Middle age health thread for fatties

[revbob]

Im hitting around. 500this year. A bounce back from last year's horrible season but for softball I need to do better. Been hitting the ball too high a lot.

[Kimmelweck]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

[revbob]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

Nice work. Im still allowing myself to make excuses for not riding every day.

[Sparky]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

21 miles, damn impressive!

[Kimmelweck]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

Nice work. Im still allowing myself to make excuses for not riding every day.

Thanks man. The hardest part has been actually getting out, and then the first mile or so sucks. Then I get in a zone and am feeling nothing, just watching the scenery go by. I’m surprised by how many times I’ve gone out intending to ride 7 or 8 miles and then I wind up doing 12-15. Feels great to get home and have the day’s ride behind me.

[gkbill]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

Nice work. Im still allowing myself to make excuses for not riding every day.

Thanks man. The hardest part has been actually getting out, and then the first mile or so sucks. Then I get in a zone and am feeling nothing, just watching the scenery go by. I’m surprised by how many times I’ve gone out intending to ride 7 or 8 miles and then I wind up doing 12-15. Feels great to get home and have the day’s ride behind me.

Hello,

Losing weight is probably the most visible benefit to others but I'll guess you feel better, have improved circulatory and cardiac system function, and a lowered resting heart rate, and have more energy - just a guess.

Well done! Congratulations!

[Kimmelweck]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

21 miles, damn impressive!

Thanks Sparky. I’ve only gone over 20 miles on 6 occasions, and only on days with really low wind conditions. Riding against the wind sucks, lol. Especially when it's blowing across the river unimpeded. Usually I do around 10-12 miles. My daily average is 13.4, but that’s inflated a bit by the handful of longer rides.

[Dr. Medulla]

Solid, solid work, K. You've clearly got the mental part down, and everything else follows from there. It really is impressive—and I don't mean that lightly—how you've just dived into cycling and racked up that many miles in such a short period.

[Kimmelweck]

Just back from my daily bike ride. I covered 21.0 miles tonight in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That puts my 30 day total at 402.5 miles/647.7 km in 34 hours and 4 minutes of riding since I started on June 24. I actually planned my route tonight to break the 400 mile mark and then added a couple trips around the block. That’s about 390 more miles than I’ve ridden in the previous 30 years combined. I’ve gotten out on 29 of the last 30 days (skipped the ride on day 27 because I’d averaged 20.6 miles the previous 3 days and thought a break would be a good idea). But I did 2 rides of an hour+ on the same day earlier this month, so 30 rides in 30 days. My distances have varied from a low of 5.9 miles on day 2, to a high of 32.8 miles last Sunday evening (which I covered in 2 hours and 42 minutes). Combined with healthier eating habits and keeping an eye on calories, I’ve dropped 7 lbs in the last month. Fairly pleased with the results so far. If I could lay off the wine I’d be doing better, but that’s a relatively new habit I developed earlier this year and it’s not going anywhere for now.

Nice work. Im still allowing myself to make excuses for not riding every day.

Thanks man. The hardest part has been actually getting out, and then the first mile or so sucks. Then I get in a zone and am feeling nothing, just watching the scenery go by. I’m surprised by how many times I’ve gone out intending to ride 7 or 8 miles and then I wind up doing 12-15. Feels great to get home and have the day’s ride behind me.

Hello,

Losing weight is probably the most visible benefit to others but I'll guess you feel better, have improved circulatory and cardiac system function, and a lowered resting heart rate, and have more energy - just a guess.

Well done! Congratulations!

Thanks. Absolutely, I definitely have more energy. And my legs don’t feel wobbly after rides anymore, even the longer rides.

[Kimmelweck]

Solid, solid work, K. You've clearly got the mental part down, and everything else follows from there. It really is impressive—and I don't mean that lightly—how you've just dived into cycling and racked up that many miles in such a short period.

Thanks man. It helps to have several bike path options I can get to within a 5 or 6 minute ride. I have about 20 different segments or circuits I’ve measured out, and in 30 days I’ve only rarely done the same ride twice. Probably 80% of my riding has been on the paths, with a few side streets thrown in as well. So, plenty of options to tack on a couple miles here and there and make the route up as I go. Keeps it interesting.

[Dr. Medulla]

Solid, solid work, K. You've clearly got the mental part down, and everything else follows from there. It really is impressive—and I don't mean that lightly—how you've just dived into cycling and racked up that many miles in such a short period.

Thanks man. It helps to have several bike path options I can get to within a 5 or 6 minute ride. I have about 20 different segments or circuits I’ve measured out, and in 30 days I’ve only rarely done the same ride twice. Probably 80% of my riding has been on the paths, with a few side streets thrown in as well. So, plenty of options to tack on a couple miles here and there and make the route up as I go. Keeps it interesting.

I admire your quest for variety. I kept records of my rides, so I had to follow the same route every time. I loved the riding, but I was rigid as fuck about it. I mean, I wasn't training for anything and no one was evaluating my progress, but I still can't exercise without keeping track of things in a way that there's comparison at work.

[Kimmelweck]

Solid, solid work, K. You've clearly got the mental part down, and everything else follows from there. It really is impressive—and I don't mean that lightly—how you've just dived into cycling and racked up that many miles in such a short period.

Thanks man. It helps to have several bike path options I can get to within a 5 or 6 minute ride. I have about 20 different segments or circuits I’ve measured out, and in 30 days I’ve only rarely done the same ride twice. Probably 80% of my riding has been on the paths, with a few side streets thrown in as well. So, plenty of options to tack on a couple miles here and there and make the route up as I go. Keeps it interesting.

I admire your quest for variety. I kept records of my rides, so I had to follow the same route every time. I loved the riding, but I was rigid as fuck about it. I mean, I wasn't training for anything and no one was evaluating my progress, but I still can't exercise without keeping track of things in a way that there's comparison at work.

Yeah I’m a stickler for detailed records. I’ve used Google Earth’s path-distance tool to measure every segment of my rides. At this point I have all the optional segment distances memorized, and I’m constantly doing the math in my head as I go, adding up each bit. If I take any kind of new route segment that I haven't done before, I get on Google Earth and measure it afterwards. First thing I do after every ride is write out my route and add up the segments to confirm my on-the-fly math, calculate minutes per mile and average speed for the ride, and then add up my year-to-date time and distance totals. I've so far got a stack of 15 torn out note pad pages, written front and back with a detailed description of every ride I've done, one per side.

[Dr. Medulla]

Solid, solid work, K. You've clearly got the mental part down, and everything else follows from there. It really is impressive—and I don't mean that lightly—how you've just dived into cycling and racked up that many miles in such a short period.

Thanks man. It helps to have several bike path options I can get to within a 5 or 6 minute ride. I have about 20 different segments or circuits I’ve measured out, and in 30 days I’ve only rarely done the same ride twice. Probably 80% of my riding has been on the paths, with a few side streets thrown in as well. So, plenty of options to tack on a couple miles here and there and make the route up as I go. Keeps it interesting.

I admire your quest for variety. I kept records of my rides, so I had to follow the same route every time. I loved the riding, but I was rigid as fuck about it. I mean, I wasn't training for anything and no one was evaluating my progress, but I still can't exercise without keeping track of things in a way that there's comparison at work.

Yeah I’m a stickler for detailed records. I’ve used Google Earth’s path-distance tool to measure every segment of my rides. At this point I have all the optional segment distances memorized, and I’m constantly doing the math in my head as I go, adding up each bit. If I take any kind of new route segment that I haven't done before, I get on Google Earth and measure it afterwards. First thing I do after every ride is write out my route and add up the segments to confirm my on-the-fly math, calculate minutes per mile and average speed for the ride, and then add up my year-to-date time and distance totals. I've so far got a stack of 15 torn out note pad pages, written front and back with a detailed description of every ride I've done, one per side.

Ha! We reach. When I cycled outside on my route, I had all kinds of checkpoints where I'd check my time, mentally keeping track of whether I was +2 or -3 seconds or whatever from my benchmark.

Also, time to start a spreadsheet to track your rides and complete your journey to the dark side of the Force.

[Kimmelweck]

Also, time to start a spreadsheet to track your rides and complete your journey to the dark side of the Force.

A spreadsheet sounds like a good idea for general record keeping. I’m not especially concerned about speed, other than I calculate it for curiosity’s sake. There are so many variables – wind speed, pedestrian traffic on the paths, stop signs, turning corners – that it’s hard to compare speed from ride to ride. Also, I’m a stocky hill person, not a lanky plains person, and especially on a mountain bike, I’m not exactly designed for slicing through the wind. My overall speed is usually around 12mph (yesterday’s ride was 12.6, my best so far), but unimpeded cruising speed is probably around 13-13.5mph. Pretty moderate. There’s a 15mph speed limit on the paths, so not much room for improvement anyway. I’m just happy to keep my legs pumping as continuously as possible and watch my mile and hour counts grow. From what I can tell, at my moderate pace I’m burning in the neighborhood of 500 calories per hour, which is about a pound every 7 hours of riding. So if that’s accurate the riding has probably accounted for 4-5 pounds of the 7 I’ve lost.

[Dr. Medulla]

Also, time to start a spreadsheet to track your rides and complete your journey to the dark side of the Force.

A spreadsheet sounds like a good idea for general record keeping. I’m not especially concerned about speed, other than I calculate it for curiosity’s sake. There are so many variables – wind speed, pedestrian traffic on the paths, stop signs, turning corners – that it’s hard to compare speed from ride to ride. Also, I’m a stocky hill person, not a lanky plains person, and especially on a mountain bike, I’m not exactly designed for slicing through the wind. My overall speed is usually around 12mph (yesterday’s ride was 12.6, my best so far), but unimpeded cruising speed is probably around 13-13.5mph. Pretty moderate. There’s a 15mph speed limit on the paths, so not much room for improvement anyway. I’m just happy to keep my legs pumping as continuously as possible and watch my mile and hour counts grow. From what I can tell, at my moderate pace I’m burning in the neighborhood of 500 calories per hour, which is about a pound every 7 hours of riding. So if that’s accurate the riding has probably accounted for 4-5 pounds of the 7 I’ve lost.

Yeah, when I rode outdoors, I was on a road bike and on a road. And I took the same route every time. So tracking for comparison was do-able. Still, you'd likely still see steady upticks in your speed just due to weight loss—less ass your legs have to carry—and increasing stamina and muscle. The more important thing, tho, is just racking up the miles. Now that I'm exclusively on a spin bike, I have two types of rides. I'll either go 25 km (15 + 10) at a higher tension and go for speed, or I'll go 35 km (25 + 10) at a casual tension and not worrying about speed/time. The latter is just about burning calories, keeping my legs limber. (I'm also doing that with rowing, either a hardcore row or something more relaxed and longer.) That's completely new to me, a concession to age as I'm just not recovering as well from the strenuous work-outs. It's been a far more difficult ego thing, admitting that I can't push myself every time. But being exhausted and semi-hurt all the time just wasn't fun.