Getting back into shape

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

Quoted message said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

I'm no physical training expert but is it possible you simply rode too soon
after eating lunch? I've never gotten more than a little queasy myself
riding on a full stomach but everyone is different.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are.

If you really are so out of shape, at least you have your
youth going for you. I bet it's not as bad as you think.

Quoted message said:

I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Maybe your experience was more down to something you ate,
than exertion. If it recurs with any frequency, then I'd
worry about it. If you had something fatty, greasy or oily
for lunch (that includes cream-filled bakery confections,
peanuts & some brands of peanut butter, deep-fat-fried stuff,
some dairy products, etc) and then drank a bunch of water on
top of that, I can see that causing digestive turbulence.

If you're into stuff like lobster & cucumber & avacado
sandwiches, maybe leave 'em alone if you're going to ride :-)

But do keep riding. I think you've just gotta figure out which
pre-ride foods work best for you.

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

Eric,

I don't know what kind of bike you're riding or what kind of uphill
grade you encountered. With more information, you'll probably get more
help.

The first thing I think of is the classic mistake of inexperienced
bicyclists: to pedal at low cadence in a high gear. When you do this,
you're essentially doing a strenuous weight-room type workout with your
legs. If you push yourself hard enough, it shouldn't be too hard to
make yourself vomit.

The next time you ride, concentrate on staying in a low gear and
pedaling at high cadence, around 80 to 85 RPM--don't shift up unless
your feet are spinning really fast, say at 100 RPM. You should feel
very low muscle strain in your legs, and experience a kind of work-out
that's closer to what you would get with an aerobics class. Since
you're trying to get back into shape, I think this is what you want.

Don't worry about your speed or distance--your problem (everyone's
problem) is balancing cadence and gear setting. The speed and
endurance will come as you build stamina and leg-strength. For now,
shoot for 20-to-30 minute rides daily, and add 5 or 10 minutes per day
each week. If you can find an experienced riding partner, you'll get a
lot more tips.

Hope this helps.

--
Rodney Dunning
Assistant Professor of Physics
Longwood University

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are.

If you really are so out of shape, at least you have your
youth going for you. I bet it's not as bad as you think.

Quoted message said:

I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Maybe your experience was more down to something you ate,
than exertion. If it recurs with any frequency, then I'd
worry about it. If you had something fatty, greasy or oily
for lunch (that includes cream-filled bakery confections,
peanuts & some brands of peanut butter, deep-fat-fried stuff,
some dairy products, etc) and then drank a bunch of water on
top of that, I can see that causing digestive turbulence.

It had been several hours since lunch, but lunch consisted of a very
delicious, albeit very fatty cassarole with mayo, sour cream, and fried
chicken. Note to self: No more of that for lunch when riding in the
afternoon.

Quoted message said:

If you're into stuff like lobster & cucumber & avacado
sandwiches, maybe leave 'em alone if you're going to ride :-)

But do keep riding. I think you've just gotta figure out which
pre-ride foods work best for you.

After the digestive turbulence I felt really good. Exercise is a
wonderful thing. If I can get it without more than a well used set of
legs and a little bit less around the middle then I'll be happy.

Quoted message said:

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

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

It had been several hours since lunch, but lunch consisted of a very
delicious, albeit very fatty cassarole with mayo, sour cream, and fried
chicken. Note to self: No more of that for lunch when riding in the
afternoon.

Mayo /and/ sour cream?!

.... hmmmm ... sounds good :-)

Sometimes I enjoy whipping up a quick-&-dirty chicken paprikash,
which I accomplish by:

fry the livin' daylights out of finely chopped onion (I have to,
or the onion give me repercussions later,)

hit 'em with a liberal sprinkling of paprika, remove from pan
when done

fry up a bunch of cheap chicken drumsticks, pour remaining
fat/oil out of the pan when done

put the fried onion back in with the drumsticks, and dump in
a can of cream of mushroom soup & a dash of garlic powder,
cover & simmer for about 20 minutes. Maybe add some fresh
ground black pepper, if you have it. I find a little bit of
black pepper helps activate red/chili peppers and that
zing-less, bland paprika they have at the supermarket.

take spoonfuls of the hot mushroom soup out of the pan and
gradually stir it into sour cream (so it doesn't curdle) and
return to pan.

Serve on a bed of steamed rice, get logy, and take a nap.

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

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

It had been several hours since lunch, but lunch consisted of a very
delicious, albeit very fatty cassarole with mayo, sour cream, and fried
chicken. Note to self: No more of that for lunch when riding in the
afternoon.

Mayo /and/ sour cream?!

... hmmmm ... sounds good :-)

I forgot to include the cheese, bracolli and cream of chicken soup.

As long as we're sharing recipes in it's entirety you cook up the
brocolli to the desired tenderness and put it in a cake pan. Mix up 2
cans of cream of chicken, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream and a good
bit of cheese (or not depending on your taste). Cook the chicken, you
could fry or boil it and then cut it into bite-sized pieces and put it
on the bracolli. Put the cream of chicken mixture on top of the
bracolli and chicken and then a little more cheeze over it all if you
desire and then cook it in the oven for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

<snip to end>

-Eric

Eric said:

are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Nope. you're done. 2 miles at 24 years old and you lost lunch?

Time to hang up the jock strap and die.

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Use lower gears.

Keep doing that hill.

Eric wrote:
:: It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how
:: out of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2
:: miles early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what
:: was left of my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition
:: towards the end, and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think
:: that I was pushing myself particularly hard, but would like to know
:: if there are some tips that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of
:: today's experience.

"Eric" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1155427524.049192.218550@
75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Ride in the evening and dress cooler if the heat might have been a factor.
You'd be surprised what a difference even those girly, no-show footie socks
can make.

Do the ride in the reverse order if possible so you can coast home if you
feel ill again.

Spin like crazy, even if the power walkers pass you on the hill.

Drink more water at a split in the ride instead of doing a camel routine
and drinking it all beforehand.

Don't forget to breathe enough on hills as a lot of people try gritting
their teeth/bearing down and get exhausted from lack of O2.

Now that you've done it once, do it again until you stop being such a wimp!
: )

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric said:

It had been several hours since lunch, but lunch consisted of a very
delicious, albeit very fatty cassarole with mayo, sour cream, and fried
chicken. Note to self: No more of that for lunch when riding in the
afternoon.

Mayo /and/ sour cream?!

... hmmmm ... sounds good :-)

I forgot to include the cheese,

Yikes! More grease! :-)

Oh well. I'll confess to my occasional indulgences of
sawmill gravy & baking powder biscuits.

Quoted message said:

bracolli

Now yer talkin'. Maybe one could throw in some mustard greens, too.

Quoted message said:

and cream of chicken soup.

As long as we're sharing recipes in it's entirety you cook up the
brocolli to the desired tenderness and put it in a cake pan. Mix up 2
cans of cream of chicken, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream and a good
bit of cheese (or not depending on your taste). Cook the chicken, you
could fry or boil it and then cut it into bite-sized pieces and put it
on the bracolli. Put the cream of chicken mixture on top of the
bracolli and chicken and then a little more cheeze over it all if you
desire and then cook it in the oven for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

Thanks, I'll give that a try later this week. It sounds good.

Actually I usually prefer to /roast/ chicken, on a raised rack
in my li'l convection oven. All the schmaltz drips right out
of it, and you can eat the crispy skin with impunity.

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

wvantwiller said:

Ride in the evening and dress cooler if the heat might have been a factor.
You'd be surprised what a difference even those girly, no-show footie socks
can make.

Or wear sandals, if it's that hot.

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Ever hear of "post hoc ergo propter hoc"? The Latin phrase means
"after the fact, therefore because of the fact." This is an informal
fallacy which occurs when someone confuses correlation with causation.
Just because two objects or two events correlate does not mean that one
has actually caused the other.

Think about it. There is just no way that anyone who was fit enought
to simply mount a bicycle could render himself sick after a measly
two-mile ride unless, maybe, he went up the side of a mountain in a
desert at 120 degrees F.

It just had to be something you ate.

Gunny

I see a lot of riders taking on hills in too high of a gear, straining
themselves when it isn't necessary. I know, because I used to do that.
If it's a short hill, I'll ride a low gear off the outermost chain
ring, but if it's a steadily longer hill, i'll throw it onto either the
second of inner most chain ring, and maintain a cadence of 90. If the
grade is more steep, I'll do around 100-110. I want a higher cadence,
but not so much that I am bobbing up and down in the seat too much.
I'd rather be sitting in the seat rather than riding out of it, like I
see a lot of riders do. I just feel more comfortable that way. When I
get toward the summit of the hill, and start to notice the hill
flattening out, then I gradually switch to a higher gear so that I
won't be jumping from a high cadence to a much lower cadence off the
bat, giving my heart a little time to adjust. Then I'll maintain the
usual 65-70 cadence on the flats. I used to not care or even think
about cadence, but once I got a cadence monitor, and started using it
to keep myself in check, I have noticed a difference in how I feel.
And, actually, I think I have lost more weight by using hills as an
excuse for spinning. 🙂

Quoted message said:

Eric,

I don't know what kind of bike you're riding or what kind of uphill
grade you encountered. With more information, you'll probably get more
help.

The first thing I think of is the classic mistake of inexperienced
bicyclists: to pedal at low cadence in a high gear. When you do this,
you're essentially doing a strenuous weight-room type workout with your
legs. If you push yourself hard enough, it shouldn't be too hard to
make yourself vomit.

The next time you ride, concentrate on staying in a low gear and
pedaling at high cadence, around 80 to 85 RPM--don't shift up unless
your feet are spinning really fast, say at 100 RPM. You should feel
very low muscle strain in your legs, and experience a kind of work-out
that's closer to what you would get with an aerobics class. Since
you're trying to get back into shape, I think this is what you want.

Don't worry about your speed or distance--your problem (everyone's
problem) is balancing cadence and gear setting. The speed and
endurance will come as you build stamina and leg-strength. For now,
shoot for 20-to-30 minute rides daily, and add 5 or 10 minutes per day
each week. If you can find an experienced riding partner, you'll get a
lot more tips.

Hope this helps.

--
Rodney Dunning
Assistant Professor of Physics
Longwood University

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Eric wrote:

[...]

|> It had been several hours since lunch, but lunch consisted of a very
|> delicious, albeit very fatty cassarole with mayo, sour cream, and fried
|> chicken. Note to self: No more of that for lunch when riding in the
|> afternoon.

No wonder... that's horrible pre-exertion food. It is a good idea to
avoid all the fat and meat. The ideal thing for me before riding is
couscous and a bit of fruit. With that, even the coffee (in moderation
of course) has no effect. After a couple espressos I really do notice
the caffeine, especially when biking up a big hill...

--
ciao,
Bruce

drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/

Gunny said:

Eric said:

It may not be a good sign when you're 24 and you find out just how out
of shape you are. I went on an extremely short ride of about 2 miles
early this afternoon and got home and ended up loosing what was left of
my lunch. There was a hard incline for my condition towards the end,
and I may have drank too much water. I didn't think that I was pushing
myself particularly hard, but would like to know if there are some tips
that I can utilize to avoid a repeat of today's experience.

Ever hear of "post hoc ergo propter hoc"? The Latin phrase means
"after the fact, therefore because of the fact." This is an informal
fallacy which occurs when someone confuses correlation with causation.
Just because two objects or two events correlate does not mean that one
has actually caused the other.

Think about it. There is just no way that anyone who was fit enought
to simply mount a bicycle could render himself sick after a measly
two-mile ride unless, maybe, he went up the side of a mountain in a
desert at 120 degrees F.

It just had to be something you ate.

I think it was what I ate plus the exertion of the ride. If you read
the whole thread you would have noticed my fine combo of mayo, sour
cream and melted cheese as well as fried chicken. Though highly
scrumptious it is definitely not a good idea to eat such a meal even
several hours before a ride, at least such was the case for me.

Today was a lot better. I actually rode up into a canyon near my home
in Cache Valley, Utah which involved much more of the uphill grade at
the outset, but last night for dinner I went a lot easier on my normal
intake of food and only had a grilled bologna and cheese sandwich and
yogurt. Then for breakfast this morning had toast with strawberry jam.
I went for the ride which was just about an hour long, but as I don't
have an odometer for my bike as of yet, I am not sure as the distance
(I was estimating my distance on my last ride). Regardless, there were
no digestive pyrotechnics after the ride which was my primary goal for
today. I put into practice the use of a higher cadence on the hills so
that I wasn't putting as much work into getting up them so thanks for
that tip as well as all of the others. I was thinking about riding
every day, but my legs are pretty worn out so I'll likely just hold off
until Wednesday for my next ride.

-Eric