okay, how about an informal poll on the 'other' effects of cycling?
yeah, my butt's a little firmer (not much though, i like ice cream too much!) and my hill-climbing has improved 300% since i started (in june) and running for the bus no longer causes me to cough up a lung...but that's just the obvious effects...
what i'm *really* asking about is the other stuff-- like the psychological effects, i s'pose. why am i so interested in this? well, before i was cycling i was a little over weight, somewhat out of shape, and --like most of us-- a little insecure. now i'm still overweight , but it's more muscle than it used to be, and i'm in way better shape. but my confidence has soared!! i put on my cheesy spandex and jersey with the sleeves too long (i'm really short) and I feel like superwoman. i went from yoga as my only excercise to biking 120 to 200 or so km a week (commuting plus weekend fun). i ride on city streets, in rush hour, for two hours when i bike to and from work. after that, i figure i can do just about anything!! i read something in the paper today that said cycling is empowering-- a statement that must be agreed with.
so... anyone else feel better about yourself since taking up biking? any other interesting results? dump a jerk? get a better job? tell your mother to lay off? re-paint your kitchen? buy sexy underwear? share! share the stories, i mean, not the sexy underwear