Cycling and Asthma

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

Quoted message said:

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles

couple

Quoted message said:

times a week by September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

It certainly seems achievable if you keep at it. I only returned to cycling in 2001 and now cycle to
work and social visits every day - about 60-100 miles per week. Nothing special, but it has
certainly made me fitter. I am only a few years younger than yourself and suffer from asthma which
although milder since puberty can still be problematic in hayfever season.

Since returning to cycling I only had to visit the GP once in the whole of 2002 - and I could
actually get a decent reading on the peak flow meter device ( I still have one of these and check it
every so often - can now get to 500+ which is far better than even my teenage days!)

I would be slightly concerned about the potential effect of London pollution; although maybe masks
etc will help? Anyway good luck to you - it is certainly worth the effort.

Alex

Mr R@t \(2.3 zulu-alpha\) comms room 2 said:

I would be slightly concerned about the potential effect of London pollution; although maybe masks
etc will help? Anyway good luck to you - it is certainly worth the effort.

frankly it's better cycling than going by tube...I regularly have asthma attacks when on the
underground...and since an asthmatic acquaintance died recently whilst travelling on the tube I have
used it only when forced to

apparently the pollution is worse inside a car than outside...so cycling isn't a bad option
even in London

--
eric www.ericjarvis.co.uk "Hey Lord don't ask me questions There ain't no answer in me"

Mr R@t (2.3 zulu-alpha) comms room 2 said:

Since returning to cycling I only had to visit the GP once in the whole of 2002

Sinc you mention it, since "returning" to cycling (really only getting a lot more ethusiastic, as I
never really went away) I'v only had to visit the GP once. That was as a result of being run over
while cycling by a tw@ in a white NTL van.

--
Jim Price

jimprice.dsl.pipex.comjimprice.dsl.pipex.comOpen ↗

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

Aye!.

Andrew Johnson said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately asthmatic 2) in their
mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2
- obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will improve my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone can provide useful advice
on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was far less pain-staking than I imagined - the return
journey back was a nightmare as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help
neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles couple times a week by
September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy

I've recently returned to cycling after a 15 year layoff. With regular cycling you get fitter and
lighter with very little pain or will power. I find it much easier to get the miles in by 'going
somewhere' than by going training. Even if the weather is dodgy once I'm out there I'm always glad
I'm on the bike.

A couple of links

wiki.patch.comBicycleCommutingOpen ↗ an inspiration of what can be done with regular
cycling and a sensible diet.

amazon.co.uk202Open ↗ -7502353-0828629
Cyclecraft by John Franklin. The bible on cycling in traffic.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this: Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
home.in.tum.deoe quotefixOpen ↗

Andrew Johnson said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately asthmatic 2) in their
mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2
- obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will improve my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone can provide useful advice
on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was far less pain-staking than I imagined - the return
journey back was a nightmare as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help
neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles couple times a week by
September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy

go for it. i have cyctic fibrosis and still manage to ride 20mile commute each day without hassle
(although im not a born again cyclist). once u get started u will enjoy it more and more, feel
fitter and less stressed, and then you will find u dont even care if it rains!

panda

Andrew Johnson must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately asthmatic
2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will improve my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone can provide useful advice
on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was far less pain-staking than I imagined - the return
journey back was a nightmare as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help
neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles couple times a week by
September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy

Andy,

Sounds like you are starting out right, do not overdo the distance initially but steadily increase
the distance as you fitness level allows, your lung function will increase over time, do not rush to
meet your target distance, rather work towards it without giving yourself a deadline of September,
at your age, your body will react much slower to changes brought on by exercise than say a 20 year
old, but if you take it easy there is no reason why you cannot achieve your goal.

Ian

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

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately

asthmatic

Quoted message said:

2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will

improve

Quoted message said:

my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

Not a bad choice.

Quoted message said:

less pain-staking than I imagined - the return journey back was a

nightmare

Quoted message said:

as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

The actual problem tends to be overdoing it rather than the distance. (although for new cyclists
there is a limit at about 30 miles "the bonk"😉. I ride with a heart monitor, and I was surprised
just how far OTT I was going. You could ruin a whole ride with just a couple of minutes like this.

Quoted message said:

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles

couple

Quoted message said:

times a week by September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Thats a fair distance for day-in-day-out commuting, but not too far really. It would be better to do
more regular but shorter rides at first.

Is it possible to drive half way? Doing those 5 miles is OK, but I've never been good at doing it
regularly when commuting. If you do that regularly the 14 miles will be easy in a couple of months.

Andrew Johnson said:

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles couple times a week by
September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Sounds perfectly reasonable. I'd suggest you ride on alternate days though to give your body time
to recover.

Good luck.
--
******** replace 'spam' with 'ben' to reply *********

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

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately asthmatic
2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

I believe that regular cycle commuting cured (or controlled) my Asthma. Perhaps the twice daily shot
of half an hour's "over breathing" is what did it.

Masks? Not much point according to one hospital doctor I consulted. In his opinion, to keep out
the stuff you really need to keep out, you need a mesh so tight you'd not actually be able to
breath through it. He suggested that this could be overcome by increasing the size of the mesh
area, but unfortunately you'd need to increase it to a size so great that you would not be able to
see round it.

You'll get more polluted in a car or on public transport than on a bike anyway.

Reducing BMI? Not sure about that. The only thing I would suggest is don't try to punch along in a
high gear. You're not supposed to be weight lifting. You don't want to be putting on more muscle.
Learn to spin in a lower gear, work aerobicaly.

Bloke on a bike (The Biker at the gates of dawn)

Andrew Johnson said:

Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately asthmatic
2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

Speaking as an asthmatic 39-year-old whose BMI is no longer over 30...

Quoted message said:

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will improve my control of my asthma!

He may be right! I presented with a chest infection recently and my reduced lung capacity was still
greater than the normal lung capacity of my doctor, who is a runner.

Quoted message said:

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone can provide useful advice
on how best to do this?

Heh! Get on bike, ride bike, repeat :-)

Quoted message said:

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was far less pain-staking than I imagined - the
return journey back was a nightmare as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't
help neither!

Moral: don't give it 100% at the beginning.

Quoted message said:

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip until
1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

Try riding some longer distances as well. In my experience the way to lose weight is to work hard
for a long time - I was spending one or two hours a day seven days a week in a gym at one point.
Find a rate of exertion that you can sustain (a heart rate monitor helps) and sustain it.

Quoted message said:

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles couple times a week by
September/October.

Doable if you work at it :-)

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗ Advance
notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
the same line in the same exchange and billing it to the new ISP.

Jim Price said:

Mr R@t (2.3 zulu-alpha) comms room 2 said:

Since returning to cycling I only had to visit the GP once in the whole of 2002

Sinc you mention it, since "returning" to cycling (really only getting a lot more ethusiastic, as
I never really went away) I'v only had to visit the GP once. That was as a result of being run
over while cycling by a tw@ in a white NTL van.

anyone got stats on the proportion of bike accidents that involve white vans...from the examples I
know of it must be around 50%

--
eric www.ericjarvis.co.uk "Hey Lord don't ask me questions There ain't no answer in me"

I had severe asthma, it is mostly gone now. My story is at glowlife.comindex5.htmlOpen ↗

Dave

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

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately

asthmatic

Quoted message said:

2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will

improve

Quoted message said:

my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone

can

Quoted message said:

provide useful advice on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was

far

Quoted message said:

less pain-staking than I imagined - the return journey back was a

nightmare

Quoted message said:

as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles

couple

Quoted message said:

times a week by September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy

H "Andrew Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately

asthmatic

Quoted message said:

2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will

improve

Quoted message said:

my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone

can

Quoted message said:

provide useful advice on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was

far

Quoted message said:

less pain-staking than I imagined - the return journey back was a

nightmare

Quoted message said:

as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles

couple

Quoted message said:

times a week by September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy

Dave said:

I had severe asthma, it is mostly gone now. My story is at glowlife.comindex5.htmlOpen ↗

Cool. Dave, I packed up smoking three years ago. Took me a year before I stopped obsessing about it.
What did I do today? Not smoke. What are you doing these days? Not smoking. What's on for the
weekend for you? Not smoking. How are things generally? Not smoking. Sheeeeeesh!!!!

Interesting when I hit 40, and stopped playing football. Sat down for two years and did sweet FA,
then I could feel and hear the 'heavy chest weeze'. Sod this for a game of soldiers. If I don't get
this sorted now, I might be going to bed with an oxygen tank rather than my favourite inflatable.

Glad I stopped. Bet you are too. wtg.

Garry

Quoted message said:

Dave

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

Quoted message said:

To all, Can anyone give advice to a complete beginner who is 1) moderately

asthmatic

Quoted message said:

2) in their mid-to-late thirties having a BMI index of 32.2 - obese.

On consulting my Doctor he'd advised that I take up either swimming or cycling, to improve my
well-being and reduce fat which in turn will

improve

Quoted message said:

my control of my asthma!

So last Saturday I purchased an "hybrid" (a TREK 7100FX) fitness bike to achieve these
objectives.

I haven't cycled for at least fifteen years and I'm hoping that someone

can

Quoted message said:

provide useful advice on how best to do this?

So far I cycled to Wimbledon from Croydon taking thirty-seven minutes (although admitedly I was
lost for a couple of minutes) but the ride was

far

Quoted message said:

less pain-staking than I imagined - the return journey back was a

nightmare

Quoted message said:

as I was completely knackered and taking a wrong turn didn't help neither!

I plan to cycle three to four times a week for a distance upto say five miles per single trip
until 1) I become fitter 2) more road savvy.

My aim is to cycle to work (The City) which is a journey of 14 miles

couple

Quoted message said:

times a week by September/October.

Is this achievable or am I being totally optimistic?

Any advice anyone?

Andy