I'd Rather Be Writing » exercise

Finally Biking to Work

Tom Johnson — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:54:30 +0000

A couple of years ago, I wanted to try biking to work and made an initial trial with a hybrid cruiser bike that ended up consuming way too much time (about 2 hrs each way). I gave up on the idea, and then winter came and no one bikes to work during winter in Utah.

A few months ago, however, I went to Florida to help out one of my parents. During that trip, I came home with my dad’s bike, a Specialized City Globe 7.1, which he could no longer ride due to balance issues. Once again, I decided I would try biking to work.

This time, the trip was much shorter, as I planned and meticulously mapped the route beforehand. I only live about 16 miles away from work, but it’s hilly and windy where I live, and finding just the right bike route is challenging. I took three different routes to work last week, racking up about 75 miles in bike travel.

The first day, I rode directly from my house to work, following the bike path on the most direct route. There happened to be a 20-25 mph headwind that day, and it took me 1 hr 40 min just to get to work. I underestimated the wind factor. Even a 10 mph headwind can cripple your bike speed (whereas a tailwind can make you fly). With the wind on my back, I flew home in 1 hr 10 min. Still, this was too time consuming, since I also needed to drop off one of my kids to school in the morning, and pick another one up from swimming in the afternoon.

The second day, I mounted my bike on a rack on the back of my car and parked at a nearby trailhead. (Despite the ample bike path on Redwood, the main street to my work, I disliked the smell of exhaust. I needed to find a better side path — hence the trail approach.) Parallel to Redwood is a beautiful trail called the Jordan Parkway Trail. It runs all the way up to Salt Lake City, with just a few breaks here and there.

Riding the trail was beautiful and scenic. No cars, no exhaust. Just a golden river reflecting the morning sun, cows chewing in nearby pastures, and birds fluttering in the trees. It was just about ideal — until the trail ran out. Apparently some new roads (the Mountain Corridor) cross-sected the trail, and there was no underpass or sideroute for the trail. It just ended abruptly. I had to wind around some labyrinthine residential roads until I made my way back up to Redwood and along to work.

The problem with the trail, even though paved, is that it follows the winding path of the Jordan River. It snakes around like spaghetti across the landscape, sometimes veering too far out of the way. You can only enter the trail at certain points too — so connecting to the trail and getting off the trail is only possible at about three points between my house and work.

Even with these challenges, at work I started to feel a tremendous sense of physical relief. I didn’t realize how numbing it is to sit in a sedentary position all day long. Add to this the sedentary position of driving, and that means for most of my weekday, I’m in a sitting position, just getting up occasionally to walk to a meeting or to get something from the refrigerator. Cycling to work allowed me to stretch my legs in the morning, so that going into the 8 hour sit, I didn’t feel so cramped. Then at the end of the day, stretching my legs again on the bicycle going home also provided tremendous relief.

I do get other forms of exercise, mainly basketball and an occasional run, but building in some exercise during the day greatly improved my physical well-being during the day. Still, I hadn’t quite found the ideal path, so I didn’t feel that I had the routine down perfectly yet.

The third day, I drove my car to a different starting point: the Jordan Narrows park. This park sits right next to a military base and is about 300 feet below Redwood. It’s also a connection point on the Jordan Parkway Trail. As I parked, I noticed that city workers had paved a new section of the trail, potentially connecting this trail with the missing breaks that forced me to ride along Redwood. I cruised down this new path with child-like glee for about half a mile before the trail also ended abruptly and a sign read, “Temporary end of trail.”

I cross over to a nearby bumpy dirt canal road and followed it through the rest of the way (about a mile) before connecting to some residential streets. I had to hop two canal fences (only one said “No Trespassing”), and I thought all the bumpy jostling on the bike might harm my laptop, which I stored inside a sleeve in one of my pannier bags on back, but either laptops are much tougher than I credit them, or the solid state drives are nearly indestructible.

Riding 30 miles on a bike made my butt sore, and, no surprise, I soon ordered some Pearl Izumi bike shorts with the built-in pads shortly thereafter (tip: in bike stores these cost $80; online they cost $35). The shorts arrived today, and just like one of the reviewers said, it feels like I’m walking around with a diaper under my shorts, but hopefully that diaper will provide enough seat padding to make things more comfortable.

I still haven’t found the ideal path to work, nor have I figured out how to pack in the extra hour it takes to get there and back. But I’m 100 percent sold on the idea of biking to work — even if I have to park my car somewhere and ride the rest of the way. Life in IT is far too sedentary and motionless to lead to any physical well-being or satisfaction. More than any other career, bookending the 8 hr sit-on-your-butt time with some cycling that gets your legs and heart pumping is simply awesome.

I would also add that in just one week, I listened to all of Ender’s Game while biking. I only put one earbud in my ear — the one farthest from the cars. I can still hear motorists plenty well. Combining some good fiction with exercise makes for a perfect start and end to the day. I finished Ender’s Game and am now listening to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, which I absolutely love.

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Biking to Work – A Good Idea, But …

Tom Johnson — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:49:21 +0000

This weekend I attempted to bike to the new location that my work is moving to — Riverton, rather than downtown Salt Lake City. It’s a 15 mile commute from my house in Eagle Mountain, part of it along the Jordan River Parkway trail, which is a scenic, paved route wide enough for a couple of bikes.

The idea of biking to work appeals strongly to me on several levels. If I biked 30 miles a day, I’d be in great shape. Getting more exercise tops of the goal lists of most people. Also, given a sedentary job in IT, where I sit calmly and quietly in a computer chair eight hours a day staring at a screen, an active ride through the outdoors is a constant fantasy. I also don’t have a second car, so not buying one would fit right into my current budget.

Last weekend I decided to make a test ride. I actually don’t have a racing bike, just a cruiser, but it has seven gears. The Jordan River Parkway Trail extends from Saratoga Springs (near Eagle Mountain) to Riverton and on to Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, the trail has a two mile gap in part of it (the connection between Utah and Salt Lake County) and is under construction in another place (near Inlet Park at Pioneer Crossing).

I started at about 2 p.m., and after some adjustments to my derailer, some trial and error in the route, and conversations with people about the right way to go, I was off to my destination.

The ride along a milky green Jordan river is refreshingly scenic. It winds and snakes around through marshlands, over quarries, under windmills, past hot springs, through golf courses, and beside chirping birds, squirrels, and lizards.

After pedaling for about an hour and a half, I emerged near 12600 Redwood Road to the sounds of laughing, splashing kids at the South County pool. After a bit of wandering around the Riverton area, in which I forgot exactly where the new work location was, and so never formally found it, I zipped back along the trail home, past the marshlands, over little bridges, under the windmills, through the golf courses, and eventually climbed (with a lot of self-encouragement) the three-mile hill back up to Eagle Mountain.

I’d never ridden that far, at least not since a 100-mile scout ride as a teenager. I was surprised I could do it. My quads didn’t hurt, but my lungs did. And I was a bit sunburned on my hands (where I forgot to apply sunscreen), and exhausted from the heat.

I’m all for riding to work on a regular basis, but the idea has several problems. First, the bike trail needs some more work. To avoid traffic, I need to go a back route that adds another couple of miles to the commute. But the trail’s entry point from the back route has a closure where the city is building a new bridge. The other entry point requires me to cross some unwanted traffic, but it is doable.

Another problem is that about nine miles up the trail, the trail ends for a bit, and I have to reroute along a traffic-filled street (Redwood Road), which has sidewalks part of the way but is mostly under construction. Most of this construction won’t be finished until “Fall 2009,” which is a vague, noncommitttal date.

Assuming that crews do finish the construction and remove the gaps from the trail or finish the road so that I could ride along its sidewalks after the trail ends, I face several others problems: winter, time, and the carrying of equipment.

During winters here in Utah, it snows frequently. While roads may be cleared, trails aren’t. Riding along an icy trail would be dangerous. At some point I’d probably slide off the trail into the Jordan river, meeting an icy death. Additionally, riding in snow and cold wind does not look remotely fun.

Time is another factor. Even if I upgraded my cruiser for a slick racing bike, improving my speed from 10 mph to 15 mph, it would still require at least an hour commute each way. That’s a lot of time commuting. Compared to a car that could get me down and back in 20 minutes, would it really be wise to spend so much time on a bike, especially when, according to recent studies, you can get the equivalent exercise in six minute exercise bursts each week?

Also, I’m not quite sure how I carry a laptop and lunch back and forth. The laptop would jostle a lot, and a crash could quickly end the computer. Bringing a lunch would also be somewhat of a pain. I imagine the only way to feasibly carry these items would be through some bike panniers, which would add to the bike’s weight and increase the time of the commute.

And there’s also the issue of clothes. I wear business casual at work, so after riding hard for an hour, I’d need to perhaps shower and change clothes, which would add some more time. There aren’t any permanent lockers at the new work facility — just your own desk area.

Overall, biking to work could take two and a half hours each day, maybe three. And it would be seasonal only, weather permitting.

I know someone in my neighborhood who manages to bike to work, despite all of these obstacles. He drives to Bluffdale, about 30 minutes away. He then rides 26 miles to work. He’s in great shape and doesn’t sweat enough to shower (I think). He also rides the 26 miles back to his car and returns home. He only rides to work about three days a week.

Perhaps the practical bike-to-work solution would be a hybrid model of driving and biking, similar to my neighbor’s. And a fully stocked work locker with an array of work clothes, deodorant, shampoo, and other items. Given all of this, I think the alternative exercise option — working out at lunch in the company gym — is more realistic.

For those of you who bike to work, how do you do it?

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Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week? – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

Tom Johnson — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:31:13 +0000

Can You Get Fit in Six Minutes a Week? – Well Blog – NYTimes.com. This article will blow you away. Don’t have time to work out? If you go down to the gym for 2 minutes at lunch and bike or run as fast as you possibly can, the effect will be the same as working out for an hour or more. I’m totally going to start doing this.

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The Best Thing I Did This Week

Tom Johnson — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:09:24 +0000

This past week I started exercising at lunch—it was the best thing I did all week. Given how sedentary the job of technical writing is, you’d think this would be a no brainer. But in fact, it’s not. My company’s gym is rarely used. I see just two or three people (out of hundreds) in there during lunch.

While working out, I also listen to podcasts. Lately I’d gotten a bit out of the podcast-listening habit, since I was carpooling with someone who didn’t like to take lunch but instead work eight hours straight. After I switched to the bus for transportation (a new bus route opened up in my city), I’ve been able to embrace a more flexible schedule.

Now that I’ve been exercising at lunch, I’ve noticed that I have a lot more energy in the afternoons. I’m not a big exercise guru by any means. I mostly run a little, lift a little, and jump up and down on a small ledge (in an effort to someday dunk a basketball). But the break refreshes my mind, gives me a change of pace, and allows me to feel alive again (unlike the numbness that sets in from sitting in an office chair all day).

This lunchtime hour provides me the only practical time for working out, because when I get home in the evenings, it’s so much harder to go for a run with three kids, a wife, dinner, and exhaustion. In contrast, after working for about four hours, I’m ready for a break, and running on a treadmill doesn’t look so bad.

If you have an opportunity to work out at lunch, definitely do it. Working out also gives you a perfect opportunity to listen to podcasts. In fact, I can’t imagine working out without a podcast. It would be like driving a car without a radio—doable, but not very fun.

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Tips for Avoiding a Sedentary Lifestyle in the Workplace

Tom Johnson — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:43:41 +0000

Working in IT often means sitting motionless in front of a computer for most of the day. Except for typing, the rest of your body remains stagnant, sedentary, in a state of atrophy.

Blogger J. Angelo Racoma explains what happens as he turned into a full-time freelancer and blogger and settled into a sedentary lifestyle:

When I quit the corporate grind to be a freelancer and a problogger, I usually stayed at home when I didn’t have meetings and events to attend—which are actually quite infrequent and irregular. I found myself going out only once in a while to do my banking transactions—those I couldn’t do online—and to take the wife and kids out during weekends. And then there are the cupboard raids for sugary and salty snacks, and of course the unlimited supply of coffee.

In short, turning problogger has caused me to live a sedentary lifestyle, compared to the relatively mobile and healthy daily routine I had before. I watched my waistline grow a couple of inches from its usual. I also sometimes feel sluggish because my muscles have atrophied from non-use! (Okay, exaggerating here.) The only muscles I get to exercise these days are my typing fingers and my coffee mug-lifting arm. (Source)

Whether at home or in your company office, a life of physical inactivity leads to a number of problems. A surprising recent study found that a sedentary lifestyle carries with it more dangers than cigarettes:

Following a sedentary lifestyle is more dangerous for your health than smoking, says a new study reported in the South China Morning Post, and carried out by the University of Hong Kong and the Department of Health. In the study, researchers looked at the level of physical activity in people who died and were able to correlate their level of physical activity with their risk of dying. The results are fascinating: 20% of all deaths of people 35 and older were attributed to a lack of physical activity. That’s more deaths than can be attributed to smoking. (Source)

In addition to being a bit boring and increasing your love handles, a sedentary lifestyle “is believed to be a factor in obesity, and, in doing so, may contribute to other diseases, such as type II diabetes, heart disease, and hemorrhoids” (Source).

I know someone with Guillain-Barre, a paralyzing disease of the muscles and nerves, who is productive and energetic online — sending multiple, long e-mails each day, responding quickly and following up to each message I send him.

But in real life, he can only move about one foot a second using a walker. Except for the mobility of his fingers, his other body parts seems unnecessary for the online world. He’s proof that interaction in the online world requires very little physical exertion whatsoever (except sitting on your butt for long periods of time). The problem is that the less we use our bodies, the less healthy they become.

Solutions to the Sedentary Life

Visions of modern offices sometimes build exercise into the workspace. In an exhibit in New York’s Musuem of Modern Art, I saw desks tall enough that you stand and type — there was no chair. Another had a slow-moving treadmill that you walk on while you work. While these architectural solutions seem novel, they are not easy to implement.

To combat the sedentary life, try the following tips:

1.Go running or walking at lunch. After many hours of sitting and typing, you’re usually ready to get out. Go for a jog at lunch. After 20 minutes on a treadmill, you’ll feel refreshed and much more productive when you return. If you don’t feel like running, go for a walk or a bike ride.

2. Eat less and drink more water. This is much easier to say than do. But if you’re sitting motionless all day, you need fewer calories. One of the wonders of the biological world is why our bodies don’t naturally have a loss of appetite when our physical exertion is practically non-existent (for more, see this link). The high grease, sugar, and other chemicals in processed foods creates an addictiveness that causes us to eat more than normal. Food is also more abundant, convenient, and social than in times past.

3. Interact with people in person. Technical writers sometimes have to often be investigative reporters to find out information. You have to meet with people, demonstrate usability problems and solutions, interview engineers on how software functions, and coordinate timelines and documents with other teams. You can do this via e-mail and phone, sure, but you can also communicate effectively — and get some exercise in doing it — by getting out of your cube and meeting with people in person.

Racoma, the blogger I quoted earlier, offers similar “outgoing” advice for overcoming the sedentary lifestyle:

My advice to you: unmount your donkey, leave your abode and have meaningful intercourse with a fellow human… Or at least go somewhere and get to immerse yourself in the goings-on of real people. Eat out. Take a stroll at the mall, park, or anywhere interesting. Go somewhere and watch people live their lives (Go ogle for all I care)! / This is why I go out and work at WiFi-enabled cafes (everyday while waiting for Pia’s preschool class to finish). (Source)

In addition to exercise, getting out of your cube can also lead to inspiration. Racoma says that rather than copying and pasting snippets from your RSS feeds all day, getting outside and engaging in life inspires you with more ideas and insights to blog about. He says:

I’ve always believed we become more creative the more we get to immerse ourselves in reality. Art imitates life. The more we experience life, the more interesting ideas and perspectives we get out of it, even from the most mundane of things. / So if you’re thinking of going into the problogging business, don’t think you can just sit around all day sifting through your RSS feeds and doing the click-copy-paste routine. Again, go out and live life! (Source)

4. Hide your chairs. Confession: I haven’t done this much, but if you hold meetings without chairs, or take the chair away from your own office, it’s a lot harder to kick back and sit around in sedentary mode for a long time. You tend to get to the point more quickly. Kneeling while you type helps you avoid insignificant tasks and encourages you to focus.

5. Join a company sport team. I played on my company’s basketball team for four seasons and loved it. It gave me an excuse to get out of the house in the evenings and engage in a fun sport while at the same time increasing rapport with my colleagues (even though they worked in other departments). Organized sports helps you establish a routine and gives you something to work toward.

6. Adopt a figdety habit to deal with stress. It’s common to turn to food when you experience IT stress. But if you can’t figure out a solution to a problem, try adopting some other more physically productive response that makes you more active, such as bouncing your knee or wiggling around. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but an NPR article explains a study whose “findings suggest that making small changes to daily activities — by tapping your toes, wiggling or otherwise expending more restless energy — could be critical to weight loss” (source).

Suggestions?

What do you do to avoid a sedentary lifestyle? I’d love to hear your tips and ideas.