Can a person eat a 10,000-pound elephant? Not that you’d want to, but let’s say it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe it’s even number one on your bucket list--but it sounds impossible. Well, I have good news for you. The answer is yes, you CAN eat a 10,000-pound elephant. How? One bite at atime. Whoa, crazy smart, right? One bite at a time on a consistent basis and in fifteen years you’ll be left with nothing but a pachyderm skeleton. Hooray, you exclaim, it doesn’t get any better than that. But wait, it does. Not only can you scratch it off your bucket list but you get a really cool yard ornament toboot. Don’t get all PETA on me, it’s just an analogy. I don’t even kill bugs, except in self-defense. I would never recommend that anyone eat an elephant…unless you and Dumbo were the last two creatures on earth and you were really hungry.
What does this have to do with Scotty Bike E-bikes? Hang on, I’m getting to that. For a moment, just bask in that titillatingly brilliant analogy.
I’ve been an avid exercise enthusiast my entire life. For part of that time I’ve been a pretty serious cyclist, riding both road and mountain bikes. My very first thought when I heard about E-bikes was, they’re for wimps who are afraid to sweat and find gasping for breath on a rock-hard seat unpleasant. Balderdash! But when I put on my doctor hat that now covers thinning grey hair--I changed my opinion. That’s mostly true. In fact, I have been telling patients and friends one thing forever: you don’t need to start with a lot of exercise, just do it consistently and in time you WILL reap the benefits. And therein lies the rub. We humans want it all and we want it all right now and it better be easy. If you haven’t noticed, that never works for dieting, exercise, or learning any sort of skill. So, what do we do? We quit. Let’s face it, exercise for most people is not fun. Sometimes I think folks would rather poke their eyes out with sticks.
If I were to design an entry level exercise program for people that got them outdoors smelling the roses, built relationships, was not overly pricey, and above all, was FUN, E-bikes would fit the bill. Unlike barbells or a treadmill, you can use an E-bike to commute, run errands, or just for lazy fun, letting the bike do all the work.
Warning: no matter how you cut it, you cannot get in shape without a little work, but like I said, a little bit on a regular basis will go a long way. It takes roughly twelve weeks for a person to turn a new activity into a healthy habit--one that you will miss if you stop. The key behind the term habit is developing a behavior that you are internally motivated to continue. Once you get to that point, it’s smooth sailing from then on. That should be your first goal. Your mantra should go something like this: I will ride my E-bike for x amount of time (e.g. thirty minutes) three times a week for twelve weeks. Hopefully by that time you will now be the proud owner of a new healthy habit…and a Scotty Bike E-bike.
I plan to post more specifics covering methods, tips, and a little exercise physiology for nerds like me. Meanwhile, to kill some time, if you like medical thriller novels, check out mine on Amazon.
Get pedal fit. There’s no time like the present.
Cheers,
Doug Kane M.D.
Doug is a retired pulmonary and critical care doc, lover of exercise, animals, music, and of course, family. He has multiple exercise physiology publications in addition to his medical thriller novels.
dougkaneauthor.com
GOD DUST: A Medical Thriller Kane M.D., Doug
Call to the Void to be released November 2023