Three Motivational Tips for Biking Uphill

Biking Uphill.

There it is. Up until now, you’ve been coasting along with the force of gravity, hardly noticing that you’re exercising at all. But as your bike races up to the bottom of a tough hill, you know that you’ll need to kick it into gear. You know that this is where you become a stronger biker and a stronger person, but it’s not always easy to whip yourself up and get motivated to hit that hill as opposed to biking somewhere else. As long as the exercise is reasonable, it’s not the hill that’s the problem – it’s you and your motivation. Here are three tips to help you go up that hill with your figurative guns blazing.

Remember the myth of Sisyphus. It’s not every day that you link mythological characters with your daily life, but this one might be inspirational. Sisyphus was a Greek mythological figure – according to the story, he was condemned to push a rock up a hill, only to see it roll down. He had to do this for eternity. Simply remembering this myth can provide inspiration when you’re at the bottom of the hill – unlike Sisyphus, you won’t have to keep doing this forever. Focus on beating the hill and the end-result of being proud of yourself.

Talk to yourself. Anyone who’s been out exercising alone has probably seen the benefits of talking to yourself. Yes, talking out loud! Whip yourself into a mini-frenzy by saying something simple, like “here we go” before you start. If you’re going to be motivated to get on the hill, you sometimes have to talk yourself into it. When you hear yourself say “I’m going to do it,” you should be more likely to actually attack the hill without wussing out and taking the easier way.

Remember that the journey is the destination. You’ll never get to a point where you can stop cycling and exercising and enjoy all of the benefits that exercise brings. The journey of exercise is supposed to bring you to physical fitness, but it’s not always about having six-pack abs. If you’re going to be exercising for the long-term future, you’re going to want to actually enjoy the process of exercise in and of itself. It’s when you can enjoy the journey that you can commit to it to a daily basis, making it that much more likely that you’ll reach your goals. Challenges like hills are part of that journey.

Photo Credits: Tanja de Bie

Originally posted 2009-12-08 03:48:42.

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