Exercise and Eating Related?

Posted on August 14, 2008

Yesterday was confirmation that, for me, exercise and eating habits are related. I had planned on going for an hour-long, hard ride on my bike. I always check my tires to make sure they have enough air and that my bike is good to go.

While checking, I noticed the front tire was just a little low. No problem. There is a gas station on my route where I can fill up. It’s a couple miles from my house so it shouldn’t be hassle to get some air.

I ride to the gas station and start to fill up the tire but nothing happens. More air is coming out than going in. It’s not even making the “air noise.” That’s weird, I thought, I’ve never had a problem getting air in my tires. Being the stubborn person that I am, I keep trying to get it to work, and little by little, more air is coming out. Frustrated, I look back at the stand where the air hose is usually coiled, and staring at me is a sign reading “Out of Order.”

Crap. Now I don’t have enough air in the tire to ride the bike. Time to start walking.

I walk the couple miles (I tried to walk as fast as I could to get somewhat of a workout) back to my house frustrated that I didn’t see the sign first. Dumb on my part.

I guess I could have thrown the bike in my car, gone to get some air somewhere else, and continued on my ride. The problem was with the air delay, I wouldn’t be able to get done in time for other stuff I had to do.

Usually after a good ride, run, or swim, I’m feeling really good and I am really aware of what I eat. I don’t want to “ruin” my workout so I eat well. Yesterday was different. I ended up eating more than I normally would and eating things that I normally wouldn’t. To be honest, because of that, my stomach was kind of hurting throughout the day.

So what is the bottom line? For me, it’s making sure I get some good aerobic exercise in so I can be more aware of my eating. That may not work for everyone, but it does for me. I have had some people tell me that it works for them as well. When they get a good workout in, it is much easier to eat better.