If you want to get healthy or stay healthy, try cycling! I started cycling when I was a child. My mother and I would go bike riding to a relative’s home about once a month on Sunday mornings. We would have brunch and return home.
When I was a minister in Sacramento, California, a member of my congregation invited me to go cycling with him. Sacramento is blessed with a beautiful 32-mile winding trail, filled with plant and animal life, on the edge of the American River. As I rode on the trail, I fell in love. I loved the feeling
of wind blowing in my face, because I have no hair for the wind to blow through. Cycling isn’t always about speed; it’s about endurance.
So, I don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest, but if I keep putting one pedal in front of another, I will make it to my destination.
Since that invitation to go on the American River Trail, I have done three century rides (100 miles) and countless other rides. I love the summer months because I can go out early in the morning, do a 20–25-mile ride, and be at my desk before 9:00 a.m.
When I start my day like this, I feel energized and focused.
Plus, this routine has helped me drop 23 pounds since I have been in St. Louis! I feel better, and my family tells me I look better.
Of course, no love story is without pain. On that first fateful day, my guide took me 22 miles. That’s way too long for a first-time bike rider. My body hurt, especially my backside. However, even in the pain, I felt a passion for the thrill of going up and down the hills on the trail.
I loved the exhilarating feel of taking a sharp corner and viewing the beauty of God’s creation.
Cycling may not be for everyone; however, I encourage you to do some daily physical activity. It will make you healthier. In class at Oakwood College (now University), E. E. Cleveland used to say, “There is nothing wrong with eating flesh, but those who eat flesh are singing a song, “I ain’t got long to stay here.” I suggest that even if you don’t eat meat yet aren’t taking care of your body with some physical activity two to three times per week, you are singing the same song!
Get out, get active, and do something to strengthen your mind and soul and your body because every part of our being is interconnected—mind, body, and soul.
Cycling may not be for you, but you can walk, lift weights, play basketball, hike or go skiing. There is something for everyone, and your body will thank you, for if you don’t use it, you will lose it.
Written by Pastor Trevor Barnes Jr., of the Northside Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Louis, Missouri.
