Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #AlignedDaily #AlignDaily #CollectiveBias

Continuing our bike riding series, today I’m sharing how we incorporate bike riding into our everyday lives.  I’m not one to make things fussy.  With that, I love when activities can be integrated into our routines without a lot of complication.

What do I mean by incorporating cycling into our everyday lives? My goal is to make bike riding more doable and enjoyable.  My goal is NOT to create a big life overhaul, but small sparks of inspiration to make it possible.

Late spring and early summer is the perfect time to get started with (or get back into) cycling.  At least for our region, and many others across the country, it’s not too hot and not too cold.  We do have more rain to deal with, but we can work around that!

Being comfortable temperature-wise when working on something new is such a bonus. It takes away at least one excuse factor, helping us to be that much more successful.  This is the time of year where I tend to daydream about bike riding. This week as the morning chill started to burn off and the sun came out, I started to wish we could scratch all our afternoon plans, and go for a spin!

Interested in trying out Align Probiotic Whole Food Blend? Hover over the photo to click through and purchase it at Walmart. Continue reading to learn more!

Making Cycling Doable, Enjoyable, and Possible

Think: Transportation

This is what I mean when I say not to feel like we need to overhaul our entire lives, and plan some big-deal-long bike ride.  When I look at the week ahead, weather permitting, I try to figure out times where we can ride our bikes instead of drive the car.  Here are a few ideas: sporting events (practice and games), school pick-up and drop-off, running errands, and neighborhood volunteering.  For short distances, sometimes it’s actually easier, and often close to the same amount of time when we factor in traffic and parking.

See Beautiful Things

Getting to take in the flowering trees of spring, the sweeping city skyline, and the tunnel of evergreens is just the motivation I need to get out on my bike.  I’m not just driving by this beauty, but I’m actually a part of it! Plan a bike ride to a park you might usually drive to, and experience your natural surroundings in a whole new way.

Multitask

I’m not one to advocate for multitasking, but this type of multitasking is definitely okay in my book.  In one bike ride, we can accomplish so much.  A solid workout (make sure to throw in some hills on that route), spending time with friends and/or family, reducing our carbon footprint, checking off a task on the to-do list, can all be accomplished with just one ride.

Be Ready

If we want to be able to take advantage of good weather, and be a little spontaneous, we have to plan for it! Here’s what we do so that we can head out without a lot of fuss:

• Keep cycling gear (gloves, helmets, pump, repair kit) organized.  We have special shelf and box in our garage.
• Have go-to cycling clothes that are comfortable (and clean).  This doesn’t have to be expensive.  We shop sales and secondhand throughout the year.
• Maintain bikes.  Flat tires happen! We get them fixed right away, so they’re not forgotten about.

Get Friends and Family Excited

Knowing that it’s a goal of mine to cycle as much as possible, I make sure to talk it up to my husband and kids.  Whenever there’s a chance to use our bikes instead of drive, discuss it ahead of time, and work to get them on board.  Stops at coffee shops, bakeries, and doughnuts shops help!

Sign up for an Event

Just like with a running race where training is necessary, signing up for a biking event helps to ensure you make time to get in the saddle.  For the past several years, my family and I have participated in a Memorial Day ride.  It’s not a terribly long distance, but still good motivation to put in time on the bikes consistently throughout the spring. Charity rides are also a great way to push yourself to ride more as you wouldn’t want to let down everyone who is sponsoring you!

Make Health a Priority

In order to do all of this riding, we have to take care of ourselves! In addition to tending to my body with exercise, I’m actually very considerate of my digestive system.  As a mom who is always on the go, I don’t like being held back health issues!  Over the last several years, I’ve learned that good bacteria in our gut actually helps prevent us from getting sick.   Making sure that I consume probiotic foods and beverages (kombucha, yogurt, etc) is very important to me.

Thanks to the new Align Whole Food Blend probiotic though, I can be more consistent.  I’ve simply added the probiotic pill to my daily vitamin regiment.  I was able to pick up the Align Whole Food Blend at my local Walmart.  More natural forms of probiotics are typically only in natural food stores, so I loved that I could just do my regular grocery shopping when purchasing this product (back to that less fuss, simplicity stuff).

Yes, Align’s Whole Food Blend is vegan, non-gmo, dairy free, gluten free, has no synthetic fillers, and no artificial flavors or ingredients.  It’s also #1 doctor recommended, and includes 3 types of beneficial probiotics.  This clinically studied bacteria helps*:

• Fortify your digestive system.
• Promote and support a healthy digestive system.
• Maintain digestive balance.

As you know from our Disneyland experience, illnesses happen.  However, there are small and easy steps that I can take to try to prevent it.  These healthy steps certainly help, and give us a little confidence and peace of mind.

How will you add biking to your routine this spring and summer? In the meantime grab this printable coupon to save on Align Whole Food Blend.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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