Going Nowhere Fast

Riding indoor bike is a joy. Sure, you don't get the fresh air treatment. Or Vitamin D. But you do, if you have the right kind of indoor bike, get a lot of feedback, such as heart rate, miles traveled and calories burned. All this information is helpful if you want to get in the prime fat-burning mode, for me about 65 percent of heart rate capacity. It also helps to compare performance from day to day.

Another nice thing about riding indoor bike is watching taped programs on TV. My favorites are "Dr. Oz," "Rick Steve's Travel in Europe" and "Seinfeld." "Dr. Oz" in particular gives me lots of good health information and tips that I can use to improve incrementally my lifestyle.

Sure, I'm going nowhere fast on the indoor bike. And I prefer outdoor riding. But so far, in about a year's time on the indoor bike, I've traveled about 2,000 miles in the direction of the Younger Next Year Fountain of Youth.