Listen! How often we\’ve heard that command!

From our parents, when we were children; and from our schoolteachers. We also need to do it while cycling.

Be alert to your surroundings. If you must use a busy street, don\’t daydream; and don\’t use a headset or earbuds. If your ride is more rural, it will be more fun if you can hear the birds singing.

Listen to your body, too, they say. I think mine has been trying to tell me something, but I\’m not sure what.

The carb-watching doesn\’t seem to be going quite right. I don\’t think I\’m eating quite enough, which could explain why I\’m so tired lately. The nutritionist said something about focusing more on eating complex carbs, and worrying less about how many grams of carbs I\’m getting.

I like that idea. For supper last Friday I ate fat-free refried pinto beans with avocado; and it seemed the most satisfying thing I had eaten in days. I think my body is saying, Feed Me!

During the last two weeks, I often fall back asleep after my alarm clock goes off. The result is a much shortened ride, or no ride at all. This happens even when I\’ve gone to bed before 10 pm the previous night! My body seems to be saying, Get More Sleep. That\’s much easier said than done.

There are many other signals that our body sends. Among them are warnings that we\’re pushing too hard a gear, thus possibly risking knee injury; and the dreaded, vapory feeling that means Feed Me NOW, I\’m Bonking!

There are times, no doubt, when we wish our bodies would shut up for a while. But we have to pay attention, or we might pay a high price.