Today is Day 1 of the Great Cycle Challenge, a ride to fight kids’ cancer. Because kids should be living life, not fighting for it.
So far, I have raised just under half of my goal of $500 dollars, which is just $1 a mile if I reach my goal of 500 miles.
I should say when I reach my goal
I’m going to post this and share it far and wide. Not just because this is a cause I believe in, but because I want you to hold me accountable. Yes, I want to give to a good cause. Whatever you donate, I will match half of it, personally. This isn’t a gimmick or a way to sell more books. It’s about doing the right thing.
It’s also about my own personal fitness journey.
From Good to Bad and Back Again
In my lifetime, I have gone through various stages of being in fair shape, good shape, and plain out of shape. I yo-yo in weight, struggling mostly with food control. I do well for a while, but once I fall off the wagon, I fall hard.
Now I find myself 47 years old, not in the best shape I have been in, and struggling more than ever with my weight. Part of getting old, I guess.
A Permanent Change
The struggle has been to find a diet I can live with, one that goes beyond just a fad and becomes a lifestyle. I have finally found it.
So what am I doing? Well, my wife started an elimination diet, one to determine exactly what foods she reacts to. It made me start paying attention to ingredients in a big way. Our food is filled with such junk, and it is no wonder people suffer from leaky gut syndrome and have so many allergies like gluten and corn.
So I am doing a detox program to get started, and then I will go through the process, just like she has already started, of testing foods to see what I can and can’t tolerate. It’s already made a huge difference to her.
Then I will switch to a Paleo style diet, probably modified somewhat by what foods I can and can’t tolerate.
Exercise
I am already an enthusiastic outdoors type person, and I want to do some cycling rides this summer, including The Longest Ride on the longest day of the year, coming up June 21st. I also want to do a couple of long rides/races in August and September.
To do that, I need to get my body ready. This month is just part of that, along with time spent in the gym and beyond. Hiking, biking, weight training, I will be doing it all, but at a measured pace so I don’t get hurt.
So I’m riding 500 miles as part of the Great Cycling Challenge. I want you to support me because I would like to shatter my goal of $500. But I also want you to keep me accountable. You can follow along with the hashtag #GCCUSA and follow me on Twitter @tlambertwrites and follow @unboundNW too.
I also want you to keep me accountable. Because I need this. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it. I need to be living too, not just hiding behind this screen creating words.
I’ll see you every day as I record my mileage and my progress. You can give any time in June, so it is not too late. See you out there in June.
Troy is a Freelance writer, editor, and author who lives, works, and plays in Boise, Idaho where he hikes, cycles, skis, and basically enjoys the outdoor lifestyle of the Northwest. Troy writes about business, sports, GIS, Education, and more. He is most passionate about writing suspense thrillers, and his work can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Troy-Lambert/e/B005LL1QEC/