The Get fit club! [Archive] - Page 6

airshifter

5th January 2015, 13:04

I ran 1950km in 2014, a lot more than in 2013 but I became pretty efficient at it so while in 2013 I had started to worry I was losing too much weight too fast, in 2014 I had to start watching out again what I eat. Even with all this running I gained weight last year. And beside running I also did a lot of trekking, Tour du Mont Blanc being the highlight of the year but I also did some trekking in Fagaras (beautiful places) and some places close to my hometown. I didn't monitor these but I'm sure they add up to more than 300 km.

I did also some cycling and went to gym a few months.

I didn't weigh myself recently but I'm pretty sure I'm somewhere around 90 kilos right now, about 14 stones using your funny units :p:. I'm 190 cm tall so I'm right there, at the border of being overweight. I'd say that 86 is probably close to my ideal weight but that's not the only thing. It's just as important for me the weight distribution. Even though I got down to 84 kilos at some point I still had some love handles and a little muffin top left. So for me a good goal for 2015 would be to finally get ready of that muffin top.

Other than that I won't be counting km anymore. I was curious to see how much can I run in a full year. Now I know, time to move on :p:

It seems like once you get that fat around the waist it's the hardest thing to get rid of! :laugh:

For me exercise leads to actually liking healthier foods, so it all helps. I've accepted that I might not be able to get back to the shape I was in when younger, but that's ok with me. When I was that in shape I got paid to work out on the clock (military) so it's really not fair to think I can make enough time to do it now with a job that doesn't give me much exercise.

It sounds like you had some fun with your exercise, and that makes it much more interesting. Part of me says don't worry about miles, etc, but at the same time I need to know what kind of calorie burn I am getting to figure in what it takes to loose weight. In my case I can be my own worst enemy at times. I get a good hard ride in, then come back craving salad or something healthy. But while in recovery mode later in the day, I eat the stuff I know I shouldn't eat.

Mark

5th January 2015, 13:28

Are you going to do a miles challenge again for the year? I really want to beat Iain this time ;)

Yeah but I'm not sure how to do it because I thought the year long challenge was pretty meaningless and went on for far too long.

Mark

5th January 2015, 13:30

Despite my post above I was passing Edinburgh on my way home yesterday, and went into Decathlon and bought a turbo trainer. When I figure out the instructions will hopefully do quite a bit on it over the winter whilst awaiting decent weather :)

Nice one. I'm hoping to do about 20-30 minutes per day on the excercise bike if it turns out to be any good. Turbo is a great way to go when it's cold and icy outside. Maybe if you get the training miles in we can actually go for a ride once it's nice enough for your road bike to venture out ;)

Mark

5th January 2015, 13:52

I've set myself the goal of getting to 12stone (76kg) by the time the clocks go back at the end of March which is 12 weeks from today. That would mean losing 1.5 pounds per week. Hard but not impossible.

I've done myself a spreadsheet with graphs etc, but the last time I used that I failed miserably!

airshifter

5th January 2015, 14:15

Yeah but I'm not sure how to do it because I thought the year long challenge was pretty meaningless and went on for far too long.

Maybe we should set up some other challenges on Endo or something? That opens up more possibilities. If you guys do miles challenges I will join and get soundly beat, but that's fine with me! :laugh: It's a given that anyone that mountain bikes will suffer a disadvantage compared to the road bike crew, but calories challenges might even things out some for those that do things other than bike.

Mark

5th January 2015, 15:08

Maybe we should set up some other challenges on Endo or something? That opens up more possibilities. If you guys do miles challenges I will join and get soundly beat, but that's fine with me! :laugh: It's a given that anyone that mountain bikes will suffer a disadvantage compared to the road bike crew, but calories challenges might even things out some for those that do things other than bike.

Here we are then; I've set it as a public challenge.
https://www.endomondo.com/challenges/19703998

J4MIE

5th January 2015, 19:36

Maybe if you get the training miles in we can actually go for a ride once it's nice enough for your road bike to venture out ;)

I don't think it'll ever be nice enough for that ;)

Seriously though, count me in and don't let me use an excuse..... :(

donKey jote

5th January 2015, 20:26

I'm 15 stone but I'm not fat, I'm just big-boned :andrea:

Mark

5th January 2015, 22:10

Seriously though, count me in and don't let me use an excuse..... :(

Haha but there's always an excuse, I know that better than anyone ;)

And you can't use the pedals as an excuse before you start with that one. You just need to practice ;)

schmenke

5th January 2015, 23:10

I ran 1950km in 2014,...

Well done BB. I think I've managed just over half that distance, although I'm really not sure as I switched watches about mid year :mark: . I did run more during the last half though.
December was a slack month with only about 95km, some of it on the treadmill :s .

At -20C (-30 with the windchill) and icy pathways, it's hard to be motivated to run outdoors.

I'm not signing up for any challenges until the springtime :p: .

Gregor-y

6th January 2015, 00:06

I biked to work on Friday, my first day back, but since it was -19 this morning -14 now with snow on the way I just couldn't make it happen. On the plus side there should be enough snow for some skiing this weekend.
http://i.imgur.com/4PLO6IQ.jpg

Big Ben

6th January 2015, 13:02

It seems like once you get that fat around the waist it's the hardest thing to get rid of! :laugh:

For me exercise leads to actually liking healthier foods, so it all helps. I've accepted that I might not be able to get back to the shape I was in when younger, but that's ok with me. When I was that in shape I got paid to work out on the clock (military) so it's really not fair to think I can make enough time to do it now with a job that doesn't give me much exercise.

It sounds like you had some fun with your exercise, and that makes it much more interesting. Part of me says don't worry about miles, etc, but at the same time I need to know what kind of calorie burn I am getting to figure in what it takes to loose weight. In my case I can be my own worst enemy at times. I get a good hard ride in, then come back craving salad or something healthy. But while in recovery mode later in the day, I eat the stuff I know I shouldn't eat.

Well, I'm pretty much in the shape of my life and that's just because I've been fat most of my life, sometimes even obese. So at least there's no nostalgia for me for better days :p:. And the fat over my waist has been there since I can remember.

I haven't lost hope though. I still believe that you can get fit even when your jobs works against you, like in my case sitting in a chair in front of a computer doesn't help me one bit. With regular exercise and healthy food I know I can get there. The problem is i have a sweet tooth and I really like pastries and have the habit to stuff my face with food when I'm home and bored. A movie goes so well with some junk food. So like in December I went to Austria to ski for a week, and since I was in vacation I indulged and then the holidays... In 3 weeks time I probably threw away 2 months worth of exercise.

I'm still going to monitor my running but more loosely. I used to log manually every run on the mapmyrun site (i found the app to be slightly optimistic). That I'm not going to do anymore but every now and then I'll challenge myself to run x km in x days or do a x km long run to keep things interesting. I'd also love to do more trail running. I hope this year I'll go more often in the mountains to do some running. That would be some sweet acion :p

Big Ben

6th January 2015, 13:22

Well done BB. I think I've managed just over half that distance, although I'm really not sure as I switched watches about mid year :mark: . I did run more during the last half though.
December was a slack month with only about 95km, some of it on the treadmill :s .

At -20C (-30 with the windchill) and icy pathways, it's hard to be motivated to run outdoors.

I'm not signing up for any challenges until the springtime :p: .

That's so cold man. I'm ashamed now I'm freezing here at -5 (-9 realfeel).

I stopped using apps to monitor my running. I used several but running on the same track they would get to different results. So I ended up logging manually on the mapmyrun site every run. I use 2 'tracks'. One has 1.125 km and the other one has 10km... So it was quite simple to keep track of runs. I satisfied my curiosity but right now I don't see the point of so much monitoring without some goal in sight.

airshifter

6th January 2015, 14:14

Well, I'm pretty much in the shape of my life and that's just because I've been fat most of my life, sometimes even obese. So at least there's no nostalgia for me for better days :p:. And the fat over my waist has been there since I can remember.

I haven't lost hope though. I still believe that you can get fit even when your jobs works against you, like in my case sitting in a chair in front of a computer doesn't help me one bit. With regular exercise and healthy food I know I can get there. The problem is i have a sweet tooth and I really like pastries and have the habit to stuff my face with food when I'm home and bored. A movie goes so well with some junk food. So like in December I went to Austria to ski for a week, and since I was in vacation I indulged and then the holidays... In 3 weeks time I probably threw away 2 months worth of exercise.

I'm still going to monitor my running but more loosely. I used to log manually every run on the mapmyrun site (i found the app to be slightly optimistic). That I'm not going to do anymore but every now and then I'll challenge myself to run x km in x days or do a x km long run to keep things interesting. I'd also love to do more trail running. I hope this year I'll go more often in the mountains to do some running. That would be some sweet acion :p

Without doubt it can be done, you just need the motivation. I personally don't worry about the times I don't eat well if it's being balanced out and the overall goal can still be met.

I use Endomondo for my tracker, and it seems fairly close. To me just having a number helps... even if it was off by 50% I can at least few my progress and determine that this diet combined with XX calories will maintain my weight.

It sounds like you have some fun areas to keep exploring. I want to get a bike rack so I can do the same, and I'll probably have to upgrade the bike to enjoy more off road stuff. For me making it part of my recreation time and a lifestyle thing is a goal. As it is now I'm just "fitting it in" when I feel motivated and have free time, which obviously I need to improve.

GridGirl

6th January 2015, 18:09

schmenke

6th January 2015, 19:16

I guess I should be content that I don't feel the need to lose any weight. I'm currently around 72kg (have no idea what that is in stone :s ), but was closer to 71kg just before the Christmas holidays :p: :uhoh: .
During my last physical checkup my family doctor said that my body fat index is normal "for someone my age" :mark: .

I still track my runs (using a GPS watch) because I enjoy measuring the progress made during the course of a year, as well as recording total monthly distance as it gives me a goal to beat every month. In 2014 my 10km time improved from just over 50min to under 46 (was trying to get down to 45 but beer got in the way :p: ).

I think I may be tempted to try for a half marathon later this year.

Still cold here today and snowing like crazy. Sigh... another battle with the treadmill later.

donKey jote

6th January 2015, 20:58

I'd like to lose the 10kg I've gained over the last 20-25 years of not doing too much sport, but not necessarily the 10kg I gained in the 10 years before then :andrea:

airshifter

7th January 2015, 14:15

We are back on a fitness regime in my household. Ibby is well above his fighting weight after too many beers and needs to loose 10KG. I want to get back to full fitness as I've hardly done any exercise since I completed my half marathon on 30 September. I would also like to loose about 5kg in weight but we'll see how it goes.

At least you are both working towards the same goal. It's hard to do when you live in a house with someone who isn't concerned with it!

One of my weak points now is the family. Our daughter likes "snacks" for her school lunch, as they don't have much time. Having those little demons of sugary delight often haunts me in the evening, and I can't resist taking one of them rather than snacking on something healthy. And even when I am doing good about working out, I have the influence of her and my wife for eating and buying choices.

I came home one day after a really solid 30 or so miles in high heat and humidity. After getting cleaned up I was faced with two women that had a strong desire to go out for mexican food. I caved in and went, and just couldn't order a taco salad or something leaning towards healthy when all that good stuff was on the menu. :laugh:

schmenke

7th January 2015, 16:41

^ That sounds very similar to the schmenke household :D :mark: .

Mark

8th January 2015, 16:05

We are back on a fitness regime in my household. Ibby is well above his fighting weight after too many beers and needs to loose 10KG. I want to get back to full fitness as I've hardly done any exercise since I completed my half marathon on 30 September. I would also like to loose about 5kg in weight but we'll see how it goes.

Good luck! I need to lose around 10Kg too so I'm back on a strict(ish) diet, no sweets and snacks, not until I stop that I realise how much I actually eat.

My wife has bought an exercise bike for the New Year so I've been having a go on that in the mornings, it's surprisingly good only trouble is just that it's so hot, even with a fan on me.

At least unlike airshifter and schmenke my wife is as seriously into the dieting as I am - much more so in fact. Diet curry indeed :mark:

You going to get back into cycling?

schmenke

8th January 2015, 17:21

Mark

8th January 2015, 17:52

My weakness is beer. I try to eat healthy (trying to avoid bread; salads for lunch, etc.), and I try to avoid alcohol during weekdays, but it's nothing for me to make up for it by downing a dozen pints during the course of a weekend :mark: .

Which makes it worse for me in that I don't drink outside of special occasions, which means I can't cut it out. Sweets and snacks are my main weakness, as well as the likes of scones and cake when I'm out!

donKey jote

8th January 2015, 18:15

I'm flying over to the UK for the weekend, so I'll have to put off my dieting until after the curry fest :facelick: :D

GridGirl

9th January 2015, 13:26

Good luck! I need to lose around 10Kg too so I'm back on a strict(ish) diet, no sweets and snacks, not until I stop that I realise how much I actually eat.

My wife has bought an exercise bike for the New Year so I've been having a go on that in the mornings, it's surprisingly good only trouble is just that it's so hot, even with a fan on me.

At least unlike airshifter and schmenke my wife is as seriously into the dieting as I am - much more so in fact. Diet curry indeed :mark:

You going to get back into cycling?

Ibby lost 3kg since Sunday just by giving up beer and taking up exercise again! My results have been significantly less successful.

Yes, I plan to get back into cycling, running, walking any anything else that involve 'free' exercise.

I know what you mean when you say that you get hot on the exercise bike. We have the same problem when using the turbo trainer.

J4MIE

9th January 2015, 13:48

Mark if you ever figure out how to give up the sweets then let me know, it doesn't do me any favours either :(

Mark

9th January 2015, 15:39

Mark if you ever figure out how to give up the sweets then let me know, it doesn't do me any favours either :(

I would imagine that involves extra complications for yourself too.

janneppi

9th January 2015, 16:03

This week seems to be better than normal, three hours of walking and one hour in a gym.
Tomorrow's weather seems like a good day for a long walk as well.

donKey jote

9th January 2015, 16:21

My training plan for the next 24h (if my plane doesn't get blown away by the gales):
-aziz tonight
-St Giles fryup tomorrow morning
-bodrum kebab or fish&chips with a pie for lunch / afternoon snack

Basically put the couple of pounds I relost after Xmas back on :burp:

airshifter

10th January 2015, 20:38

I jumped on the scale today.... you can now add me to the "want to lose 10KG" club.

I at least jumped on the elliptical afterwards, and burned about 700 calories.

And I kid you not, before I've even showered or changed, my daughter is begging that she is really in the mood for mexican food tonight! :laugh:

I will keep her happy, but I will eat less or something sensible. I'm near the heaviest weight I've ever been, and almost 10 lbs of it is holidays weight in the last month. It's so easy to fall off the wagon!

J4MIE

12th January 2015, 00:59

When my dad started exercising seriously a couple of years ago, he decided that rather than running for half an hour or whatever to work off the Mars bar he'd eaten, it was far easier to just not eat it in the first place :s

I've not done any exercise at all yet this year, my turbo trainer is sitting half built and I can't figure the stupid instructions out, very frustrating :(

schmenke

12th January 2015, 15:40

...
I've not done any exercise at all yet this year, my turbo trainer is sitting half built and I can't figure the stupid instructions out, very frustrating :(

Are they that complex? I used to have one and I'm pretty sure I remember it coming pre-assembled.

janneppi

12th January 2015, 19:39

I have a Elite turbotrainer, it required some assembly, but wasn't that complicated to build.

schmenke

12th January 2015, 19:55

^ There you go J4MIE, no excuses! :p:

J4MIE

12th January 2015, 22:07

....you haven't met me nor my complete lack of mechanical abilities ;)

I'll get it finished eventually.

Mark

13th January 2015, 10:11

The first workout is always to put the damn thing together! Have you got a garage where you can leave it set up, as that's the best way so you're not faffing on every time you want to put an effort in.

What trainer did you get?

I got a Tacx one last year and despite some head scratching I did put it together ok.

J4MIE

13th January 2015, 14:31

It's an Elite one, I do have a garage but for the winter it'll be in my living room, even the garage is too cold :(

janneppi

13th January 2015, 22:10

I'm running out of excuses soon, I have studded tyres coming next week for my commuter bike and I just bought new cycling shoes at a good discount from Evans cycles. The plan is to start commuting once per week the rest of the winter, weather permitting of course. I'll be surprised if I manage to stick with it, but hey, who nows. :D

schmenke

13th January 2015, 22:52

About a month ago I bought a set of strap-on cleats for my running shoes for winter running. I have yet to use them :uhoh:

airshifter

14th January 2015, 01:40

I still need some foul weather gear for getting fit outdoors. For any of you that live in the actual cold areas, if you have solid brands to recommend I'd appreciate it. Here we don't get much real "cold" but we do get a lot of wind and wet.

I went for a ride Sunday and it was a bit more brisk than I expected. Much cooler than that and I'd have to have some real gear or freeze. Being that freezing sucks the life out of exercise, I better get some gear.

janneppi

14th January 2015, 06:44

For cycling i seem to be using Pearl Izumi shorts and pants, they are the only brand that makes large enough pants. It's a North american company so they are familliar with fat people. ;)
Same with Arcteryx, their xxxl softshell jacket is large enough for me to enough midlayer shirts to use it at -10c.

GridGirl

14th January 2015, 14:42

For the larger person when it comes to cycling there is always the brand 'fat lad at the back'. I believe that they have recently also brought out a women's range called 'fat lasses at the back'. You can buy direct from their website and I also think they are stocked in various other stores such as Evans Cycles. I haven't tried on any of their clothing although I have been called to changing room incident when my other half couldn't extract himself from a large cycling jersey.

schmenke

14th January 2015, 15:41

I certainly wouldn't know. I haven't touched by bike since October :p: .

Btw, no Mexican food here, but Mrs. Schmenke did bake cupcakes last night :D :mark:

donKey jote

14th January 2015, 17:52

I hope they're not anything like Billy's missus' cupcakes ! :andrea:

Tazio

16th January 2015, 03:36

http://www.nigerianheadlines.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/turner-3.png
Billy's missus' cupcakes ! :andrea:
:angel:

janneppi

17th January 2015, 16:44

First bike ride this year today in bike paths and small roads to break in new studded tyres, 26km/1h40min so not that good pace.
Fun though. There was even some icy section to test the 240 stud Contis. :)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11791273/winters.jpg

Mark

27th January 2015, 09:52

My cycling club is trying to get new members in join in or old members to return in a series of 'steady rides', the first of which was on Sunday. About 40 miles at a reasonable pace, on a flat route and regular regrouping. Just what I need at this time of year!

Next one is 22nd February so if anyone who lives near to Chester-le-Street *cough*J4MIE wants to join in then let me know :D

airshifter

27th January 2015, 14:11

That does sound like great motivation Mark.

I've been in a slump lately. The motivation and desire is there, but the time and/or weather aren't. I accepted that getting on the elliptical Saturday would be the best I could do before a work overnighter. By the time I got all my stuff done there was no time left to do it, unless I cancelled some time with my family. And unfortunately, though my family remains priority, we often eat bad during that time!

I did get a hitch mount bike rack recently, free, by lucking into someone who had it and would not take money for it. This expands my riding areas and will hopefully help keep me on the bike more as the days get longer and time allows.

schmenke

27th January 2015, 16:10

...I did get a hitch mount bike rack recently, free, by lucking into someone who had it and would not take money for it. This expands my riding areas and will hopefully help keep me on the bike more as the days get longer and time allows.

Yeah,I picked one up cheap from kijiji a couple of years ago. A Thule, almost brand new. All it was missing was a bolt which cost me $15. Works great and holds up to 4 bikes, for those rare occasions when I can wrench the whole family away from cupcakes and Minecraft :p:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/15227458902_30eb1c9d20_z.jpg

janneppi

1st February 2015, 08:06

Friday's cycling to and from work might classify as training, I had my new heart rate monitor on me for the ride to work, 18km, 1h10 min at an average 138bpm heart rate :)
And the same back home 8 hours later.

J4MIE

1st February 2015, 18:30

Well after a few weeks of ignoring it, today I got around to having a look at my turbo trainer and the bike fitted straight on without any issues aside from a few tweaks aligning it.

Very warm in my living room now :s

Mark, I'll bear the 22nd in mind but still not at all keen on the temperature in Feb :( We'll see.

janneppi

1st February 2015, 18:47

Jamie, if you don't have a table fan of some sorts, get one. :)

I couldn't use the trainer properly without it, a bit of wind makes all the difference, that and a small towel hanging on the bars.

Mark

1st February 2015, 19:27

Even using my exercise bike is basically impossible without a fan on full blast.

airshifter

2nd February 2015, 11:00

Just don't exercise hard. No need for a fan then! :laugh:

I have a fan on the back of the elliptical for the same reason. It's almost below a ceiling fan, but if others are in the room I can't freeze them out.

That is one thing about biking, is the built in breeze. I usually try to slow my pace if I make a stop on warm days. Otherwise the stop produces instant heat and sweating.

Mark

2nd February 2015, 20:07

Yeah I find that too even on cool days I'm out cycling just a nice temperature. Then get into the house and within a few seconds it's a wall of heat. I try to remember that the remove my helmet and a layer of clothing first thing I do.

Big Ben

21st March 2015, 19:58

what's going on here? I have to bring this thread to back to the first page again? :)

Spring is kind of here so I've stepped up my program. I try to go 3 times a week to the gym and run at least 45 km per week but I've done much better the last 4 weeks. I stopped counting seriously but I'm around 250 km in the last 4 weeks.

I've slept pretty well this week and it shows. I managed to run 22.5km in 1:55:53 today, which is pretty good for me.

So, what's up?

airshifter

22nd March 2015, 13:24

Well I've done a lot of nothing lately! I need to get back on the schedule of doing some biking or elliptical at least every other day. We did have a real cold winter for this area, and TBH I just hate the elliptical or for that matter most indoor exercise.

I might get in a short ride today. I have to leave for an out of town overnighter. Most of the time I travel for work I have a great opportunity to work out in the evening, as it's boring in a hotel. But if I work out later in the day I can't get to sleep at a decent hour, and most of the time out of town stays mean early mornings for me.

So there you have it, my excuses why I spent so much time eating and very little exercising! :laugh:

I predicted to be a solid last in Marks endomondo challenge, but someone managed to work out less than me. A few didn't work out at all but I know Jamie was riding to work and probably burned more calories than my couple of rides. I really need to kick myself in the butt, I'm getting too old to not exercise more.

J4MIE

22nd March 2015, 14:16

Erm, I've not been riding to work. Only been on the turbo trainer a few times, and not for long at that. Just been working lots (we don't get offered overtime so gotta take it while it's going).

I was up in the Borders yesterday for a rally and had a brief thought of taking my bike up and staying for today, glad I didn't though as it's still too cold to be outside, my fingers are just about thawed out from the rally :s

GridGirl

23rd March 2015, 19:35

Mark

23rd March 2015, 21:54

I've recently taken up Yoga. That's about it from me apart from a few junior park runs. Going to the Lake District for a long weekend on Thursday so hoping to get some hiking done weather permitting. :)

Nice one. I need to do something along those lines. I've been struggling with back pain with my cycling recently which apart from the weather has been limiting what I can do :(. Everyone including the bike fit guy says I need to do core strength work.

GridGirl

23rd March 2015, 23:21

Interestingly I began seeing an osteopath for back pain that I've had since my early teens recently and have been told that I have quite a pronounced curve in the lower spine which is putting a lot of pressure on the lower vertebrae. I too have been told to improve my core strength as it will help alleviate the pain to some extent. My osteopath has been really good at advising me of stuff I can do at home and I go to Yoga classes but neither are something that will yield quick results I don't think.

If you have health insurance with work you should see if you can make a claim for treatment. It's what I'm doing. :)

Robinho

24th March 2015, 06:43

Nice one. I need to do something along those lines. I've been struggling with back pain with my cycling recently which apart from the weather has been limiting what I can do :(. Everyone including the bike fit guy says I need to do core strength work.

Core strength is important, I also see a chiropractor every couple of months (was weeks) to straighten me out a bit, crack my neck and release tension in my hips and lower back, all of which alleviate pain when cycling and have helped me get better core strength. Find a good chiropractor with knowledge of sports especially cyclists and who specialises in interaction with nerves and manipulation, not just cracking you

Mark

24th March 2015, 09:46

Kind of problem I have at the minute is that what I would like is (say) three different moves I could do every morning just to get me going, preferably standing up as rolling around the floor isn't for me ;) But everywhere I look is just dozens of different things, all of which seem important.

airshifter

24th March 2015, 14:25

I see I'm not the only one with some back issues.

Yoga for me has been great for loosening muscles in certain areas, as well as general relaxation. I found it messing around with the Wii Fit balance board games, and find certain yoga helps my back greatly. I've been dealing with back issues for years, and I've been told that one of my primary mistakes before going to physio therapy was building core strength without properly loosening up the offending muscle groups first. At one point I was told that I should take it really easy for almost a month to get loosened up, and then start very specific core exercises.

Being I'm fairly sure all three of you above are younger than me with less back issues, let me say this now. Regardless of your age, if you have minor or moderate back issues start dealing with it NOW! I didn't, worked through some periods of bad pain and tried to just suck it up and move on with life. I ended up causing more issues, and went through a couple of periods of pain that would literally at time take me to my knees. The joy of having muscle spasms so great that simply rolling over in bed might make your back spasm so bad that you experience all kinds of crunching and cracking noises you didn't think your back could make it something I don't wish on anyone.

In my case it resulted in many x-rays, a scan, and very specific physio therapy, including some of those "must do" stretches and exercises that Mark mentioned. My Dr was a sports therapy type that had back issues of his own, and it really hit home when he gave me the "or else" talk that mentioned I might be hobbling around with a cane in 10 years if I didn't take it seriously. And after what I experienced, I don't think any of it was scare tactics.

Biking usually helps loosen my lower back up some. I have to avoid really hard riding that overworks the core muscles at times, as well as any extremes of off roading that result in bad hits to the back through the bike.

janneppi

25th March 2015, 19:41

Like almost every else, I'm nursing an injury. :)

few weeks ago I was snowshoeing and my left knee started to act up. I have been really careful with it because it doesn't feel normal.

Last week I had an x-ray and today knee doctor twisted it for 5 minutes.

It seems the knee is a bit loose(propably not the best translation to English), thee might be a small fracture or infection in a ligament, but they want to give it some time. I did get a note to go see a physiotherapist to get some help. I hope it works.

J4MIE

11th April 2015, 00:14

Wel, today I cycled to work and back, only 4.5km each way but it's a start. Weather was good so I was out of excuses! It's meant to get a bit colder again but will see how it goes for the next week.

airshifter

13th April 2015, 08:05

After pulling my back yesterday, I hoped to get things loosened up some today. That though ended when I woke up. 1200 mg of ibuprofen was doing nothing at all for the pain, so I was off to the hospital. I now have heavy duty muscle relaxers, something to reduce swelling, and pain killers. Oh and the occasional crunchy back noise that I wasn't expecting.

Such is the joy of back damage. It's a thrill when you get muscle spasms so bad that it just renders that part of your body useless. No biking in my next week or two, unless it's a very casual ride.

schmenke

13th April 2015, 17:26

http://events.mec.ca/event/25426/mec-calgary-race-two-2015

1:11:39

15km. Quite pleased with that time, considering the course :)

J4MIE

16th April 2015, 23:01

I'm definitely in a get fit mode at the moment, so much so that I've signed up to two mountain bike events, both in September. Firstly the 'Kielder 101', a 101km loop around Kielder Forest, then a tougher challenge in the 'Tour de Ben Nevis', which is around 70km around the UK's highest peak. I therefore have 5 months to avoid almost certain death :s

Got a MTB Orienteering event in North Yorkshire on Saturday, I'll no doubt doubt finish last as usual but will be a good warm up for on the bike, a lot further than the 4.5km to work and more hills!

Mark

17th April 2015, 10:01

airshifter

4th May 2015, 15:17

62 miles around Kielder on a MTB does sound brutal. I did 20 miles on a mountain bike - albeit a cheap and heavy one and I was all but destroyed!

Considering I can bang in 20 miles on my road bike without much thought it's quite a difference.

I do all my miles on a cheap and heavy mountain bike. I've always actually wondered the calorie burn difference from a road bike vs mountain bike when riding on the road.

I'm dead in the water currently for anything other than mild exercise. I've got an MRI scheduled to take a better look at my back, and until then I'm supposed to be protecting it. I'd rather exercise more than cut back on eating, but right now I don't have much choice.

Mark

4th May 2015, 19:39

Same here to an extent. My back is the limiting factor as to how far and fast I can go which is really frustrating.

schmenke

5th May 2015, 00:02

The half-marathon at the end of May for which I've been training may now be in jeopardy.
I sprained my right calf muscle and the physical therapist says 2 to 3 weeks recovery time :( Don't think I'll be ready before the end of the month.

And to boot, I've already paid the $100 non-fundible registration fee :mark: .

J4MIE

5th May 2015, 19:57

And to boot, I've already paid the $100 non-fundible registration fee :mark: .

Does that hurt more than your injury? ;)

J4MIE

25th May 2015, 02:33

How's your recovery going schmenke?

I was back in Fife for the weekend and went out with an old school friend who'd bought himself a mountain bike but it had sat in his shed for over a year.... First time he'd been on a bike in about 15 years but we did a good 25 miles (40km). Nothing too difficult but really good fun and were both knackered at the end of it. Will have to persuade him to get out more and get on to some proper trails.

Hopefully the weather can calm down and warm up a bit and I'll get out on my road bike a bit more.

Mark

25th May 2015, 07:54

I take it that means you're out on Sunday then? :D

J4MIE

25th May 2015, 11:33

Yes I'm in :D

Mark

25th May 2015, 13:04

Good man. As long as it's not raining then you're on your own haha

schmenke

25th May 2015, 16:14

Longer than I had hoped. Tried a couple of recent short runs when I thought I was feeling better only to exasperate the problem :s . I’ve been biking lately instead which, to be honest, I’m enjoying more :D .

These two pics were from the Bragg Creek area, popular for mountain biking but it was quagmire of mud. My friend (in the red shirt) broke the rear hub of his wheel, which in turn broke the frame. We had to literally drag the thing back through the mud out to the trail head, about 5km away :s

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5456/17895159639_db81c648b0_z.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8844/17893718920_629802a4cb_z.jpg
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7758/17893503718_e08f0cf871_z.jpg

schmenke

25th May 2015, 16:15

These are from the Kananaskis area on Saturday. Thankfully dry, with a beautiful day, but a trail full of gnarly tree roots and large stones made for a jarring ride. Quite the cardio workout. Beautiful country though :) .

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8872/17895208409_52560f00e2_z.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8790/18082381131_03bc5a1720_z.jpg

Mark

1st June 2015, 09:51

Nice 50 mile ride out yesterday with the cycling club, plus a nice bacon sandwhich. Well the ride and the roads were nice, the weather was bloody awful, cold, blowing a gale and spitting with rain. I want to move to somewhere warmer!

Although I fear I may have put J4MIE off cycling for good :shock:

Mark

2nd June 2015, 21:24

So I've had the bright idea of going mountain biking with Jamie next weekend since he did road biking with me.

Not sure if this is a great idea!

schmenke

2nd June 2015, 21:40

Just make sure it's dry :dozey:

airshifter

4th June 2015, 02:39

I put in about 20 miles on the BOMB (beat old mountain bike) on Sunday, with a few of it off the road on mellow trails. I've been somewhat lazy and somewhat nursing my back.

I've really got to get a new bike badly. I think I've decided to get something with a front suspension with a lock out, and decent enough I can build on as time progresses. I'll probably stay in the $500-$600 range unless I can find a good deal on something used. And like most people within a year I'll probably want a better fork. :)

Mark

4th June 2015, 20:15

That seems cheap? I'm hiring a MTB on Saturday and looked up how much they are new and they are £500 and just thought, wow, they must be crap.

schmenke

4th June 2015, 20:38

$500 to $600 will get you a bare-bones “starter” MTB, but when shopping for a bike you certainly want to consider the amount and type of terrain you expect to be riding. It doesn’t make sense to purchase a higher-end bike when it likely would not be used as intended.

I would suggest to invest in a quality frame as, as mentioned, components can always be upgraded in the future.

schmenke

4th June 2015, 20:41

... I think I've decided to get something with a front suspension with a lock out...

Rockshox is the most popular front fork, and they manufacture a wide range of products. I enjoy the one on my bike and the lockout feature is highly recommended.

Mekola

6th June 2015, 03:34

Robinho

6th June 2015, 04:03

Last year I did almost no use of my bicycle, fortunately since last month I'm back on this... I don't know if is my age (I'm near to 35 now) but on the first rides I got tired after only 30 minutes of exercise. Now I step up to cope 40 minutes...

Keep at it, it's not your age (I'm 36 and have been cycling about 3 years) this year I'm up to 5500kms of cycling commuting already, manage about 220-300kms a week, an hour each way most days. Gradually increase the distance or speed over the existing distance and you'll get there.

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk

airshifter

9th June 2015, 07:47

That seems cheap? I'm hiring a MTB on Saturday and looked up how much they are new and they are £500 and just thought, wow, they must be crap.

I do the opposite. I often see people with thousands of dollars into their bikes, riding little more than I do and at about the same pace. Then I think to myself.... Wow, they must be crap (riders)!

I've found that it doesn't take a big investment to get exercise and get outside to do it. I could easily spend more money on components I don't need, or buy a lightweight road bike that would improve my pace. But at the end of the day, you can burn calories and get fit on just about anything you can keep rolling.

$500 to $600 will get you a bare-bones “starter” MTB, but when shopping for a bike you certainly want to consider the amount and type of terrain you expect to be riding. It doesn’t make sense to purchase a higher-end bike when it likely would not be used as intended.

I would suggest to invest in a quality frame as, as mentioned, components can always be upgraded in the future.

I don't plan on doing any major off roading, the primary reason for a mountain bike is that I do just enough off road to warrant a mountain bike over a hybrid type bike. Most of my miles will be on the bike trails or roads, with the suspension being to protect my back. I considered a full suspension bike but decided a hardtail with possibly a dampened seat post will likely do fine.

This is what I'm currently leaning towards getting....

http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/products/238298006/SCOTT-Aspect-950-Bike/

I checked out and rode the Aspect 750, which is the 27.5" version. I like the geometry but it was a little too "short" for the reach and stretch I prefer. The 29er geometry is almost the same, but with the larger wheel size and a little more space where I want it.

Completely understood on the fork, and I suspect I will be upgrading it as time goes on, especially if I make time to get off the road more. I considered the higher end versions of the bike, but really they add a lot of crap I don't really need or want to get to the point of having a better fork. I don't need 27 or 30 ratios, and even at that level the fork isn't that great. I know the XCT is essentially a crap fork, but the characteristics of being stiff might work well since I am more concerned with protecting my back from the major hits than I am with a plush dampened suspension.

And if I dislike the fork earlier than thought, Suntour has an upgrade program with discounts. I could either use that or go to another brand.

Keep at it, it's not your age (I'm 36 and have been cycling about 3 years) this year I'm up to 5500kms of cycling commuting already, manage about 220-300kms a week, an hour each way most days. Gradually increase the distance or speed over the existing distance and you'll get there.

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk

I noticed you were putting in steady miles when Mark made the Endo challenge. Racking them up every day like that and making it a habit is where it really pays off.

I think a fitness tracker like Endomondo is also great for anyone starting out with exercise, as it can show progress. Whether it's longer distances, increased paces, or whatever..... it would show people where they have improved and give them motivation. The social aspect may help some as well, and seeing others that keep at it is always a good thing.

schmenke

9th June 2015, 15:46

...
I don't plan on doing any major off roading, the primary reason for a mountain bike is that I do just enough off road to warrant a mountain bike over a hybrid type bike. Most of my miles will be on the bike trails or roads, with the suspension being to protect my back. I considered a full suspension bike but decided a hardtail with possibly a dampened seat post will likely do fine.

This is what I'm currently leaning towards getting....

http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/products/238298006/SCOTT-Aspect-950-Bike/

I checked out and rode the Aspect 750, which is the 27.5" version. I like the geometry but it was a little too "short" for the reach and stretch I prefer. The 29er geometry is almost the same, but with the larger wheel size and a little more space where I want it.

Completely understood on the fork, and I suspect I will be upgrading it as time goes on, especially if I make time to get off the road more. I considered the higher end versions of the bike, but really they add a lot of crap I don't really need or want to get to the point of having a better fork. I don't need 27 or 30 ratios, and even at that level the fork isn't that great. I know the XCT is essentially a crap fork, but the characteristics of being stiff might work well since I am more concerned with protecting my back from the major hits than I am with a plush dampened suspension.

And if I dislike the fork earlier than thought, Suntour has an upgrade program with discounts. I could either use that or go to another brand.
....

That’s a decent spec’d bike. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Don’t bother with a full sussy unless you plan on riding exclusively downhills.

I’d be curious to know how you feel about the 29”-er.

Last summer I upgraded from my previous old tank-of-a-bike (sounds similar to your BOMB, :p: ) that had 26” wheels and opted for the 27.5”. When I test rode the 29” bikes I found them to be somewhat unstable due to the larger frame and rake angle of the fork. I don’t know, perhaps it was just the leap from the 26” to the 29” that left me feeling unsteady. The 27.5” seemed to be the right compromise, upgrading from years of riding on a 26”.

Mark

9th June 2015, 21:36

I rode a Scott Aspect 27.5er at Dalby Forest last weekend. I know nothing about mountain bikes but it seemed decent enough to me. Shifted well and went over rocks and all that.

airshifter

10th June 2015, 15:58

That’s a decent spec’d bike. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Don’t bother with a full sussy unless you plan on riding exclusively downhills.

I’d be curious to know how you feel about the 29”-er.

Last summer I upgraded from my previous old tank-of-a-bike (sounds similar to your BOMB, :p: ) that had 26” wheels and opted for the 27.5”. When I test rode the 29” bikes I found them to be somewhat unstable due to the larger frame and rake angle of the fork. I don’t know, perhaps it was just the leap from the 26” to the 29” that left me feeling unsteady. The 27.5” seemed to be the right compromise, upgrading from years of riding on a 26”.

I think geometry plays into the stability as much as wheel and frame sizes. I did like the 27.5, but felt it was still a little too small. I'm hoping the bigger wheels, front fork combo will lessen the hard hits on big bumps but do realize that I will probably give up some of the tighter handling aspect. I don't mind having to muscle it around more in the tight stuff, since I'm rarely in that boat.

I rode a Scott Aspect 27.5er at Dalby Forest last weekend. I know nothing about mountain bikes but it seemed decent enough to me. Shifted well and went over rocks and all that.

I thought for the price it was a fairly solid package. I'm not sure which spec you rode, but the basics remain the same with primarily the fork and number of ratios changing depending on model. Since I'm ok with less ratios I thought the price difference was not reasonable for the fork that is still borderline. I can keep the money in my pocket for now, but even if I upgrade the fork my total out of pocket should be less than the higher spec'd bike.

It seems the Scott bikes are more popular over there, with few US dealers. But just for reference, both the Aspect 27.5 and 29er models in the base package can be had locally for $550.

Mark

10th June 2015, 20:25

It was the 750 I think. 3x9 gearing.

schmenke

11th June 2015, 20:11

airshifter

12th June 2015, 17:43

Did a short ride after work yesterday evening along some single tracks I've never done before. A section was so narrow that my front wheel skidded off and I toppled resulting in an "owie" on my right elbow and left shin :( . Thankfully no one was around to witness the embarrassment :dork: :D .

Those are always fun. Though we don't have many good places to get off the road, I've still got a bruise on my inner thigh from where the seat bit me hard going through a ditch. I stayed on the bike, but just misjudged where the seat would slam into over the big bump.

I guess I should just be happy it was my inner thigh and not more central! :laugh:

Mark

12th June 2015, 20:16

Did 50 miles today about half of it off road but more of a road bike type off road with well graded gravel. Still got my bike dirty as hell; so I won't make a habit of it!

Mekola

14th June 2015, 02:19

Keep at it, it's not your age (I'm 36 and have been cycling about 3 years) this year I'm up to 5500kms of cycling commuting already, manage about 220-300kms a week, an hour each way most days. Gradually increase the distance or speed over the existing distance and you'll get there.

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk

Thanks Robinho! This week I did two rides on two consecutive days, and the first one was longer (demoted about 50 mins the entire trip). That increased my resistance, thanks to that, the following ride I was not tired after the trip, on a shorter distance of 40 mins.

airshifter

28th July 2015, 13:16

I've done about 110 miles this month riding, and another 20 or so walking. Though it's not much, it's something, and my last ride I burned over 1200 calories in an hour. My back is doing better, and lately time has been my biggest hurdle with a vacation this month and a busy work schedule. That being said, I was up at 5:30 today and had time for a ride, but didn't go!

I had a ride a couple weeks ago that made me realize how much more fun it would be if I could find others to ride with. On a fairly popular trail a woman tucked in behind me for the trip one way. I didn't realize she was back there at first, and I'm still not sure if she was drafting or just pacing with me. On the return trip I paced behind her and noticed the difference in techniques at intersections and such, but it did add some motivation. We were both watering up as we slowed for a busy intersection, and I was tempted to speak to her, but didn't in fear of interrupting her ride and/or not wanting her to think I was hitting on her.

But at any rate, it made me realize that riding with someone could be more fun and extra motivation. There is a local bike shop that does 20 mile rides at several paces on Saturday mornings, but I found out that even though I could maintain the (slower) pace on my mountain bike without issues, they don't allow mountain bikes on the rides for "safety reasons". I suspect that actually they don't want people on beat up old cheap mountain bikes riding because they are in the business of selling bikes.

Since I've been busy I still haven't pulled the trigger on the new bike, which would come from the above shop.

On a side note, I also installed the My Fitness Pal app to watch my calories and nutrition some. It takes activity off of Endomondo and seems to work fairly well. Though my weight loss goal is something I could do without an app, it has been very helpful to me, especially in terms of nutrition. It does have some quirks but seems fairly painless to use. So far every food or drink I've scanned has come up in the database, including some craft beer I had to bike off on Sunday morning. :)

Mark

28th July 2015, 19:28

Riding with someone certainly makes it fun. Last Sunday I organised one of our clubs Steady Rides which is supposed to be for beginners and me because I'm too slow for the normal club runs.

But 5 miles out most of the group except me and two others took a wrong turn; they all know where they are going so the three of us decided to make a race of it to Corbridge. Three of us working together properly like it's a Tour de France breakaway we even caught and passed a club run from another club. Haven't had so much fun in a while and we beat the main group to the cafe by 20 minutes.

Mark

29th July 2015, 10:26

Just realised it's now three years since I returned to cycling and bought a hybrid bike. Since then I'm now on my second road bike! I've covered 6,977miles over 306 rides. 5,275 of those miles being on my current road bike.

donKey jote

29th July 2015, 12:59

Crikey, three years! How many pairs of Lycra shorts have you been through in that time? :andrea: :p

Mark

29th July 2015, 20:39

Haha. Not that many. I just bought a new pair a few weeks ago otherwise I was using the same ones I'd been using for a couple of years. They are still fine.

airshifter

3rd August 2015, 13:28

My ride distance for July wasn't much, only 133 miles. But I also did as many walking calories, so overall I burned about 13,000 calories doing "other than usual" exercise in July. With having the nutrition app it's helping keep me honest on food intake as well.

We had a cookout/BBQ/potluck on Saturday and I totally destroyed all my hard efforts through the week by eating and drinking almost 6000 calories. Good thing I went for a decent ride that morning and burned off about 1500. :laugh:

Mark

3rd August 2015, 20:03

Just got my Endomono email for last month, 400 miles! I think about 360 cycling.

I'm constantly thinking "I'm not doing much at all" but the numbers would disagree.

airshifter

4th August 2015, 13:56

Just got my Endomono email for last month, 400 miles! I think about 360 cycling.

I'm constantly thinking "I'm not doing much at all" but the numbers would disagree.

I think I only have about 350-360 bike miles for the year. Total slacker! :laugh:

MrJan

9th August 2015, 18:44

Bought myself a 29er to do bit of cross-country/trail riding to try and get a bit fitter and lose some weight. Only really doing a few nights a week of about 10 miles on average, but already feeling the difference in my stamina.

Sent from my K00L using Tapatalk

airshifter

11th August 2015, 11:02

If I bike just once or twice a week I start getting more endurance and the pace slowly picks up. I'm also figuring out which foods give me more long term energy and bringing nutrition into the picture more.

I've still put off picking up the 29er I was looking at. I'm not really sure why, as the old BOMB (beat old mountain bike) is really taking more abuse and causing more maintenance lately.

I've dropped almost 20 pounds since the start of the year, and I'm feeling better now that I get out more to exercise. Another few pounds and I'll start switching to more muscle building rather than fat burning. On the bike, I can burn about 1200-1300 calories per hour when I want, and it makes for efficient use of my exercise time.

MrJan

11th August 2015, 11:18

Big Ben

11th August 2015, 15:40

This is the getting fit thread but one thing I've learnt about myself is that I find it easier to get fit than stay fit. I run a lot. I constantly run over 50km/week yet lately I managed to gain some weight and I have some nice love handles, even though nobody to use them :laugh:, and a nice muffin top. I thought all this running will allow me to treat my body like a dumpster and just eat everything I want but I guess I have to sort out my eating habits too. No matter how many calories I burn, it seems I can eat more.

Mark

11th August 2015, 15:49

That was one of the biggest disappointments when I started cycling. Everyone is saying oh yeah start cycling and the weight will fall off, you can sit and eat fish & chips followed by an entire chocolate cake and still lose weight as long as you've been out cycling.

When of course it's total nonsense, even when I'm up to 100 miles per week and cutting back on food I'm still putting weight on! The only way I've been able to get it off is just by old fashioned severely restricting what I eat.

Big Ben

12th August 2015, 09:03

One thing I wondered is if we are getting exceedingly efficient as we get better at it, I mean we just burn a lot less to run/cycle the same distance. It's surely getting easier. The internet says that's not really true. The difference is too small to be bothered by it. One article I've read says a seasoned runner might burn about 5% less calories than a newbie and as you get fitter you can run more or/and faster and that way keep burning the same amount or even more by increasing intensity or distance. So I guess in my case it's just bad food and bad eating habits.

One thing I've noticed is that I prepare way to seriously (:laugh:) for a long run. I'm always having a huge breakfast. I'm probably compensating for the whole running and then I often I feel the 'weight' of the breakfast. And when I'm done I indulge because I did a long run, forgetting about the giant breakfast.

Then there's the problem of my sweet tooth and love for pastries. Those are killing me.

Another bad habit is having late dinners and eating in front of the tv. I often have my dinner after 8 and they're not always light. Having snacks in front of the tv is a good recipe for over-indulging.

So I guess I know what I need to do, I just need to find some will power :p

MrJan

12th August 2015, 09:07

The whole efficiency idea makes sense, I've definitely noticed (even in the space of two or three weeks) that I'm finding riding up hills easier. If things feel easier then it would make sense that you're putting in less effort and therefore burning fewer calories.

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Mark

14th August 2015, 21:54

Up to an extent but the laws of physics apply too in terms of needing a certain amount of energy to do certain work. Your muscles get more efficient but a large part of that is getting better at burning more fuel faster and less about using the fuel more efficiently.

airshifter

17th August 2015, 13:08

Yeah maintenance is what worries me on the bike. Even though it's new and a half decent Trek it's still got nearly 250 pounds of me on it, and I'm not the most sympathetic of riders when I'm going downhill! However I'm starting a new job next month (better paid) so won't mind so much about paying people for the hassle of servicing. It's also still better value than joining a gym and, most importantly, it's a form of exercise that I enjoy doing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I actually like turning wrenches, so fixing things doesn't really bother me, it's just a time thing. I figure I can usually fix it faster than I could get it to the shop for them to do it. And by being familiar with the bike, I can make good adjustments. In my case it's just that the bike is old. :)

This is the getting fit thread but one thing I've learnt about myself is that I find it easier to get fit than stay fit. I run a lot. I constantly run over 50km/week yet lately I managed to gain some weight and I have some nice love handles, even though nobody to use them :laugh:, and a nice muffin top. I thought all this running will allow me to treat my body like a dumpster and just eat everything I want but I guess I have to sort out my eating habits too. No matter how many calories I burn, it seems I can eat more.

That was one of the biggest disappointments when I started cycling. Everyone is saying oh yeah start cycling and the weight will fall off, you can sit and eat fish & chips followed by an entire chocolate cake and still lose weight as long as you've been out cycling.

When of course it's total nonsense, even when I'm up to 100 miles per week and cutting back on food I'm still putting weight on! The only way I've been able to get it off is just by old fashioned severely restricting what I eat.

This is where a nutrition app has helped me a lot in keeping me honest with food intake. In basic form it's simple.... less calories in than out. But the app helped me really see where I was making bad choices, and also helped a lot with balancing the proper ratios of proteins, fats, and carbs. It also ties in with Endo to keep track of exercise and adjusts the intake for days you work out, so that is a big plus. One of my major weak points was not eating properly after a day of burning big calories on the bike. Rather than eat right to recover, I would eat light and then be wanting to eat everything the next day, and on top of that I was eating the wrong things.

The app is fairly easy to use... making the lifestyle choice to use it and keep myself honest was a little harder. But I now view weekly calories and know when I can do well to build up for a "splurge" day and eat that big cake!

From my personal experience I have to be really fit to just "eat what I want". Back in my military days and at one period after where I had a fairly physical job I could do it. But without a lot of muscle mass and activity it's out of the question for most people.

As for avoiding heavy foods before a work out, I turned to using some nutrition/protein bars and such things. Small and don't slow you down, but there are varieties with just about any nutrition combo you want.

As for the efficiency thing, I think we are all on the same train of thought. Adding Endo and then later a bike computer that shows pace/cadence/etc might have helped a few percent. But overall the efficiency comes more from conditioning those certain muscles we need for the activity.

I've been doing good this month. Over 200 miles on the POS BOMB (Beat Old Mountain Bike) and some walking miles. Sunday I was feeling a bit tired from my Saturday ride and not really feeling strong, but managed to get a personal best 20km as well as a personal best 1 hour on the bike. So far I'm burning a little over 1000 calories a day average for the month.

schmenke

17th August 2015, 17:01

Sounds like a general theme here :p:

I find that maintaining proper nutrition is harder than exercising.
I seem to do o.k. during weekdays when I avoid alcohol and eat more fruits and vegggies, but then blow it all during the weekends when I grill a ribeye steak or hamburger on the BBQ, along with downing a half-dozen pints of beer :uhoh: .

...

As for avoiding heavy foods before a work out, I turned to using some nutrition/protein bars and such things. Small and don't slow you down, but there are varieties with just about any nutrition combo you want....

Same here. Before a run or bike ride, I try to have a high protein/low-fat meal, typically a couple of boiled eggs and/or fruit. I avoid meat, bread and dairy products.

I don't "count calories" (I have no idea how to do it), so I have no idea how much I'm burning vs. consuming. I should probably try an app, but I'd likely be unmotivated to keep it up to date :mark: .

MrJan

17th August 2015, 22:51

Yeah the weekend thing is a big issue for me too. I'm mostly avoiding beer during the week, but then on Fridays it's far too easy to just chuck loads down my neck :D

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airshifter

18th August 2015, 13:16

It's easy to blow it during time off, especially when you have some drinks. A couple weekends back I managed to consume almost 6000 calories in a day! BUT.... overall I was at about break even for the week. A couple rides and sensible eating the rest of the week balanced things out some.

I found the app I'm using (My Fitness Pal) by clicking on the Nutrition tab in Endomondo. It's simple to use, and has really helped me keep things in perspective and find better alternatives, as well as look at the overall long term picture.

And let me just say this.... I'm not a "diet" type of person. I can watch what I eat somewhat, but I'm going to have that nice burger or steak. Saturday I had a monster burger from one of our favorite local places, and Sunday I had some of the best local pizza we have found. But just that app and the influence it has made for me has me looking harder at alternatives for when I need something healthy. Last night after my ride I ate a salad (I like light foods after a workout) and then made a peanut butter and banana smoothie that I saw a recipe for on the greek yogurt I picked up. That smoothie was freaking good.... like order it at a burger joint good. But it was mega healthy too.

I'm starting to see that I don't have to deprive myself to eat healthier, I just have to make changes.

Mekola

29th August 2015, 00:07

This weekend did many 30 min and 15 min walkings, that helped to kept the same weight. Now my objective is to return to 99 Kg soon, I'm on the verge to do that achievement.

airshifter

31st August 2015, 02:59

This weekend did many 30 min and 15 min walkings, that helped to kept the same weight. Now my objective is to return to 99 Kg soon, I'm on the verge to do that achievement.

All it takes to get started is willpower. The help of some method of tracking food intake vs calories burned will help as well.

I've dropped a little over a pound a week for the last few weeks. It's not as hard as it seems, you just have to want to do it.

Mekola

17th September 2015, 12:07

Over the last 10 days I did about 15 hours of walkings! That helped me a lot to lose weight and now I am in 98 Kg! Also was a pleasure because it helped so much to have a better figure!

airshifter

17th September 2015, 13:59

Over the last 10 days I did about 15 hours of walkings! That helped me a lot to lose weight and now I am in 98 Kg! Also was a pleasure because it helped so much to have a better figure!

It all adds up. Calories out > calories in = weight loss. I've lost around 6 pounds since the last post here, mostly with walking and biking. Logging food has made it much easier for me to see where I was screwing things up the worst.

I'm now down to within a couple pounds of the weight I was when I got out of the military 25 years ago. My final goal intention is to be below that weight and at least as fit as I was 25 years back. I've still got some work to do, but it's paying off.

For the month I'm a bit behind the curve due to weather and extra work. But I'm at 130 miles biking, and about 15 miles of walking, climbing stairs, or elliptical.

Mark

17th September 2015, 21:23

I've finally managed to get set up at home so I can do indoor trainer rides. So I can do stuff during weekday mornings where it's already dark when before I would be riding outside. It's a pretty hot business tho even with two fans blowing on me!

At the moment I'm following interval plans and listening to the radio but I'm hoping to try some virtual reality games like Zwift.

In the meantime I'm getting fatter due to endless amounts of crisps, sweets and ice lollies.

Mark

17th September 2015, 21:26

Over the last 10 days I did about 15 hours of walkings! That helped me a lot to lose weight and now I am in 98 Kg! Also was a pleasure because it helped so much to have a better figure!

Very nice! I'm still doing 3 miles most lunchtimes at work. The advantage for that is I don't need any equipment and can do it year round with the addition of appropriate clothing!

Ingress ( http://www.ingress.com ) has been an advantage for me. Gives me motivation to get out walking more when sometimes I might not bother.

airshifter

15th October 2015, 04:25

So... is everyone taking the winter off already? :laugh:

Work pace has been crazy lately, so getting in rides is getting harder and harder. But I've dropped a few more pounds since last post here, and a few more to go. I also finally got batteries for the heart rate monitor on my bike, and found that the HRM transmits to our elliptical machine. The bike computer simply monitors, but the elliptical uses the heart rate to more accurately log calorie burn.

Hoping to get in more decent days for outdoor biking. I much prefer it over anything indoors. Since traffic in this area keeps any real long term pace down, I just deal with traffic and then up pace when and where I have a chance. Compared to when I wasn't riding, lifting pace on those shorter opportunities is nothing compared to what it used to take.

Now below the weight I was when I got out of the military. Soon it's time to start building more muscle back.

airshifter

18th December 2015, 19:39

Well based on how quick this thread died, I'm at least hoping that nobody here is hoping for new larger clothes for Christmas!

I've shifted focus a bit and have now dropped more weight than my original target, as well as some strength stuff being added back in. Still behind the curve on relative strength compared to where I was in the military, but I think my cardio is actually superior to that timeframe.

J4MIE

3rd January 2016, 03:36

Really need to get back into it this year as have been SERIOUSLY slacking the last few months.

Start back at tennis on Wednesday evening then cardio tennis Thursday evening. Will need to wait until spring to get out on my bike, but after failing to make it this year my entry was deferred to this year for the Tour de Ben Nevis :s So need to get fit enough to do that in September. Also want to do a bit of hill walking so should be an active summer :cool:

Mark

3rd January 2016, 10:37

Same here. Put on a lot of weight over the last three months and I'm now 85kg. I should be 70kg at maximum to be considered healthy!

I'm currently building a bike to use on the turbo trainer which hopefully will be a more regular thing and I've cut out the snacks as of yesterday.

Gregor-y

4th January 2016, 17:18

It's been well below freezing lately so I haven't been biking, but I've got a decent two mile walk through town after work that lets me catch a bus right to my doorstep. If I'm early enough on my way to work I can get of the train a stop of three early walk another mile or so, but it's never going to compare to biking. People watching is pretty fun, though. There are always a lot tourists about year 'round.

Big Ben

27th January 2016, 14:14

airshifter

1st February 2016, 17:29

I put on quite a lot of weight in December so as every year the new year's resolutions list has a get fit item. The only issue with this plan right now is the winter. The cold and the darkness make the running less pleasant. Running at -7 can be an 'interesting' experience.

I have started logging workouts on mapmyrun again. That always enhances my maniacal tendencies and I need that right now :laugh:.

I've also started going to the gym to work my other muscles too.

Usually in the colder months I gain some weight. Around here it's mild, but I'm a warm weather person due to being spoiled by the local weather. But with all the holidays and me having a birthday in the mix of the season, it's easy to gain some pounds. This year I got active early, made a better effort at avoiding that, and made it through the holiday season without gaining.

I've been more in the "change your day to day lifestyle" mode since deciding to drop some weight. I've never been one to like the ups and down, and more interested in long term changes.

Saturday I jogged intentionally for the first time in probably 20+ years.

schmenke

4th February 2016, 23:09

...
Saturday I jogged intentionally for the first time in probably 20+ years.

Have you previously found yourself jogging by accident? :p:

tfp

4th February 2016, 23:54

I started jogging again at the turn of the year, lost 7 pounds, then increased my running distance to 4.5 miles then gained a pound, then promptly gave up...

I get put off way too easily!

airshifter

6th February 2016, 06:25

Have you previously found yourself jogging by accident? :p:

I've jogged slowly bringing the bike home with a flat. Very slowly. Shins meeting pedals tends to make one wary. Other than with the bike and running some stairs at a local park a few times, this was the first time I had gone out with the simple intention of running.

And unlike when with the bike, my shins didn't bleed at all. It could have been worse. :)

MrJan

28th February 2016, 14:32

Been out on the bike a bit, but much less recently. Did this a few weeks ago (heavy breathing uphill has been cut) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arBYywlZS8w

Only been out once since but helped a bit. Hasn't really had any effect weight wise, as usual I just end up eating more, but I did notice on a skiing trip in January that I was generally fitter.

Big Ben

29th February 2016, 18:29

schmenke

29th February 2016, 19:54

205 km in February, up from 138 in January and a lot less in December. The trend is good and I think there are some small results. I haven't weighed myself recently but the belt seems somewhat loose lately. I have a few goals for this year, running wise. I want to run the marathon distance. I would also like to do a 300km month and a 100km week. And get fitter in the process of course. All those numbers are just a way of keeping things interesting, nothing more :p

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Impressive distances. What’s a comfortable pace for you BB? Also, with that kind of distance, how do you manage to stay injury free?

I registered only 145kms in February. I’m trying to get up to at least 50km per week. Signed up for my first half-marathon in mid May (well, I was signed up for one about a year ago but had to bail due to injury :mark: ).

Bike’s been parked since October :dozey: .

Mark

29th February 2016, 20:46

I've mostly been riding indoors on Zwift. Although I've done 550 miles in the last two months.

Big Ben

1st March 2016, 09:13

Impressive distances. What’s a comfortable pace for you BB? Also, with that kind of distance, how do you manage to stay injury free?

I registered only 145kms in February. I’m trying to get up to at least 50km per week. Signed up for my first half-marathon in mid May (well, I was signed up for one about a year ago but had to bail due to injury :mark: ).

Bike’s been parked since October :dozey: .

I do my usual runs (11.5km) at around 11km/h.

I am not that injury free. My left knee hurts but I'm not sure if it's the running or the football (the one played with the foot and a ball : p). The thing is it doesn't hurt when I run or walk. It hurts when I bend my knees and tilt to the left. I usually run counter clockwise which means I turn left a lot. I wonder if that's got something to do with it. I had a similar problem before and it just went away. The cold weather doesn't help much either.

schmenke

1st March 2016, 20:44

My last run, a couple of days ago:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1630/25416713205_aa81edcc06_b.jpg

Big Ben

2nd March 2016, 08:13

Nice pace schmenke. I haven't run so fast in a long while. I don't feel very fit at the moment. The spare tire is heavy :laugh:.

schmenke

2nd March 2016, 15:28

Thanks BB. I can't run a marathon, but I'll crush a 10k :D

J4MIE

3rd March 2016, 00:54

I'm still waiting for warmer weather :p

schmenke

3rd March 2016, 15:20

If I did that around here I wouldn't run until July :p: .

Mark

4th March 2016, 20:55

I'm still waiting for warmer weather :p

Me too. In past years I would have already been cycling outside at this time of year. This year I have a turbo trainer so I'm just like, sod that!

airshifter

17th March 2016, 04:29

I'm still on a roll, and increasing performance metrics on a steady pace.

The cross training on the elliptical is paying off big time in endurance and output, and translating well to the bike. Per Strava wattage estimations I'd venture to say that if I could get some road without distractions to find long term pace and spin, reaching 250+ watts for hours is within reach without killing myself or even coming close. The rare few places I can lift pace for a mile or more increase every ride I put in effort beyond just putting in miles. Over a 1.5 mile segment the other day Strava estimates I was putting down 421 watts, and my average speed was 21 MPH on a beat up old fat tired mountain bike with the aero profile of a brick.

I wish I had recorded my resting heart rate and done some performance testing a year or so back to have more exacting numbers on changes. But as I keep increasing effort, the training keeps paying off. Today I did some upper body work, then a 3 mile equivalent on the elliptical, then a true Tabata HIIT protocol. Doing the Tabata my max heart rate was around 20 BPM lower than doing that same protocol a few months back. And during the work phase (20 seconds 170% of VO2max, 10 seconds rest, rinse, repeat) I put down almost 28 calories per minute.

I've avoided running much still, but need to get out and work on pace which was always my weakness. I have the cardio base to set a fairly solid pace for my size and age, but just need to get my stride and cadence in line to make the steady effort pay off. Based on the elliptical I might keep up with Schmenke.... but the reality is I reject that theory due to my pacing problems.

I think all the data display and pacing information on the elliptical has really helped, and let me see first hand where it pays off to push, and where the steady state overcomes. I'm much better in touch with using my heart rate as a speedometer of sorts.

I can't wait to get out soon and find some road that lets me really see where 1-2 hour biking pace is.

Big Ben

17th March 2016, 16:03

And some think I'm suffering from OCD because I log my runs :laugh:

airshifter

20th March 2016, 04:54

And some think I'm suffering from OCD because I log my runs :laugh:

You have no idea how much data I have, some in formats that would cause people to search just to understand the terminology! But I'm big on the metrics, as that is where I see the improvements and figure out what is working and what is not.

And I've found a forum that has people that make it look like I don't have nearly enough data. Some of those people calculate expected weight changes to the ounce, lose their minds if they are 10 grams short of protein for the day, and would commit suicide if they couldn't weigh all of their food.

Thankfully I'm spared of that kind of thinking, and only obsess on fitness side! :laugh:

Big Ben

21st March 2016, 16:01

My knees are not in a good shape. I think I shall give up on my 'goals'. I did notice that football is particularly hard on them. I played on Friday and I felt them so bad over the weekend that I decided it was best not to do long runs. I think I'll quit football too. Not really a great loss for the game to be honest :laugh:. I haven't really enjoyed it much lately. It seems like football is always attracting a$$holes. I've played a lot but almost every time there was an a$$hole around ruining it for everyone (or most of us). There's always an hysterical guy always bitching, moaning, swearing, throwing hissy fits. I just don't have patience with them anymore. It was a very good way to stay fit though.

J4MIE

22nd March 2016, 21:24

According to Endomondo my cycle(s) on Friday were the first since last July! Did 11km & 8km, very slowly (1hr 50m & 1hr 20m) as it was quite a hilly area and I am far from fit. Did enjoy the downhills though, will need to start putting more effort in though. Already keen to get back out on Friday but the rest of the Easter weekend isn't looking great weather wise!

Oh and on Friday night I joined the club of those poor individuals that have had their bike on the car roof and then driven into a low entrance......oops!!

Mark

24th March 2016, 16:46

airshifter

26th March 2016, 12:34

So far this year I've lost a total of 8.6kg and I've been using the turbo trainer a lot so I'm now cycling at least three times per week. And with the weightloss and extra training I've felt the difference when I've been outside riding. I'm no faster in total but rather those bits of road where I always struggled I'm finding easier, which is amazing.

I've found that the results on the exercise increase even more once you get the weight loss over with. That calorie deficit can slow you down on training sometimes. Those extra calories help fuel you better much of the time.

I've considered dropping another few pounds but if I do it will probably be in the cooler months after summer.

Big Ben

4th May 2016, 10:00

In the end I 'accomplished' one of my targets despite my knees not being in tip top shape. Between last Thursdays and today (Wednesday) I managed 101 km... so that's 101 km in 7 days... that's sort of a week. I don't know when am I going to go for the next points in my project... which I like to call "The conquest of the f****** useless" but for the time being I'll go back to normal running. I am pretty tired.

schmenke

4th May 2016, 15:08

Good Lord BB, when do you find the time?! :eek: .

Lately my weekly average has been barely half that (190kms in the last 30 days :mark: ).

It's been unusually hot here lately. I went for a trail run in 28 deg temps yesterday and promptly turned around and went home and had a beer instead :uhoh: .

Big Ben

4th May 2016, 18:19

We had the Easter this weekend over here and since I had no plans I just went for long runs... and one thing led to another... I realized I could do it, so I did it

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

J4MIE

6th May 2016, 00:56

Just realised it is only three weeks until I had planned to do a (slow) cycle around Ben Nevis. Looks like it'll be a tough few weeks ahead....

schmenke

6th May 2016, 15:39

Just realised it is only three weeks until I had planned to do a (slow) cycle around Ben Nevis. ....

What distance is that J4MIE?

J4MIE

6th May 2016, 19:00

The event I've entered in September is I think 68km......... Had been thinking of doing a slow recce so I can at least get an idea of where I'm meant to be going :s
We'll see. Weather is looking half decent at last so will be out this weekend and take it from there...

schmenke

11th May 2016, 15:34

The other day I went to take my bike out for the first time in months, but obviously had to inflate the tires first. For the life of me I couldn't find the valve stem adapter (that I could have sworn I left with the pump).

So I went inside and had a beer instead :s :uhoh: .

Brown, Jon Brow

12th May 2016, 18:20

I'm running a 10k in July. Managed 5 k the other day in about 23 minutes.

schmenke

12th May 2016, 18:38

... Managed 5 k the other day in about 23 minutes.

Good time. I can't manage any better than that.

Mark

23rd May 2016, 19:48

Spent the winter getting fitter and fitter and losing weight on the turbo trainer. Then started having knee problems which slowed me down. Then a started having back problems which really slowed me down and now has completely stopped me and now I've got some muscle strain in my side which means I can hardly walk nevermind ride :(

Brown, Jon Brow

23rd May 2016, 20:48

Good time. I can't manage any better than that.

I''ve gone up 6 km and managed that in 29 minutes this evening. Seemed to have hit a wall though, can't go any quicker.

schmenke

30th May 2016, 14:34

Finally competed in my first 1/2 marathon. 1:47:17. Pretty pleased with that :)

Laura55555

10th June 2016, 11:34

Hi there, I am a post graduate student conducting research on the behaviours of motorsport athletes regarding consumption of supplements pre, during and post-race. I would hugely appreciate your help with this. Can you please tell me your diet for all stages and or if you take performance supplements and why? Thanks so much :-)

Big Ben

10th June 2016, 12:12

Finally competed in my first 1/2 marathon. 1:47:17. Pretty pleased with that :)

wow. kudos for that time.

janneppi

24th June 2016, 14:39

To celebrate the midsummer I took the bike on a bit rougher commute back home, of 25km, only 5-6km's of asfalt. :D
The last time I had ridden some of the trails was on full suspension bike with 160mm of wheel travel on both ends, no it was more like 2mm.

The rock gardens and roots weren't that fun or safe, but 80% of the trails/gravel roads were really good.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11791273/tyob.jpg

airshifter

1st August 2016, 11:16

Well we let this one go for over a month, how is everyone doing?

I slacked off for a couple months big time. Got an infection and the antibiotics caused me some major stomach issues, and then used that as an excuse after I got it cleared up. So a legitimate slow down of maybe 2.5 - 3 weeks, leading to extended laziness for almost 2 months.

I think for some reason I ended up with a phobia of sorts, as the worst of my stomach problems came after a fairly hard bike ride. So I confronted that Saturday. Though I didn't work real hard for the majority of the ride, I pushed hard for a segment that's a bit over a mile and a half. I ended up just shy of 400 watts, so I've lost some cardio base in the couple months of slacking.

But it still felt good to get out and do it. And I need to either keep doing it, or watch what I eat more. The weight is creeping back up some.

Brown, Jon Brow

3rd August 2016, 22:27

I did my first 10K run the other week in about 50 minutes.

Supposed to be running a half marathon in October but can't keep to a training plan.

Big Ben

19th January 2017, 09:28

GridGirl

21st January 2017, 21:11

In the nicest possiblele way can I just say that muscle weighs more than fat. I had never lost any weight training for half marathons until my last one where I also gave up alcohol. :Laugh:

GridGirl

21st January 2017, 21:12

In the nicest possiblele way can I just say that muscle weighs more than fat. I had never lost any weight training for half marathons until my last one where I also gave up alcohol. :laugh:

airshifter

22nd January 2017, 17:37

I really had to to dig to find this thread.
So, it's a new year, time to get all delusional about getting fit :laugh:. The very thing that we are waiting for the 1st of January to start getting fit should be a good sign of how committed we really are.

My 2016 was quite bad, fitnesswise. I ran 2046km. In December I realized that I could actually cover the distance between my town, Oradea, and Barcelona and after I finished on the 31st of December I realized I made an accounting error. I logged a run twice, somehow, so I fell short of my random meaningless goal. But the really bad part of it all is that I actually gained weight. That's almost depressing. My running was supposed to be the thing that perfectly regulated my body weight. Doesn't seem to be working very well. I guess, if you eat so much crap like I did, you have to do intercontinental runs :laugh:.

I do much better with my weight control when I can stay active. Sometimes life gets in the way, and sometimes I just slack off. But that's a fairly solid chunk of miles you ran either way.

If I could get to the point that weight control with or without exercise was easy, life would be grand. But I'll admit I love having loads of extra calories to consume after a hard workout!

In the nicest possiblele way can I just say that muscle weighs more than fat. I had never lost any weight training for half marathons until my last one where I also gave up alcohol. :laugh:

Sometimes those small things add up. None of us gained weight super quick, and likely won't lose it super quick unless we remove something from the intake side.

As for me, I have to chill for a bit until I talk to my doctor. I had to go in for an MRI last week, and need to avoid certain things regarding my back until I have a plan from the doc. Hopefully restrictions will be minimal.