When I was a kid my mom made all four of us kids eat some kind of hot cereal when it was cold. It was either oatmeal or malt-o-meal. I hated it. The only thing we had to spice it up with was some butter and that didn’t improve the taste at all. Once it got cold it was even worse. I remember vividly the gag reflex I would have by trying to force down cold oatmeal. Because of that I refused to eat oatmeal for over twenty years. That changed five days ago when 2009 started.

Why did I change my ways and give oatmeal a second chance? Because I had heard for years that it was good for you and it had quite a few health benefits. I need all the health benefits I can get. I decided to do some research and find out what those health benefits were. Here they are.

1. There are numerous studies that show that oatmeal may lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. The soluble fiber in oatmeal is supposed to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels while maintaining the HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

2. The insoluble fiber in oatmeal helps keep the bowels clean by making your stool heavier so it passes through easier. It’s also good for diabetics because the fiber slows down the digestion of starch.

3. Oatmeal is loaded with vitamins like E, iron, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, and thiamine. It also contains zinc which is important for healing of wounds, growth, reproduction, and it’s important for your metabolism.

4. Some studies suggest that a diet containing oatmeal may help reduce high blood pressure.

5. The soluble fiber in oatmeal absorbs water and significantly slows down the digestive process. This leaves you feeling fuller longer and can help control your weight.

With the new year upon me I told myself that I was going to try and eat better. I decided oatmeal for breakfast was going to be my first step. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid to try it. I was surprised though that it tasted pretty good. I will admit though that I cheated and opted for the Quaker Instant Oatmeal. It was the maple and brown sugar weight control kind. I know they say you should have the plain Quaker Oats because of the sugars in the pre-flavored kinds. I wasn’t going to try it for the first time in over 20 years plain though. If you read the box on the weight control oatmeal it’s actually not that bad. The nutrition facts are shown to the left (ignore the orange numbers; it was the best pic I could find).

There you have it. I took the plunge after a 20 year hiatus from this super healthy food and feel better after having done it. I’ve had several bowls since that first one and each has been just as good as the last.

Before my next article I’d like to hear from you about your experiences with eating oatmeal and what you do to enhance the flavor if your using the plain stuff. If you’re not eating oatmeal, why not?

I had high hopes for both myself and Biking To Live in 2008. Everything started out OK. I began to build up a good readership here on my blog and enjoyed communicating with them via comments, emails, and phone conversations. After a couple months of riding I even started to see improvement in my health. My clothes were fitting better and my blood pressure and cholesterol were much improved. By the end of the year though, things took a dramatic turn.

In the beginning of October I found out that the place I was employed needed to lay off all temporary employees, contractors, and consultants. This was a direct result of the financial market which was hitting the construction industry hard. Being a consultant I was kept around for a little while longer than most but they laid off almost 250 folks in the span of two weeks. The parent company I worked for employed about 17 folks in the Jacksonville area and by the time the layoffs were done we were down to six. I was fortunate to be one of those six. My company immediately set out to find me a new position and lined me up with an interview for a job in Dallas. While waiting for the interviews my dad suffered a major heart attack and passed away at the beginning of November. He knew I was waiting to interview in Dallas and was excited about having me close to home because he and my mother only lived two hours from Dallas. As it turns out I did get the job in Dallas and I’m at least close to my mom now. Being in Dallas isn’t without it’s downside though. I’ve had to leave my family (my lovely wife and three beautiful daughters (and my 42″ LCD)) in Jacksonville until the real estate market recovers and we can sell our home there. Living apart isn’t easy but we did it sporadically for over 16 years while I was in the military. We’ll overcome it.

As you can see, the last three months have not been good. With so much going on I didn’t get any riding in. I wanted to ride but circumstances just didn’t allow for it. Because of that, my health has taken a downturn. I’ve gained weight back and I can tell I’ve lost some of the healthy gains I had made. My weight is one of the things that bothers me the most. I’ve got to get it under control. I also neglected Biking To Live and it’s suffered.

Now 2009 is here. I’m moved into the place I’m renting here in northern Dallas and am ready to pick up where I left off in 2008.

Biking To Live – Cycling To A Healthy Lifestyle

The first order of business was to redesign Biking To Live. The last design was OK but it didn’t lend itself well to the plans I had for my blog. Biking To Live, in its old form, was too single-minded and self-centered, and didn’t help achieve the goal I wanted which was living a sustainable healthy lifestyle. I was too “bicycle ride” oriented and often wandered around by focusing on bicycle news and opinions. Make no mistake about it, Biking To Live will continue to be about bicycling but instead will broaden it’s scope to include subjects that directly compliment bicycling and it’s role in a healthy lifestyle. Topics like food, exercise, recipes, motivation, and health. It’s my hope to not only inspire my fellow riders but also be a source of information for people looking for a solution to their health problems. This new theme is going to help me achieve those goals. Vastly different than the old design, the new Biking To Live takes the focus away from the typical blog setup and enables users to quickly focus on topics they want which are more prominently displayed on the home page. You can quickly find topics on food, medical, news, or reviews. If you want to see it in the old blog style all you need to do is click on the blog link in the grey navigation bar. You’ll also notice a featured video section on the right. I’ll post bicycle and healthy lifestyle videos there for everyone to see. It’s my plan for you to be able to see me on there someday.

That, in a nutshell, is why I redesigned Biking To Live. I’d be happy to hear your thoughts, likes, dislikes, and opinions.

What can you do? There are a few things you can do for me:

1. If you haven’t subscribed to my feed please do so. Links to it are located at the top right of the site.
2. If you aren’t following me on twitter please do so. A link to my Twitter account is located up by the feeds.
3. Visit some of my site sponsors.
4. Leave comments. I love it when folks leave comments and I reply to every single one.
5. Want to see a particular topic? Let me know.