1. USE IT FOR CHORES. About 40 percent of all car trips in metropolitan areas are less than two miles, according to research out of Rutgers University. Two miles is 10 minutes on your bike. Nothing! Keep your bike, with a basket or a backpack, ready to ride. Next time you want to pick up a few groceries or meet a pal, bypass the car and jump on your trusty bike instead. (You'll trust it more if you give it a name. I call mine Walter.)

2. TREAT YOURSELF TO AN E-BIKE. One reason people don't bike more is because they get tired of pedaling. Or they live in an area with hills that are too demanding. All hail the new category of e-bikes — electric bikes — that give you a battery-powered boost when you run out of steam. Sure, they're an expense, but so is heart disease. If an e-bike sparks a wheel increase in your ability to cycle more places more often, it's worth every penny. Think of what you'll save in gas.

3. BIKE WITH OTHERS. Behavioral change of any sort — from eating fewer processed foods to riding your bike more — happens more easily if you get some outside support from kindred spirits. Join a bike club. You'll improve your skills and learn the best routes, and when you hang out with people who ride more than you do, you'll be inspired to ride more yourself. How nifty is that?

WHEN WILL THE COUNTRY SHIFT GEARS? A recent survey revealed that only 7 percent to 10 percent of Americans feel at ease biking regularly under current road conditions. If there were more bike lanes — set off by painted white lines from speeding cars and trucks — people would ride more. And if people rode more, we'd spend billions less on health care. A sedentary lifestyle causes chronic diseases. Period. Exclamation point!

The good news is that federal spending on bicycling and bike-friendly infrastructure has more than doubled since 2006. The bad news is that in 2010, it only amounted to $4 per person. Isn't that pathetic? We need a biking revolution in this country, and it can't come fast enough.

I'll leave you with this frustrating factoid, courtesy of Jim Oberstar, the congressman who heads the House Committee on Transportation: One mile of new urban highway costs $46 million to $100 million. One mile of 12-foot-wide biking lane costs $125,000. Write to your reps! Demand more bike lanes! More bike-sharing programs! And please, to save that big brain of yours, wear a helmet.

SWIM TIP: WHEN ARE YOU TOO SICK TO SWIM?

It's summer, and you love your time in the water, but suddenly, you feel a little under the weather. Is it still OK to swim?

DO A NECK CHECK. Think about your symptoms. If they're above your neck — meaning a stuffed or runny nose or mild sore throat — go ahead and swim if you feel like it. Slow down your pace for the first 10 minutes and see how it goes. If you feel fine, crank it up. If you feel crummy, bail out.

BELOW THE NECK SYMPTOMS? Don't swim if you're experiencing one of the following: vomiting, diarrhea, fever of 100 degrees or more, chills or a serious cough. Swimming can make you sicker. Stay home, get some rest, and don't start swimming until you feel significantly better. When you dive back into it, swim at lower than usual intensity for the first few days.

WEARY FEET? LEARN TO CHILL.

To rejuvenate your tired, swollen feet after a long run or a hot tennis game, come home to a small plastic bottle of water you've stuck in the freezer. Roll your naked soles over it, back and forth. Instant relief. Even better than an ice-cold beer!

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! PRICELESS

"In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular." — Kathleen Norris

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com.