The Perfect speed

Rolling up and down — were just out of town, and riding into the hazy colours of an early fall season. With Lauryn ahead by a wheel or two, and about to go up a hill, I checked over my shoulder to see a cyclist closing in following along one of our favourite rural routes.

It wasn’t in a flash, but over the crest of the next hill, the man in the yellow jersey slowly rolled by commenting, “you folks are going the perfect speed. Not too slow, not too fast — enjoy your day”. As he dissapeared from sight into the golden glow ahead, his golden insights made a lasting impression on us and we carried them with us while biking the mix of gravel and paved roads ahead,

Excluding sleeping, ParticiPaction states that adults spend on average 9.6 hours in sedentary states, and that globally twenty-five percent of adults and eighty-one percent of children do not get enough physical activity. So, start… at any speed that it takes to overcome the inertia and gravitational pull of sedentary pursuits. However,  one you get the wheels rolling, legs turning, and internal engines of the body running, what is the right speed for you to maintain exercise efforts across the lifespan? 

Going too fast in fast in fitness presents post exercise recovery challenges, may contribute to burn-out, and generally, intense bouts of fitness are not beginner friendly. 

Going too slow has its detriments as well. For examples, if calorie burning or high performance sports are of interest to you, slower or more mindful pursuits may not satisfy the Fitbit or the expected burn factor of fitness. 

We know that, different moments in life, and movements within a workout require different speeds, but find the speed that is sustainable for you to attain the benefits of movement and strength in wellness pursuits. Like our experience on the bike, the right pace may be slower than the minority crowd who does it, yet faster than the majority of those who don’t .

Enjoyment and exercise are not opposites on the lifestyle continuum. Rather, when you find the right speed, it is possible to have a good ride, and a butter-tart too.

Take care,

Ian and Lauryn

By the end of our ride, the haze burned off, and some of the calories from the butter tarts we enjoyed in Belwood may have too. However, most beautifully, the fall colours came out for us to fully enjoy before we made it back into the city limits and rested back at home with our legs up a wall, and dinner plans for later.