First Month’s Recap

As the remains of Tropical Storm Nate give the Lehigh Valley a much-needed soaking today, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my Me-Mover progress to date. Just 39 days have elapsed since my exploratory first ride in Bicentennial Park, yet it feels like so much longer. In that time, here’s what I have achieved:

• 7 Me-Mover rides
• 33.32 total Me-Mover miles
• 4.57 average miles per ride
• Ranked 19 out of 28 riders in the Endomondo 2017 Camaraderie challenge
• 6 local trails explored (Bicentennial Park, Ironton Rail Trail, Nor-Bath Trail, Wayne A. Grube Memorial Park, D&L Trail, Slate Heritage Trail)
• Made 1 new local Me-Mover friend
• Launched this blog and website

While the stats are fun to tally, they don’t tell the whole story of how much fun this first month-plus has been for me. For starters, the Me-Mover has been easy to learn, and my comfort level has grown with every ride and new trail. It took only two rides to get everything adjusted the way I wanted and to feel fully at ease with balancing, mounting, dismounting, and maneuvering in tight spaces. I have been delighted with the performance of my Me-Mover on packed gravel trails, which was my main reason for wanting it. Hill climbing is still an area where my fitness and skills need to improve, but the many climbing opportunities on the local trails have already taught me a lot about using the high and low gear ranges within the transmissions. I’ve even learned to start from a dead stop while pointed uphill.

More importantly is how the Me-Mover makes me feel. I have just gotten past a challenging period in my life where I barely exercised for two years. In fact, I have logged more Me-Mover miles in the past month than with all other body-powered in the past two years combined. Despite my tendency to be a stat-junkie, there is one stat I have not measured recently and that is my weight. I know that sounds counter-intuitive for a fitness plan, but frequent weigh-ins and weigh loss goals tend to discourage me more than encourage me.

My philosophy is if I exercise I’ll feel better. If I feel better, I’ll exercise more. After repeating that enough times, my weight will eventually drop. The eventual weight loss is a fringe benefit, as my primary goal is to feel healthier, more energized, and more focused mentally. The sunshine and fresh air I get from being outdoors revitalizes me in a way nothing else can. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, the Me-Mover is helping me achieve these primary goals. I can also tell you my clothes are feeling a little looser, and I’m noticeably losing inches around my hips. I’ll weigh myself soon, but for now I’m focused on how good I feel and how much fun I’m having.

I can’t wait to see what my next month of Me-Moving brings!