's. :)
Doing too much of any sport has it's drawbacks. This shouldn't come as a surprise. What were you expecting, Velouria, that you could have it all with just cycling? Be thankful you've found out early enough to correct your posture and muscles. Keep up the walking. It's better than cycling for bone building, especially if you throw in some hill climbs.
ReplyDeletecross-train, cross-train, cross-train!
I've found it applies to running, too, but in an odd "my lungs say go by my calves say stop" sort of way. During the busy season I was cycling so much daily I stopped jogging, now that things are slow and I'm hardly working, I've started trying to jog a few days a week to keep my activity level up, but I get a very, very definite reminder of which muscles cycling doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting because I have always been terrible at jogging/running despite enjoying walking. My lung capacity seems infinite when walking or cycling, but gives out almost immediately when running. I could never figure it out.
Delete"it really highlights the necessity for cross-training so that we cyclists keep our bones strong and healthy ...we all need to continue with weight-bearing exercise."
ReplyDeleteI am fairly ignorant about this sort of thing, but are you saying that walking is a weight bearing exercise compared to cycling? How?..
Walking and running are more percussive and weight bearing on your leg bones- the amount of force to push your entire weight (or half of it) off the ground is much more than the force you exert against a pedal. My father, a longtime cyclist, was advised to add walking or running to his routines to help offset his bone loss from Osteoporosis- He joked that he was going to stamp around everywhere he went to increase the "percussion" which stimulates bone growth.
DeleteOne study (not a lot of data) indicated cycling can increase (slightly) the risk of Osteoporosis if you sweat a lot (excreting calcium in your sweat). For the average cyclist it's probably not an increased risk, but for elite riders, who are very low weight as well it can be a problem.
Quite simply, different muscles! Since taking up biking I abhor the thought of walking - it's too slow! But after a bike spill Tuesday on black ice I'm an involuntary walker and driver for a week or two.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I am in Manhattan I do a lot of walking and it always hurts my knees and shins, because it's a lot of walking in a little time after not doing much.
The others are right regarding the cross training effect of doing more than one sport and the impact from walking being good for your bones Velouria, and you do use different muscles in cycling vs walking. But you should find that since you were an avid walker your body will soon adapt back to it, that the muscles and tendons around your knees and ankles which need to be strong for walking will get strong again very quickly, it is usually the first changed workout that is the most painful. Walking and running also use different muscles and switching from one to the other is painful too. You would think that because you run you can walk easily, but there are muscles down the front of your calves that ache when you do this. Some running is a great idea as it is the highest impact and therefore the best for your bones, but you have to build up to it gradually.
ReplyDeleteWhat cycler said. Like bone, like muscle. Each has to be micro-torn or -broken, fed, recovered and the cycle repeated to get stronger.
ReplyDeleteAs for not being fit or an athlete if you just cycle, whatever Chris.
I certainly know bone density loss is an issue from a hard training program. Bird skeleton.
Yep, the observable scale is dif walking.
Nothing like home ownership diy plumbing issues for cross training.
Ha- I was just thinking that home ownership is my cross training- plumbing and electrical work are yoga, Gardening is often strength training!
DeleteWalking in the snow's even harder!
ReplyDeleteSince we had a rare 4" of snow here in Seattle, I hadn't been out on a good hike in months. But fighting the snow left me exhausted by the time I got home.
I'd walk more, but usually I only walk in the rain when it's too wet for cycling.
No doubt swimming, skiing, golf and bowling would leave my muscle groups equally alienated. But one does what one can.
I told you that walking on your hind paws is unnatural. But did you listen?
ReplyDeleteVelouria said:
ReplyDelete"I am fairly ignorant about this sort of thing, but are you saying that walking is a weight bearing exercise compared to cycling? How?.."
Yes, apparently according to articles I've read. (See the the LA Times link above, and also this NY Times article,
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/is-bicycling-bad-for-your-bones/ for example; there are others. Cycling and swimming apparently do not load the spine or provide impact to the skeleton the same way as walking or jogging (although I've seen claims that cycling uphill while standing would be weight bearing.)
Researchers apparently still don't know exactly why cyclists can lose bone density. Probably some cycling has weight bearing involved at times but in general it appears to not stress the skeleton in a way that promotes bone building. Jim Duncan
BTW big gear work can and will produce a stronger structure for those muscles used than a spin-all-the-time approach.
ReplyDeleteThat includes the core and, to an extent, the upper body.
I stopped driving in 2001, but didn't get a bicycle until 2006. In that five-year span, I mostly lived in the west-side suburbs of Portland.
ReplyDeletePublic transit out there suck ass, and so I walked. A lot.
And I loved it! I always had my headphones on, and I got used to walking pretty dang fast. To the point where, when a friend offered to go for a walk with me, he had to tell me to slow down! "I forgot: you walk to get places." Hahaha.
I got impatient sometimes, and if it was faster to take the bus I usually did that.
But I still walk places on occasion, with or without headphones. (Oh man, having an iPod instead of a discman? Heavenly!) Walking is an underrated form of transportation. You really notice things you might not notice even on a bicycle. And it's a great way to meet the neighborhood's cats.
That being said: Mad props for doing it in heels. I hate walking in heels. I suppose I'd be better at it if I did it all the time...but biking in them is MUCH easier.
I'm not a big walker but your pictures do make me want to move to New England. That house is so Halloween-esque !
ReplyDeleteV: "Wish I also had time for yoga." (The reply isn't working for me for some reason).
ReplyDeleteI use this great podcast that I found on iTunes. It's called 20 Minute Yoga Sessions from YogaDownload.com and features a wide range of skill levels and practices -- and it's free! They have longer sessions but they cost money. I'd definitely recommend it, as almost everyone can find a spare 20 minutes sometime during the week (or at least I'd hope).
I find dwarf throwing of limited exercise value but great fun.
ReplyDeleteOkay, this made me laugh out loud for real. To the point where it's hard to type.
DeleteWhere do you find dwarves that like being thrown? Can you rent them from REI? Or do I need to go a specialty store?
You can read about it here...
DeleteHoly crap. I knew it supposedly happened in the middle ages, and the Lord of the Rings jokes, but I didn't know it was a real thing people still did.
DeleteThat's sorta horrifying.
Cross training, running, are we seeing the first tenative steps towards a TT-bike and Iron Man training on this blog in a few years :)
ReplyDeleteThe problem with breathing when running is most likely exactly that. Tensing or hunching up and breating irregularly and/or shallowly. Try not to tense up and to breathe deeper. Two breaths in and two breaths out work somewhat for some people as well.
Walking and especially running puts a lot of stress on bones and joints which helps in strengthening them as long as you don't overdo it.
I do some cross training. Sometimes I sleep on the pillow and other times in the basket.
ReplyDeleteApril ... er the last I heard was that dwarf throwing had been banned in the US by some ungrateful PC crowd... I kid ye not!
ReplyDeleteStill, thankfully, common sense prevails in the UK and can be found in the odd city pub on a Saturday night.
Large muscles, strong legs and the arbitrary beer belly are the physical secret weapons of a true dwarf-throwing athlete.
Trust me, search on youtube for dwarf throwing (or midget tossing) and you wont be disappointed
But....how do the dwarves (aka little people) feel about it? Yikes!! Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some enjoy it, but I'm also sure some do it as a source of easy money. It seems kinda dehumanizing.
DeleteThey're quite happy apparently. Some of them do so well out of it that they get paid six figure sums... (in £s).
DeleteI walk a lot too. People refuse to walk anywhere with me.
ReplyDeleteI too have been both a walker and cyclist. In the 70's I had to force myself to walk more to keep the muscle groups from fighting each other. Now I walk for exercise (14 minute miles) and ride for fun (14mph average) funny how that works out.
ReplyDeleteAaron
Walking is good....In fact walking is excellent....Pure and simple.
ReplyDeleteLeaning over drop bars stretches the spine. Very effectively. Initially this is purely a good thing. For those of us who spend a lot of time over drop bars the spine gets elongated and loose. At the same time we all have very tight hamstrings. And cycling does nothing for abs - unless you are lucky enough to have a mountain nearby and like to climb it.
ReplyDeleteLoose back, tight hams, slack abs means back injuries. Most often precipitated by sprints or hill sprints. Hill sprints are really fun and kinda addictive until the back gives way. Spend enough time in the sport you'll know a lot of guys with bad backs and therapists.
Cyclists need more than just the bike. Walking's good. When I can I prefer rough ground, rough trails to keep lots of parts moving and avoid the repetitive stress of concrete. Snow is good too.
Im so glad I'm not alone! I went walking in Boston early dec with friend shopping. Just going back and forth on Newbury. I wore boots which are usually comfy but I found my body was so unhappy. My shoulders ached. From carrying my bag, and my legs and feet hurt. I was so happy to sit down to dinner.
ReplyDeleteAnd my fondness for walking has gone. I used to walk from 42nd st to the village in ny easy. Now the thought of walking a mile to the school is long and I'd rather bike.
I also vowed, I need to get back into walking. Although I admit I hate suburb walking. Boring. It's city blocks or rural rambles ( pref on the ocean) or nothing.
It's amazing how different suburb walking is from city walking!
DeleteI walk nearly every day, sometimes shorter, sometimes middle distances. I ride nearly every day, often long distances. Sometimes I ride the bike to the hills, lock it up near the ranger station (Will Rogers State Park, quite safe), and do a strenuous hike. Or ride up to the Observatory (nice climb!) and then hike up to Mt. hollywood. (That's NOT the one with the Hollywood sign, which is Mt. Lee.) I'll ride downtown to the Garment District, park my bike at my sewing contractor's, then walk all over picking up bolts of cloth, which I carry back tot he factory, or push in a borrowed cart. It's great!
ReplyDeleteLove 'em both, though I do seem to love cycling a bit more...but it's also more useful for those long LA distances.
It's always great to do both. Especially on the same trip.
Over the toppism has screwed up a lot of recreation. Getting back to your roots is cool. Whether in your bibs or your jeans..rock on. Have you ever tried a rolled up towel over the ball of your foot , while gently stretching the achilles? Try it prior and post. I love sports. But they indeed, are not evreything.Your love of biking is solid and can only be improved by cross training.
ReplyDelete"Cycling isn't everything."
ReplyDeleteIt's not???? Just kidding. Now you know why triathalon is so hard - it's a totally different set of muscles being used in a completely different way.
Grab a friend's dog while you're walking and take 'em along. Both your friend and the dog will love you forever.
maryk
philly, pa
I rode my bike to the LBS for service a few weeks ago and walked home, thinking it would be a breeze to take a 5k stroll, and had the same experience as you. I ride 60 miles per week in my commute and cycle another 40-100 recreational miles, and I could barely move on the day following that little walk.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to incorporate walking by getting off the bike and walking it for a mile or so, but my gait is unnatural while walking the bike and I am concerned that I may be doing more harm than good. Anyone have any advice regarding this?
You could try stretching after your ride, make sure you stretch all parts of your legs well and hold the stretching positions for about 30 secs.
DeleteWhen it snowed on Tuesday I walked to the T instead of riding my bike to work. It was the first time I walked briskly for 20 minutes in a long time... my hips were aching!!! Before biking, I used to do that every day. I was so surprised. I guess it really is good to "cross-train".
ReplyDeleteI should say, though, that cycling has strengthened my back in a way that walking never did. I used to have chronic back pain despite being a fervent walker. Once I started cycling again (road cycling, specifically, not transportation cycling), the pain went away and never returned. I recently started doing lower back curls and it was surprisingly easy, it was as though I had been doing them for a long time!
ReplyDeleteI love walking too, and miss the long hikes I used to take before I started cycling. Actually, one of the things that encouraged me to give cycling a try was the fact that one of my favorite trails is closed for a couple years for nearby highway maintenance. I do run still, sometimes, and lots of dance, so I haven't lost all my walking muscles, I don't think.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes take classes at the college near me. My classmates are always shocked that I walk to class and always offer me rides. It's a "grueling" half-mile hike, let me tell you - mostly along a well-lit MUP through a state park. I just love the way walking stretches out my muscles. As much as I love the way cycling gets me out and about, sometimes the pace is actually too fast - I miss the intimate connection with my surroundings that I get from walking.
Oh thank you for this! I just returned home from a 2,000 mile bike trip with legs of steel. Then I went for a 30 minute walk and my legs were aching. I couldn't figure out what was wrong but thanks to you, now I know.
ReplyDeleteHadn't heard These Days in forever. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteYep, I read about this years ago and always made a point of making sure to keep up walking even if I have been biking a lot. I have been a walker all my life as well as a bike lover. Until my mid 20's, I never rode in winter but still walked for hours in winter. I always try to keep up walking. I may even go for a hike after a long bike ride! Yesterday I went for a 4 hour-ish hike because it was snowing and not safe to bike into town. My husband wanted to hike in the snow, so we hiked up through the mountains and forest to town. Aside from sore feet and a thrown hip from slipping my legs were fine.
ReplyDeleteI always knew that this was real, but I thought it happened only to pros who trained on their bike like 10 hours a day and did nothing else. When normal cyclists talked about it I just thought they were being dramatic!
ReplyDeleteDo you consider yourself a connoisseur of the street as theater?
ReplyDeleteV -
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you wrote this post, as it really resonated with me. Like you, I was a huge walker. Spending most of my life in an urban environment, I never owned a car, and walking was my main mode of transportation. I would walk to shops, to meet friends, to restaurants, and most days from (and with time, to) work, a few miles away. There was nothing I loved more than being in a big city -- NYC, Boston, London, San Fran, Paris etc. -- and just walking for hours. (much to the dismay of friends and lovers who could never keep up). While I always biked, I never felt comfortable to use it for commuting due to the many thefts in my city. Last year I finally bought a cheap used commuter that I felt comfortable locking up on the street. I have hardly walked since. I only want to cycle; walking seems to take forever and my bike has become my legs in a manner of speaking. Errands are by bike. commute to work is by bike. If my spouse suggest we talk a walk in the park, I suggest that instead we take a leisurely ride. Anything to be on a bike.
(Though for distant travel, I still do take the subway, bus..) Last week, however, I met a friend after work, and did not bring my bike. We started walking to our neighborhood, and after about a mile, she suggested we keep on walking (another two miles), and I strangely enough suggested we take the subway. Something I would NEVER have done in the past. I just felt, well,.. tired. I used to be able to walk for miles, and for hours, and now I tire after 20 minutes?!
Your post reminded me that I need to walk again. Badly.
I NEVER walk anywhere from choice. I cycle for the vast majority of my everyday trips and use my car, train or tram for the rest.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't have any problems when I need to walk the odd mile in town to avoid parking costs, or even on my yearly hillwalking holiday in Scotland.
Perhaps that's because as a schoolteacher I spend most of my working life on my feet walking around.
I can relate to this post so much. In November I was running and I pulled a muscle in my hip/upper thigh but at the time I didn't think much of it and didn't ice it or stay off my leg and by the end of the day I couldn't put weight on it. I couldn't walk and that was alarming. I chalked it up to not stretching properly prior to running. However, the pulled muscle or tendon caused me to limp for over three weeks and I had to use a cane for support during that time. I couldn't bike to work daily as a result. In fact, it has taken two months to recover but even now, I still feel a slight bruising feeling in the area. I was actually worried that perhaps I'd sustained this injury because of my biking (going on my 3rd year). Besides cycling to work and running 6 months of the year, I do little else (i.e. no yoga or strength training). I have a heavy Pashley bike and was worried that it was taking a toll on my hip joints but the xrays and ultrasound only showed inflammation in the joint and not a fracture. I missed biking so much and am just easing back into it now. My doc suggested that I start strengthening my core because my hips are doing too much work. I thought my quads were stronger due to my biking - and it has kept me in shape and kept my weight in check (I gained 10 pounds due to the injury and not being able to do anything) - but now I'm starting to think I'm not in as good a shape I previously thought.
ReplyDeleteWalking is great exercise and very good for you. It strengthens your butt muscles, which are needed to be strong to keep your knees healthy.
ReplyDeleteBicycling works a very certain fixed bunch of muscles. If bicycling is all you do then a lot of other muscles don't get developed, so is important to also have a general workout routines that works the core and all the body muscles to keep in good shape.
ReplyDeleteThere is a app on Facebook called FitWorld that has nice workout routines. It's like a free virtual trainer. You could try that for keeping all your muscles toned up. It will improve your bicycling too.