Getting fit and trim with a recumbent trike


Steady-state cardio is important for your fitness, I know that, but I just hate treadmills, and stationary bikes. I tried using them for years but I found that even doing twenty minutes at a slow pace was boring. After about two minutes I'd start wishing that it was over, and yes, I tried listening to music, listening to audiobooks, watching TV - it just wasn't right for me. And then I got a recumbent trike.

If you've never been on one, it's understandable, I had never even seen one until I bought my first one almost seven years ago. And there's a reason that they're so popular with older people like me, they're easy, and fun.

Yes of course there are recumbents that are blazingly fast (you can Google them, in fact a good recumbent bike can be faster than an ordinary upright bike), but that's not what I wanted - I wanted to get out of the house and noodle around. And instead of wishing that it was over after a few minutes, I usually ride for at least an hour, and like a little kid who doesn't want to get out of the pool, am kinda sad when the ride is over, and I'm looking forward to my next ride, which I do early in the morning.

The motion of pedaling a recumbent is different from an ordinary bicycle - the movement is more like a leg press, so it's been good for my quads, and easy on my ankles. Yes, you have to have good knees to do this, not hugely powerful, but they need to bend. Luckily mine do.

It took me about a year to realize how invisible I was to traffic, and that's when I started investing in bright colored clothing. Yes, I have a flag, and lights, but it's the bright colors that I wear that really show up to people who would prefer to not have a "Brad-and-trike hood ornament". That being said, I always consider myself invisible, and never, ever, go out in traffic. I like the side streets, and when I have to go along a major street I stay on the sidewalk (yes, it's legal here, I checked).

After my accident, about twenty years ago, I started developing "middle-aged spread", and a few years later I finally got myself down to my goal weight, using the aforementioned treadmills and stationary bikes, and it was miserable. But nowadays I just pedal around my neighborhood, stopping for coffee at McDonalds and Jack in the Box, which is a pleasure, and fitness is just a side effect. Highly recommended!

Here's a video from yesterday morning:



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