When cycling, my theory on hills is: Don't fear them.

That said, every single "newbie" cyclist I've ridden with (including myself when I was just getting into biking) has gotten so nervous and psyched out as they were approaching a hill that they usually weren't able to pedal efficiently through the hill.

That's how someone explained it to me once (Joe, was that you?). When you see a hill in the distance, prepare to pedal through it -- as if the hill isn't even there and you're just tunneling through the hill to the other side.

How do you do that?...

I have two hill-climbing strategies that get me through most every type of hill on a bike:

1. Focus on your pedaling motion, find a groove

2. Switch gears a lot when pedaling up hills

Generally speaking, the following tips are for those who know that they will be biking more than once a month or [gasp] a year.

These tips are for newbies in training (for say, a triathlon), as well as those who are looking for a fun new way to get fit (cycling is about the only way I can shed pounds fast, easily... and healthfully!), and cyclists who've been away from the sport for awhile (like me).

Whether you'll be doing short- or long-distance rides, doesn't matter. But if you'll be riding on the road (rather than a bike path or offroad), then these tips will come in handy. They should save you some money, and could even save your life!

My Best Tips For New (or Returning) Cyclists:

I used to be a long-distance cyclist. Not a great one. Nor a fast one. Just an average one -- who had a ball every time my wheels were spinning.

When I lived in Florida, I would ride 20 to 60 miles several times a week, a few Century rides (100 miles) each year, and on many weekends I would pack up my lightweight camping gear and participate in 2-day cycling events.

In one of my last bike logs (where I logged by cycling habits for years), I jotted: "20,000 miles on my car this year, and 4,000 miles on my bike." That's in one year. I was a diehard cyclist, that's for sure.

I did several bike tours and biking trips. My most challenging cycling event was a 3-day 300-mile bike ride from Orlando to Miami. I did it 2 years in a row and had the time of my life. (And made a lot of great friends.)

Truth is, I've never enjoyed life quite as much as those days when I was cycling regularly.

Fast-forward to today. And even though I've biked a bit around here since we moved to Tennessee, as I kept getting busier and busier, I kept pushing my bike farther and farther into the corner of our garage.  

Just for laughs...

Today I came across an old video that Jim and I did -- and it made me laugh. We just looked so stupid.

Actually it was the very first video we ever created (with our new video camera), and it was simply a trial & error thing, but for some reason, we felt compelled to post it.

At the time, we were about to embark on a trip to Gatlinburg for the weekend... and we were eager to record everything with our brand new Canon digital video camera.

Trust me when you watch this (well, I don't know... maybe only our close friends will "get it"), but I think it just goes to show how valuable unedited, first attempts and first impressions are -- no matter WHAT the topic!

Make a realistic looking magazine cover featuring a picture of yourself, your family, your car, your pets... anything!

It's fast.

It's free.

It's easy to do yourself online!

Maybe you can't get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone... but you can put your picture on any other magazine you wish!

Prepare to be dazed and amazed...

This "Book of Cool" is an online slideshow through dozens of unique sports and activities. The photos depict only the best of the best... the true superstars and heroes in their fields.

This is what having FUN is all about...

A long-time favorite singer & songwriter of ours is Shawn Mullins.

Most know him for his songs "Lullaby" (many thought it was called "Rockabye") and "Shimmer", both of which were on the Soul's Core album.

No, I'm not a relationship therapist (though I did major in family counseling in grad school).

And I'm not single (though I was single a full 34 years before I got married 6 years ago).

But since I believe that good times should be had by all on this national couples holiday that we call Valentine's Day, I simply offer the following FUN things that I used to do when I was stuck at home and alone on major holidays.

Thanksgiving is upon us.

No... we can't all travel to New York City to enjoy the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (though one day I intend to!), but we CAN all try out some unique Thanksgiving Day traditions this year.

Something I spotted last weekend when I was passing through the Walmart parking lot on Saturday morning...