Yoga and Stretching

Sidelined today to protect a small tweak, I decided to put my time to good use.  To begin integrating simple stretching and Yoga into my weekly routines.

I was inspired by  Start Spring Training Today with Yoga on Bicycling.com by Tara Stiles as well as Kevin Kelly’s review of the 30th Anniversary Edition of Bob Anderson’s classic Stretching available from Amazon.  Kevin always has great stuff, but this picture is enough to sell one that a classic can still be useful.

Tara lists these as useful for biking and frisbee:

Double Leg Forward Stretch
Runners Lunge
Warrior 1 with Shoulder Stretch
Triangle
Reverse Triangle
Headstand
One Leg Extended
Both Legs Extended
Ankle to Knee
Cow Face

Why Vibram Five Fingers?

It was this article originally published in the NYTimes by TARA PARKER-POPE that finally led me to purchase my Five Fingers Vibram shoes.  I have included the article here as I sometimes can’t get to the NYTimes.  It is better to click through and read the article on their site as it has all the related articles, pix, and comments.

My Favorite Cycling New Year’s Resolutions

Cyclists crossing Kansas in the Bikecentennial...
Image via Wikipedia

My favorite Cycling resolutions for 2010 came from this article by Selene Yaeger on Bicycling.com

Don’t expect to see changes if you always ride the same routes at the same speed with the same people. If cycling improvement is what you’re after, resolve to do these 10 things in the months ahead.

The question is which will I actually commit to, or even consider for 2010?

Register for a Race – A little out of my price range, would rather have a new bike!
Go Easy More Often – This makes sense and I can commit to it!
Ride Out of Your Rut – Willingly
Work on the Fundamentals – Trainer?  Would love to set one up regularly, but will pass on this one for now.
Get a Jump on the Competition – Makes sense, except for time and exposure to someone who knows about this, will try skateboarding to provide something.
Shrink Your Cycling Circles – A group ride would be fun, need a group, probably not the issue she mentions.
Condition Your Core – I will commit to trying this!
Track Your Progress – Commit!
Balance Your Body – Need a stability ball
Set Up a Cycle – Can a commuter do this?