Health & Wellness
February 1, 2023

For the love of the ride

For the love of the ride
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As Ohioan Mike approached 65, he realized there were many things he needed to sort out, from navigating Social Security and Medicare to planning how to achieve his dreams. This involved gradually delegating more work-related responsibilities to his wife, Kim, and daughter, who plan to take over the family insurance business.

“My business is family owned and run. I worry as I get older. I don't want to die and leave it unattended. So I have started putting my ducks in a row.”

Choosing the Right Medicare Advantage Plan

Part of organizing his aging process included selecting Mike’s Medicare Advantage plan, which he and his wife quickly found to be complex. It’s so intricate that his wife now offers support and information sessions to the local community after going through the process themselves.

“The journey from 64 to 65 is the most dramatic aspect of aging. You are inundated with phone calls and have so many plans to decide from.”

Mike knew he wanted to get his health under control. He chose a plan that offered him not only the benefits of a fitness membership but also GetSetUp at no additional cost. Now, he’s working to improve his overall health to keep riding his motorcycle and accomplishing some of his ride goals.

“I love to ride. I haven’t taken as many long-distance trips, because I struggled to find time to do it.”

Preparing for the Ride of a Lifetime

Mike and his buddy Jeff have completed several Iron Butt challenges. These saddle-sore rides require feats like 1,000 miles in 24 hours. The duo accomplished this with a ride through Detroit, Niagara Falls, and back to Norwalk, Ohio in a single day. On another long weekend, they did 2,500 miles in 3 days through all the Great Lakes, staying on the road for three nights and logging long riding days.

The duo has set their sights on an aggressive ride of a lifetime: the ultimate coast-to-coast challenge from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Key West, Florida (both the northernmost and southernmost points accessible by road in the US). While Mike would like to do the trip leisurely, they may have to complete it in two weeks to accommodate Jeff’s work schedule. If they do it in two weeks, that’s about 300-400 miles of riding a day, with each 100 miles taking about two hours.

Building Health and Wellness Towards a Dream

“Jeff is a bit younger than me. I told him we got to put this together because I'm not getting any younger.”

If all goes well, the duo plans to accomplish this in 2023, so Mike is starting his training now.

“I’m done working so many hours. I want to start playing, but I also realized I wasn’t living the healthiest lifestyle—too many pizzas, bourbon, and vodka. I needed to get my health under control.”

To achieve this goal, Mike has set himself up with a life coach and personal trainer. The personal trainer is working with him to design a specific workout tailored to his body type and to ensure his former lower back issues are not only addressed but strengthened.

“I’m adamant about slowing down my work responsibilities now and building strength and balance for this trip. That’s the beginning of the journey.”

His personal trainer gave him the okay to do more exercises after his back injury, so now he’s integrating SilverSneakers fitness classes into his schedule. He’s also learning great skills and insights on GetSetUp to help him prepare for his upcoming challenge.

“I recently took a travel app class about Hopper with Russ. I’d never heard of that app before, and it seems useful. Looking through the class schedule, there are many more I’m interested in. I love to cook, and I'm not good at it, but some of the different recipes look doable.”

While Mike plans to stay national for his travels, learning how to book cheaper flights helped him and his wife book their trip to Vegas later this year. He’s looking forward to other national travel tips as well. Plus, he’s interested in exploring more cooking to stay healthier in some of his new free time.

“The number one most appealing thing about GetSetUp classes is that you're talking to normal people, like me. You're not talking to someone about a job, but you talk with people who really love what they are doing.”

So while Mike is exploring nutrition and healthier meals, he’s also working on getting more fit to accomplish the ultimate coast-to-coast ride in July 2023.

“If you take care of yourself, you can stay more active. I want to stay as young as I can for as long as I can.”