Every year as we sit eating leftover turkey and Christmas cookies, commercials featuring glistening washboard abs flit across our screens. They implore us to call now: “This could be the year that will change your life!” The advertisements offer special New Year’s resolution discounts to those who want “a bikini body by summer,” promising that in exchange for your credit card information and a few fun sessions in spandex, you’ll get the sculpted look you’ve always dreamed of.
While the special offers may be tempting, most gym dreams are never realized. According to ABC News, around 60 percent of gym memberships go unused. In Santa Barbara, there’s good reason to avoid the stuffy confines of a room filled with the steady hum of treadmills, rowing machines, and stationary bikes. The year-round fresh air and warm sunshine make a trip to the gym seem almost blasphemous. It’s time that could be spent running winding dirt trails, rowing in the actual ocean, or, my personal favorite, biking.
Cycling at a relaxed pace burns about 400 calories per hour. Kick it up a notch, and you’ve got a full-body workout that engages the heart, lungs, and brain. The fitness of these vital organs is quite a bit more conducive to long-term health than chiseled biceps or buns of steel. Biking is environmentally friendly, relatively low impact, and enjoyable. So, if you’ve set a goal to increase your exercise this year, ditch the membership and get pedaling.