25 Mar Smile, you’re on a bike trail

There are two places where I’ve almost never seen anyone act anything but friendly: Church and a bike trail.
The first one is no surprise, as a church naturally puts people in a loving, peaceful mood.
But, a bike trail? You know what, people are in a naturally loving and peaceful mood there, too. Riding a bike out in the open, fresh air is enough to cleanse your spirit, too.
With the weather getting nice outside, if it’s been a while since you’ve been on a bike give it a try.
Riding on a bike trail, whether it’s a flat rails to trails type or mountain bike course, is a great experience whether you go solo, with a friend or on a family outing.
For an investment of anywhere from a few hundred dollars or more, a great experience is just a bike pedal away. Make sure to purchase a bike helmet as well – it’s better safe than sorry.
Your bike will pay itself off in a matter of months compared to the price of doing lots of other things.
Riding a bike is something people of just about any age can do. Bike riding is a lot easier on the joints than running, too.
You can start out easy and build up your confidence and endurance on the bike in no time.
Depending on how into it your are, you may want to add a small pack to store items on the back of your bike and invest in a pair of padded bike shorts as well.
In Ohio where I live there are countless beautiful bike trails to pick from, many of which are converted rails to trails courses that are flat and easy to ride. They offer great scenery at the same time.
My dad is almost 70 years old, and knows he’s not exactly the first guy I’d call to play on my men’s slowpitch softball team.
But because he’s always worked out and kept in good shape, riding a bike together is a sport we can both get a great workout in together. We routinely go on 15-20 mile rides.
It’s a great activity to do together and most people we encounter on the trail offer a warm hello or tip of the cap.
And when we take a bike ride together, it leaves me in a good move for days to come. The bike trail is an experience everyone should try.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com