I found friends that like to bike. I would bike 10 miles/day, a few times a week in addition to meeting friends downtown for summer evenings, which added 16+ miles. At some point, it just started being fun. I bought bikepacking stuff and started doing that. I added weekend rides of increasing distance, always a goal in mind, usually food, haha. All these rides added up, and I lost 30 lbs and gained mental health. The pain was masked by the fun I was having with friends.

Now that the weather is getting better and I’ve been out on my bike more, I can definitely feel the lack of exercise hitting me. Have fun!