I have a new bike! Yeah! Now I have to (re)learn how to ride it. In the past, I've been really hard on my bike pedals and end up breaking one or both off eventually. My new bike is a better and stronger model, I can tell, but how can I go easy on my pedals?

I feel like I am putting my full weight on them to get started and I don't think that's right. I read a website that said start with your foot on a pedal near the top at a 45 degree angle and then push off. I end up in a little bit of a holding position at the bottom of the stroke and it feels like too much pressure. I'm a big gal, how much pressure can the pedal take?

Also, what part of your foot is supposed to rest on the pedal as you push on it? The ball of your foot? The arch?

I chickened out on both toe clips and clipless...I'm riding flat pedals. Not too far...no more than 3-5 miles at a time.