Fitness or Fun?

If you've read my first post you will know that since I began biking everyday at the end of June I've lost over 40 pounds. Of course, I get a lot of good feedback and encouraging compliments about this. When people ask how I did it, I always mention the fact that I bicycle everyday. Certainly daily cycling has had a lot to do with my weight loss. But I always also mention 1) That my weight loss is not entirely due to cycling. While I am not on any kind of a standard diet, and in fact still eat pretty much the way I used to with one big exception: No crap. I have cut out all desserts and all soda. I used to devour a passel of M&M's (only a true addict knows how much a passel is; you don't want to know) with one or two classes of milk every single night before bed. I cut all of that out. Ironically, I did not take up cycling in order to lose weight, nor did I cut out the junk in order to lose weight. I did the latter because I all the sweets were making me sluggish, affecting my skin, and I just knew it was really bad for me and the time had come to do something about it. I took up bicycling because it was fun. I was actually as surprised as anyone when I began to lose weight consistently over the next couple of months. Now, once it began and I took note of how much better I felt, I certainly felt more committed to both on that account. But my main motivation for bicycling was and remains fun. Even getting up at 4:45 in the morning in order to have my fun doesn't put any damper on it. That is time of stolen back for myself and most of the time can share with Annie in a way that the rest of the day doesn't usually allow. So what say thee all? Is it fitness or fun that motivates you? Can they even be distinguished? Isn't that the real trick to losing weight or getting fit? Find something you want to do not in order to lose weight, but because its fun, and do it.

Now, on a tangentially related issue, I came across a fascinating article and invention on the Bicycling Life Web page .Check it out about a fellow who has invented a bicycle-mounted golf caddie and is lobbying for those who want to to be able to use their bicycle's on the cart paths of America's golf courses. As a part time golfer this would be something I'd love to try if I felt it would be welcome. Here's the picture that attracted me.
And his web site is .here

Now, for today's ride. A balmy 44 degrees when we went out and a really smooth and enjoyable ride without encountering any of my pet peeves as described in the post of that name until we were stopped from crossing the tracks on our way home by a train. It was moving pretty quickly and we waited for it to pass rather than taking the alternative route, so I lost a few minutes and had to rush to get to work but today's 12.5 miles was pretty close to perfect.