| I have a new sport in my life, although I am not too sure about how long two thirds of it will last... Moving to Canberra does wonders for one's petrol bill. The car now gets filled just every few weeks. Canberra is a maze of cycling lanes (although there are a few roads that could do with a cycle-lane upgrade). In any case, cyclists are much better catered for than Melbourne and I can cycle to uni without fear of being killed, unilke the scary ride along North Rd to Monash Clayton.. So Simon and I have both taken to cycling most days to uni, enjoying the beautiful ride down the hill although it is a steep climb back home! The cycle path takes us around Black Mountain and it is not unusual to see kangaroos on the way. It does wonders for one's mood and stress levels. If more people had such a lovely route to take to work each day then I am sure they would be much more productive and content in their working lives! Anyway... from discussion with Simon I have concluded that to stay fit for life, one needs to partake in physical activity that one enjoys rather than simply does to 'keep fit'. It should be a lifestyle not a chore! Cycling is fun AND keeping me healthy. As the summer drew closer I discovered that Canberra has quite a strong triathlon following. One of the clubs was offering a 6 week 'novice program' leading up to the short novice races over summer. I suggested it to Simon (thinking he'd laugh at my idea as some sort of crazy notion) but to my suprise he seemed keen. So we joined up. I can swim. But I can't run much. So for the next few weeks I enjoyed the swimming, LOVED the cycling and tolerated the running. I met some nice people, and sure enough got fitter. We both discovered we were actually reasonably good at cycling. So I'll complete my summer of triathlons, and see how that goes, but cycling will definately be something I'll do for a while yet. After all, it is actually fun. More to come. |
| A THEORY OF KEEPING FIT |