Despite my lengthy set of physical challenges, every doctor I have agrees that I should exercise. Biking could be another source of injuries for me, were it not for my recumbent bike.

I have 4 genetic disorders that impact my ability to exercise like others: Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia Syndrome (HATS, including a related symptom of positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (formerly hEDS), Lipedema, and pacer-mediated Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS).

Years ago, I was truly excited to hear about the Levine studies & Protocol. Dr. Levine studied NASA astronauts returning to Earth, whose bodies had become accustomed to weightlessness. Dr. Levine recognized how beneficial his part of call could be for those with POTS.

Recumbent biking was one component of that protocol. We quickly realized that new recumbent bikes were expensive for our budget. One weekend, we headed to thrift stores to locate one. The 1st store had one that was banged up. We struck out on the 2nd store. But the third had this fantastic Schwinn™️.

Up to this point, I have tended to bike simply using the low-tech tips provided within the bike's instrument panel ("Great job! Hill ahead. Drink some water."). But lately, my Facebook feed & Roku have been inundated with ads for Peloton™️. This made me wonder: What would it be like, biking along with the coach?

Today, I tested it out, using a free video on YouTube, rather than watching a TV show like I normally do while riding. I was very impressed--in 30 minutes, I usually bike 2-3 MI. Today, my ride was nearly 5 MI. And I felt roughly similar afterwards.

I'm looking forward to finding various free/sample bike & spin classes and testing them out. It might be fun to have 31--a different one for each day of the month.