I admit it. Last year I left the mountain bike in the garage all summer. I felt ashamed of myself but the reality was that an injury and laziness contributed to my serious lack of biking. This summer I'm definitely wrenching the bike out of it's comfortable resting place. There are a number of good reasons for this.

Getting more exercise.

Its too freaking easy to take the auto to return a DVD or get some milkor.er.wine. So I will dust the cobwebs off my backpack, strap it on and gladly pedal to the store. In my defence, this plot was hatched a few years ago, but one of my stepdaughters needed my backpack. Excuses, excuses. Time to put the shnizzle in the whizzle and bike around the neighbourhood. I need the exercise. Just 30 minutes a day will help immensely.

Gas prices are frightening me.

Each time I fill up I painfully grimace at the fuel pump. Its like some kind of surreal horror movie these days watching the numbers climb at the pump. And my hard earned money is flying right out my exhaust pipe. It's really getting ridiculous. Glad I didnt get that Hummer. Just kidding. By taking my bike out, (or even walking!) I'm sure I'll save globs of cash by leaving the modern chariot in the driveway and strolling or biking to destinations. And gas prices are going even higher! Therefore the savings will go higher each time leg or pedal power is put into good use.

By not using the car I help the environment.

Duh. Let me seewe have global warming, ice caps are melting, and there were a record number of hurricanes last year. Sounds to me like we can all make an effort towards a cleaner environment. Leaving the car at home sounds like a great first step to making the air a little more cleaner.

Let's summarize.

If you have a bike start using it, if not go out and buy one. A bike will give you exercise, save you valuable gas money and help Mother Nature. Or walk.

Enough said.

Please consider this article for your website, blog or ezine. Permission to reprint if by-line stays intact and links are activated on the Internet.

Terry Vermeylen

I truly believe that our current lifestyle leaves us with little time to breathe and reflect on the path we are taking in our lives.

Hi, my name is Terry and I am the founder of mylifechanges.com, an online value identification and goal setting enterprise. I have a great passion for life and self-improvement, thus I created this website to share my passion and to move people to improve their lives by living through their core values and setting lasting goals. My own personal core values include passion, wealth, beauty, action, compassion and appreciation. My primary passion is wealth building using common sense.

My idea for the website started with my passion and study of philosophy, psychology, self-improvement and business. I own and draw from an extensive collection of books on all these subjects. I also enjoy writing and will be publishing a newsletter focusing on value and goal setting, as well as a number of other self-help subjects. I have worked for three major corporations in a wide range of jobs and also clearly understand the corporate world. Most recently I worked as a business analyst performing process improvement.

It takes about 30 days to break in a new habit, so My Life Changes is an in-your-face, self-motivating tool, with bright colors highlighting each day taken towards that new goal, habit or choice.

My Life Changes has added on a timeline section, journal and e-mail reminders as complementary tools to your quest for a better life. A prototype of My Life Changes was used for over a year before settling on the current design. It has been a genuine labour of love.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions concerning the web site or any of my self-improvement philosophies. I will be more than happy to answer.

All the best,

Terry Vermeylen