any inspirational stories?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Andy said:

I just started biking to work, 10-11 miles each day, after a few years of
being very sedentary and pretty out of shape. I quit smoking last year too.
I'm thinking the key to getting in shape is to exercise every day, and not
just exercise on weekends or twice a week like a lot of people.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

To start with, riding 10-11 miles daily is really a good start.
You're an inspiration to yourself! You're already doin' good!

I think the main thing is to get to enjoy moving around and
physically doing stuff. It stirs up the endorphines.

Follow the endorphines.

And maybe get rid of all your soft chairs and replace them with
hard, wooden kitchen chairs that are high enough to bend your
knees at a 90-degree angle when you sit in them, so you can
easily stand up -- that's largely what works for me, anyways.
Staying out of too-soft chairs keeps one's butt from becoming
continentally wide. I mean, just look at people who drive all
day, sitting on plushy bench seats, like cops or cab drivers.

I think too-comfortable and too-hard-to-get-out-of furniture is
a leading cause of sedentarism.

Be ready to scramble. Be able to stand up out of your chair
without having to go "unnggh" as you lift yourself off
with your hands on the armrests :-)

I figure exercise is just moving around, keeping the blood flowing
and the tissues supple. You don't have to pay some membership gym
to do that.

As for inspirational stories, though -- riding cured my sciatica.
Or at least, it keeps it at bay.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On Mon, 9 Jan 2006 23:41:25 -0800, [email hidden]

(Tom Keats) said:

I think too-comfortable and too-hard-to-get-out-of furniture is
a leading cause of sedentarism.

When you look at the agility of old people in floor sitting cultures
and compare that to those in our overstuffed lifestyle that's obvious.
--
zk

Well good for you!
Getting in shape means different things to different people. A recent
study showed tremendous health benefits can be gained from the weekend
warrior approach but I reckon every day has greater potential. The keys
to increasing fitness are training intensity and training time. There's
basically 2 ways to train. Long or Hard. 10 miles - if that's each way
it's a fair daily dose but even as a total it's a good start. If you're
finding it challenging - great. But if you're crusing the distance
already, forget about losing lots of weight suddenly... In fact
probably forget about weight loss to begin with anyway. Just keep the
daily dose going until you can't not go. Form a habit. Don't go crazy -
if it's really [censored] weather - drive. Don't waste your enthusiasm in
[censored] or dangerous weather. Weight loss can be pursued when the body has
adapted to the mode of exercise (cycling) and this can take months.
Even though you don't get "puffed" doesn't mean you're ready to amplify
the intensity. E.g. Tendon adapts much slower than muscle (tendon has
not much blood supply) so if you push as hard as you can straight away
your slow to adapt tendons may arc up at some point.
Fitness or wellness is a life long endeavour. Don't rush but don't stop
either. Read widely. Think about having a coach for a while in about
4-6months... get someone who teaches you how the human body adapts to
exercise. Keep updating your goals every 2-3 months minimum.
Be well, good luck.

Quoted message said:

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Exercise = enjoy it every time and every day, and you will get fit.
Simple as that.

Choose from a variety of activities that are fun to you. Don't buy into
the "magic bullet"-type theories that say: "if I buy this elliptical
machine and put it next to the TV, that will be the solution" or "the
fitness room in my basement will be where I'll get fit".

The trainers at my gym agree: exercising one way, and/or in one place,
is a surefire way to turn your workout into work.

Run, walk, bike, hike, lift, yoga, take up tennis at the local park -
variety is the spice of life!

Andy said:

I just started biking to work, 10-11 miles each day, after a few years of
being very sedentary and pretty out of shape. I quit smoking last year too.
I'm thinking the key to getting in shape is to exercise every day, and not
just exercise on weekends or twice a week like a lot of people.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

My first child was born when I was 40. I worried that I wouldn't be able
to keep up with him. I quit smoking, gained weight and took up cycling.
Now he's a fit 17 and I have to worry more about not being too hard on
him when we ride together. When I had a colonoscopy last spring I kept
setting off the pulse monitor -- my resting pulse is/was sub-40 -- nurse
asked "You're an athlete, right?" I guess I am now.

Have fun, enjoy riding. Try different things. I started just riding by
myself, but after a year or so I found I liked fast group rides, long
distance rides and mountain biking. If you just have fun everything else
seems to take care of itself.

"Andy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just started biking to work, 10-11 miles each day, after a few years of
being very sedentary and pretty out of shape. I quit smoking last year
too. I'm thinking the key to getting in shape is to exercise every day, and
not just exercise on weekends or twice a week like a lot of people.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

There's someone who used to be a regular here (now just pops in from time to
time) who lost 150 pounds mostly doing short rides, mostly just riding
to/from work.

Although I have had periods in my life where I was riding a lot before, I
took it up again about 6 years ago, now. I went from having the ride to work
being a big deal (16 miles) to riding a back-to-back century several months
later. I recommend picking an event like a century this summer, and using
that as a goal to see if you can build up to successfully completing it.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Andy said:

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Ten years ago my doctor told me that if I did some form of aerobic
exercise, such as mountain biking, 5 days a week for 1-1.5 hours per
session, and I ate a reasonably healthy diet (without overeating), I'd
return to my high-school weight. As I was ~30 lbs. overweight at the
time, I didn't believe him.

The first year I started cycling I did about 1,000 miles, which amazed
me. My longest ride was about 20 miles. It felt really good to be out
moving around. In the years since, my annual mileage has increased
modestly to about 4,000 miles. My longest ride (so far) has been a
century, but a 20-miler is now what I call a "quick ride". I got rid
of my surplus weight about 4 years ago and I've maintained it since
then without any trouble.

I've posted here before about how my main motivation is coming up with
challenges for myself, such as doing a century ride, doing a really
nasty climb, or increasing my average speed. If you're smart (i.e.,
don't do too much too soon) and consistent, you'll be amazed at how
much your body can do.

-JR

SlowRider said:

Andy said:

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Ten years ago my doctor told me that if I did some form of aerobic
exercise, such as mountain biking, 5 days a week for 1-1.5 hours per
session, and I ate a reasonably healthy diet (without overeating), I'd
return to my high-school weight. As I was ~30 lbs. overweight at the
time, I didn't believe him.

The first year I started cycling I did about 1,000 miles, which amazed
me. My longest ride was about 20 miles. It felt really good to be out
moving around. In the years since, my annual mileage has increased
modestly to about 4,000 miles. My longest ride (so far) has been a
century, but a 20-miler is now what I call a "quick ride". I got rid
of my surplus weight about 4 years ago and I've maintained it since
then without any trouble.

I've posted here before about how my main motivation is coming up with
challenges for myself, such as doing a century ride, doing a really
nasty climb, or increasing my average speed. If you're smart (i.e.,
don't do too much too soon) and consistent, you'll be amazed at how
much your body can do.

-JR

Here's an interesting guy - much larger than the OP. He's riding across
the USA but not all at once.
http://www.fatmancycling.com/

--
Check out my bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com

Andy said:

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Here's a guy who lost 321 pounds in 2005 while riding a bike. He had
bariatric surgery also, but he credits bike riding with saving his
life.

http://theamazingshrinkingman.blogspot.com/

RFM

I keep hearing stories from people all the time about the wonders of
cycling. I've heard men say they couldn't get into the drops because
they were too fat, and now they're racing. I know one guy who used to
weigh like 250 pounds and now he's a skinny stick! I know of type 2
diabetics who have been able to control their glucose with exercise and
diet, espeically cycling, and who no longer have to use meds.

Once you're in good shape, it benefits you all around. You get sick less
often and recover faster from illness. I had major emergency abdominal
surgery in 2004, to remove intestinal blockage. It was in early march.
Six weeks later i was out on my bike!

Thanks to all of you, those were some interesting stories! Just what I was
looking for, though I didn't expect them to be that dramatic.

I feel better already, after a month or so of biking and a week or so of
biking to work back and forth. But it is interesting to see how much people
started biking and what kind of difference it makes.

Andy

"Marlene Blanshay" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I keep hearing stories from people all the time about the wonders of
cycling. I've heard men say they couldn't get into the drops because they
were too fat, and now they're racing. I know one guy who used to weigh like
250 pounds and now he's a skinny stick! I know of type 2 diabetics who have
been able to control their glucose with exercise and diet, espeically
cycling, and who no longer have to use meds.

Once you're in good shape, it benefits you all around. You get sick less
often and recover faster from illness. I had major emergency abdominal
surgery in 2004, to remove intestinal blockage. It was in early march. Six
weeks later i was out on my bike!

"Andy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

I have a story. The only problem is I don't know how inspirational it would
be.

Diablo Scott said:

Here's an interesting guy - much larger than the OP. He's riding across
the USA but not all at once.
http://www.fatmancycling.com/

A friend of mine did something similar about 15 years ago. In his
case, he had bypass surgery. After he recovered, he started cycling
and then did a 5,000 mile trip across the U.S. and into Canada,
finishing in Newfoundland.

Damned overachievers.... :-)

-JR

Andy said:

I just started biking to work, 10-11 miles each day, after a few years of
being very sedentary and pretty out of shape. I quit smoking last year too.
I'm thinking the key to getting in shape is to exercise every day, and not
just exercise on weekends or twice a week like a lot of people.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Shortly after I first started regularly going out in the afternoons on
the daily rides to the train station I heard about the week long
round-the-island ride. Sounded seriously cool. But the local bike
club guys were very dismissive of my ever having any chance of joining
it. We like you. We think you are a sweet kid. We especially like
having more girls ride with us but you won't be going on this ride.
Not this year. Dream smaller dreams.

That was July.

Now it's January. I'm on my second self-supported long distance tour.

My official invitation came by text message about 18 hours before I
entered Vietnam. 🙂

-M

Quoted message said:

Shortly after I first started regularly going out in the afternoons on
the daily rides to the train station I heard about the week long
round-the-island ride. Sounded seriously cool. But the local bike
club guys were very dismissive of my ever having any chance of joining
it. We like you. We think you are a sweet kid. We especially like
having more girls ride with us but you won't be going on this ride.
Not this year. Dream smaller dreams.

That was July.

Now it's January. I'm on my second self-supported long distance tour.

My official invitation came by text message about 18 hours before I
entered Vietnam. 🙂

Cool -- I love your attitude. Reminds me of a woman I know who,
despite being an M.D. and respected pediatrician - not to mention a
competitive mountain biker - still gets that male "attitude". She's an
awesome person with a great sense of humor -- just don't cross her.

She once had a first date with a guy who decided he'd let "the little
lady" join him for a ride. She stayed with him for most of the ride
until they got to a nasty long hill. He told her he'd wait for her at
the top.

She left him gasping in the dust and waited for him at the top.

Did I mention that was also their last date? :-)

-JR

Quoted message said:

Andy said:

I just started biking to work, 10-11 miles each day, after a few years of
being very sedentary and pretty out of shape. I quit smoking last year too.
I'm thinking the key to getting in shape is to exercise every day, and not
just exercise on weekends or twice a week like a lot of people.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anybody has any stories to share about getting in
shape and what kind of improvement I can expect if I really stick to it!

Stick with it. My story has been told many many times here. Google would
probably yeild something if done right (although it may yield a few
flame wars I got myself involved with here too :-) ).

Anyway, I went from being over 400lbs. to being 230lbs. I've since
bounced back up to around 270. So I have some work to do still, but I'm
still down 130lbs. And I went from being completely inactive to going to
the gym often, doing 60 mile rides, being able to play basketball again,
and overall getting myself into better shape.

My wife also started biking shortly after me. Coupled with weight
watchers and an active interestin Triathlon she's lost 150lbs. She did a
half Ironman last year and plans to do one this year with the goal being
to do Ironman in 2007.

Before...

http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/mebig1.jpg
http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/mebig2.jpg

After...

http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/mesmall.jpg
http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/hawaii2/images/fl000019.jpg

Preston

I started riding again about three years ago after a decade of being
car-bound, and composed this after about a year in the saddle. I may have
posted it before--apologies if I'm boring anyone.

Top Ten Reasons I Ride My Bike:

1. It's fun.

2. It's cheaper than driving. The occasional broken spoke or new
taillight costs far less than "gas an' oil an' fluids an' grease an' wires
an' tires an' antifreeze, an' them accessories." And of course, this one
gets truer every time the price of oil goes up.

3. Every day I don't drive my car is a day longer that it will last.

4. Every day that I ride is probably a day longer that I will last.

5. My weight is down (and I still eat like a horse), my trousers trouse
more loosely, I've taken ten points off my blood pressure, and my resting
pulse is down in the fifties.

6. When I bike to work, I'm more awake, more cheerful, and more
motivated. I feel better, think more clearly, move with less effort, even
stand a little straighter. And what is that strange sensation I have
throughout my body? Could it be--muscle tone?

7. Fletcher's Law of Inverse Appreciation.

8. Endorphines: the only healthy, wholesome drug.

9. Biking gives me so many opportunities to be smug. I can stop next to
an SUV at a red light, and say (or at least, think) to the driver,
"People like you are the reason gas is $2.50 a gallon. People like me are
the reason it isn't $3.50."

10. Did I mention that it's fun?

Bill

--------------------------------------------------
| You can fool some of the people all of the time, |
| and those are the ones you have to focus on. |
| -- George W. Bush |
--------------------------------------------------

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I started riding again about three years ago after a decade of being
car-bound, and composed this after about a year in the saddle. I may have
posted it before--apologies if I'm boring anyone.

Top Ten Reasons I Ride My Bike:

....

Quoted message said:

10. Did I mention that it's fun?

It's a an avocation,

a compulsion,

an addiction.

Oh ya. it's fun too.

Quoted message said:

4. Every day that I ride is probably a day longer that I will last.

So if you ride every day....

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame