In preparation for one day when my mountain bike will be roadworthy again, and to counteract the fact that my commute doesn’t really include any spontaneous exercise, I decided to start adding some intentional exercise to my daily routine.
Some days I go for a long walk and other days like today I take a bike ride on my trusty pink city bicycle, basket and all.
Being an early riser, for as long as I can remember, I love going out in the early mornings for exercise. Do not be fooled dear reader, it’s not easy to get out of bed, even in summer, but more often than not I find myself awake and never dosing off again for hours before my alarm rings. On days where I do go out, there’s a lot of debate going on before it goes over into action.
One of the debates, and also the topic today was: well if I go for a ride/walk, where do I go? I am torn between going to the forest (always beautiful) or exploring the streets (interesting but slower and therefore less successful from a cardiovascular point of view.)
Today I thought I’d split the difference and take a ride through some of Amsterdam’s gorgeous parks. This was kind of successful with one small detail: after riding halfway through the middle of Amstel Park, I noticed that despite seeing a few joggers I didn’t encounter a single fellow cyclist.
This is about the moment where I realised that cycling in that park isn’t allowed, and I was glad to see I was getting near an exit. Luckily I didn’t encounter any law enforcement officers, but I might have to rethink my strategy next time.
Be kind. Stay safe
mcharlottesmith 