As I wrote in the post 1/1/23: 5,008 Bicycled + 536 Walked = 5,544 Miles in 2022, I did some those miles on my bicycle and walking. But what about the rest of my activities? Today is 2/23/23, serendipitously. Let us review, but not vigorously. For I am weary, you see. What will A Dude’s next rhyme be? Well, now I’m out, fortuitously. To the next paragraph, shall we? Oops, he spoke (wrote) prematurely. One may make the letter e sound go with most English words. Obviously.

Habits Die Hard

Returning readers (thank you to those of you who do) know that I’ve been at a number of things for a while, for the most part daily with only a few hiccups. I missed a salad a coupla times and a walk or two in the early yrars. I’ve started yoga or a bike ride just before midnight; a purist would say that doesn’t count. So sue me. The Guinness Book of World Records ain’t comin’ round to check, and that’s fine. Like my brother says, “Perfect is the enema of good.” Scratch that, it’s enemy, not a natural roto-rooter for the poop shooter. (Sorry, it’s not really conscious when or why I’m rhymin’ like Paul Simon.)

Point is, I’ve put together a bunch of streaks, or at least extremely, very, Very, VERY regular, as-good-as daily habits. Or as Larry Davidnwould say in Curb Your Enthusiasm, “Prettay, prettay, prettay good. But sometimes I wonder if I have taken the advice from an author my brother recommended a bit too far. (See my 5/5/22 post James Clear Is Killing Me With His Atomic Habits.) Here’s a list of things I’ve been doing for 30 minutes or more every day (with very few, incredibly miniscule, statistically irrelevant exceptions) with the date I began them:

• Yoga: 9 years (12/25/2013)
• Walking: 5 years (1/1/2018)
• Not Eating Grain Flour: 5 years (1/1/2018)
• Writing Blog, Journal, or My Memoir: 5 years (3/1/18)
• Reading Books: 5 years (3/1/18)
• Bicycling: 3 years (10/11/2019)
• Foam Rolling (5 minutes): 2 years (3/1/21)
• Eating a Salad: 2 years (3/1/21)
• Playing Flute (15 minutes): 2 years as of 3/1/21)

Is that a lot of activity? Because that seems like that’s a lot of activity. Es mucha activad, me parece. I’m not looking for praise here. It’s just that I’ve been busy as a beaver in dam season–every season. And while on their face they seem like good habits, there’s a down or even Carl Jung’s shadow side to them. I’ve explored this before in the posts The Bad Side of Good Habits and also Herculean Habits: Regular Routines or the Struggle of Streaks. And still I ride (and pose, and walk, and so on).

Un-Energizer Bunny Dude

Someday soon I may miss one or more of these práctices due to injury, illness, work, or just life. Knowing me, I will just get back on the horse the next day (or as soon thereafter as possible) and keep going. That’s because I do still think these practices are overall good for me. And using a trainer with my new-to-me bike Sommar (Fuji Finest) does save time. Because there are no hills or traffic or stoplights to contend with, I’m at a comfortable temperature, and also because I can watch one of my programs simultaneously, even though it’s boring biking. As some have said, what’s wrong with regular and rest days? Nothing, except…

I think there’s some fear that if I miss one day, that will turn into two, then three, and so on. Then I would gain more weight and lose my progress. As a fathlete, fitness is more important than weight. But I’m not going to lie, being overweight, fat, obese, etc. carries health risks with it. I’ve been gaining recently, probably due to the cold winter (as I explored in my last post, 2/2/23: Ice Is Not Nice for Bicycling; It’s Winter in America Again).

Also, the aforementioned trainer rides are vigorous, but less so than on the road. So, I’m burning fewer calories. I’m also stressed out due to having to pack and move to a new but temporary abode (see This Is Not My Beautiful House: A Meditation on Home). Despite naps, I have not been great at sleeping enough (not all by choice), but it is important for recovery, for quite a while. All told, I’m doing pretty well just to keep up these daily practices. It’s just pretty tiring. Then again, so is life.

But hey, let’s have some perspective. Over 47,000 people died in the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Russia invaded Ukraine and that has killed over 138,000 people. And season 2 of the silly TV show Blockbuster with the funny Randall Park and Melissa Fumero on Netflix isn’t going to happen. You get the point. My struggles are first world problems. I don’t have the answers. I just do my thang. Until I can’t. That might be some pretty good advice right there. I should put that on a t-shirt and try to raise some money for the ever-rising sky-high Austin rent prices. Or more bike tubes and stuff.

I wish you well in your habits and on your wellness and overall life journey. Remember, regular exercise and resting are good. Streaks are stupid, or at least silly. Feel free to share your comments about your good and bad habits and any streaks you have had or are still doing. A Dude Abikes out. Time for some yoga.