I'm sure some were quite excited by the first part of the title, sorry and all that. There is no let up with me.
As the countdown of days left in 2018 ticks down, and the mileage totals keep climbing, I can honestly say I am looking forward to Dec 31st a lot!
More time to be spent on the trainer in the pain cave, shorter commutes on the dark and damp roads, and hopefully a few more decent rides at the weekend with my bestie before the end of the year.
All primary goals met, secondary and mini goals remain, but as usual, I would love dearly to achieve them none the less.
So right now my attention is drawn to the right set up on the right bike for the commute.
Paolo with his 32c CX tyres and disc brakes is more than capable. 11 gears to choose from, wide tyres with a little tread to deal with the dampness under tyre. But the down side is weight, and rolling resistance.
Then there is Luigi, who has seen me through the start of the year, right up until recently. 25c roadie tyres, reduced contact with the ground, giving less rolling resistance. A bonus in most cases. Slightly deeper wheels, so less fun in cross winds however.
A few weeks back I ordered some lovely Schwable Marathon Plus tyres for Luigi, make him a bit more winter capable. But on trying to seat them, I found there were issues, and decided earlier in the week to ditch them, and get myself a new set of 25c's, nice slick road tyres.
Previously I have had concerns about road tyres and how capable they are at dealing with water and slippery surfaces. A ride in the Cotswolds the other weekend in torrential rain soon changed my mind on that.
So today, the new tyres arrived, so I got to it straight away and got them fitted. A quick once over for Luigi, and set up for the commute, and away we went.
Switching back to a single speed after spending a few weeks on only bikes with gears takes a bit of getting used to. No levers within the brake levers to flick while sitting in traffic, just bars and two brakes, along with a single crank, single rear cog, and a pair of pedals. All very different.
However, once you are moving, and you have remembered moving off takes a bit more effort, no cassette to flick your way through, all is well. Needless to say I did a better average speed to work today than I have for quite a while. I forget very quickly how much I love the simplicity of Luigi.
One thing that has changed is the saddle. Having swapped saddles around on a few of the bikes, Luigi has ended up with a Specialized Body Geometry Riva on there. He came with one, but this is a replacement, and it creaks !! Grrrr. Sadly finding a new replacement is a bit of a chore, but I am trying. Not sure if the Ronin replaced the Riva, but they look pretty similar. I am a believer in sticking with what you know (and were told worked for you in a bike fit). Decision on the replacement to be made soon, can't take that creaking for too long.
I also discovered at the weekend that the set up on Paolo needs some work. Just some small tweaks, but I am working on those, starting at the front with bar set up. It seems to be working.
I am really looking forward to less pressure on myself next year, less obsessing about distance of every ride contributing to goals far beyond anything I ever considered previously. I must NOT set a goal on Strava for next year!
More time on the yoga mat, more time spent doing casual runs, and not driving myself into the ground. All round wellness is the key.
A few decisions need to be made, like what regime to follow, if any, and how to divide my time between commuting, turbo trainer, and running. Not forgetting actual "get out there and ride" rides.
I think first up will be easing up on the commute, however I actually enjoy doing 2-3 times the required distance each way. Weird huh!
Well, lots to think about, lots of decisions to make... Let's see what happens.
Showing posts with label healthy heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy heart. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Thursday, November 19, 2015
#FightBack
A hashtag I have been using a lot in recently, trying to feed my motivation to get back to the healthier way of life.
I just want to start by saying that healthy living doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. For years I have maintained a pretty healthy lifestyle, but still had a rather large intake of crap food from time to time. My addiction to soft drinks doesn't bode well either, but hey! This is my way, so sod off.
Having spent lots of time in and out of hospitals over recent years, one thing I can say quite confidently is I have pretty healthy insides. Many a comment made about a healthy heart after ECG's and blood tests. Good cholesterol and no sign of diabetes either. Eyes are good, lungs are better than they have been for years. And after a short spell of stress and weight gain, blood pressure is pretty fine and dandy too.
In all the ups and downs, with weight gains and losses over the years, sometimes swaying about 80-90lbs, I have always tried to stay active. I guess that is one of the reasons my legs have stayed pretty good over the years, definition wise anyway. Mechanically they are a bit buggered right now, but you can't have it all, right? Currently I am a little over where I want to be. I am sure I have done the guessing game before on here. Generally some are surprised to hear the number when they hear my weight. Others are hardly surprised and mock, to them I say F you!! lol
Times have been a little stressful over recent months, for some pretty obvious reasons, and a few others which I have kept to myself for the ease of every day life. Nothing life changing, just stress invoking. So after much reflection, soul searching and deep thinking (also known as over thinking to the point of self destruction), I decided that what I needed more than anything else right now was a little stability and structure. And for that I needed to plan each and every day out, to make it full and worthwhile, while allowing time for the more mundane things too like.... eeew! WORK!
To compliment my current physio routine, working on my achillies (recent post) I have decided to increase the activity, but lighten the load. Still walking the dogs, but only twice each a day now, the third walk was always their walk together, which obviously I can't do anymore. The up side to this is that I can take a little of the stress out of my feet, and save some time and energy, focusing it elsewhere instead.
My morning routine is now quite a busy one, and almost doesn't allow time for any changes. Up just after 6, get ready to take the dogs out, and go, finishing around half 7. Get in and changed, into the little home gym,
7.45. While the legs are still warm from the walking, headphones in, ASOT turned on and up, resistance turned right up, and start with the best part of an hour of cross trainer time. This is a change for me as usually the pace was much faster and the resistance fair. Now to take even more out of it, and feel much more in my quads, calfs and hams, the resistance up and speed low really hits them hard. Almost feels like a stair climber.
8.45, time for a quick sip, and a change of shirt, and its onto the weights. Hitting a few core groups, and of course the core itself.
9.15 and its time to take those aching tired muscles and put them through hell, namely the legs. It's physio routine time. With 6 movements all requiring numerous reps and sets, not to mention having to do them in different areas of the house, I allow myself 30 mins to get these done. So now we are rocking on in the day.
9.45 Finally all done. Quick change of clothes, feed the dogs, oh and its time for me to get some food and fluids in me too. Training on empty has always been my preference, and as long as I keep within my limits, it reduces my chances of nausea.
10am, dogs finished eating, time for me to actually sit down for a few mins, stuff my face with granola and orange juice, and unwind.
30 mins later, and I am preparing food, smoothies etc for taking to work.
Right now, with no other distractions in my life, and quite frankly feck all else to be doing, this is a routine I am happy with, can feel is paying off, and is within my comfort zone to maintain. Hopefully I can avoid an of the usual dramas or injuries which are normally the cause to calling it a day, quitting and piling on the pounds again.
As far as numbers go, I am filling my day with them, but very little focus on such a thing as a target weight etc. I know my happy place, I know how I feel when I am around that range. Same with my cardio, knowing what ballpark my heart rate is in has become second nature to me, The numbers I am watching are reps, movements, time, resistance etc, as can be seen here.
As seen here.... https://www.instagram.com/p/-Q3zVqu86d
Another thing about my slight change to training is a bit strange.
With doing the cardio on the cross trainer, obviously I am holding on to something, so if I close my eyes there is no real danger of falling off. For some reason, even though I have a lovely TV screen right in front of the trainer, I have recently taken to zoning out, eyes closed, and visualising things. Anything that I need to visualise to either provide motivation, or to push me through the barriers as the legs start to fatigue. While doing this I have noticed something quite strange, and that is how controlled my breathing has become. Something I have struggled with for as long as I have done any cardio work. Obviously this is rather handy for scuba diving. So both healthy heart and breathing is great news.
Over all I'm feeling good, and would love to maintain the current routine, 6 days a week, into early next year. Making small changes here and there to keep it fresh. But main goals are simple.
Maintain physio routine, and eliminate achillies pain
Increase cardio load and keep challenging the heart and lungs.
Keep other muscle groups active, but avoid growth. Concentrate on strength and a little definition (vanity rocks!)
And of course, #FightBack !
I just want to start by saying that healthy living doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. For years I have maintained a pretty healthy lifestyle, but still had a rather large intake of crap food from time to time. My addiction to soft drinks doesn't bode well either, but hey! This is my way, so sod off.
Having spent lots of time in and out of hospitals over recent years, one thing I can say quite confidently is I have pretty healthy insides. Many a comment made about a healthy heart after ECG's and blood tests. Good cholesterol and no sign of diabetes either. Eyes are good, lungs are better than they have been for years. And after a short spell of stress and weight gain, blood pressure is pretty fine and dandy too.
In all the ups and downs, with weight gains and losses over the years, sometimes swaying about 80-90lbs, I have always tried to stay active. I guess that is one of the reasons my legs have stayed pretty good over the years, definition wise anyway. Mechanically they are a bit buggered right now, but you can't have it all, right? Currently I am a little over where I want to be. I am sure I have done the guessing game before on here. Generally some are surprised to hear the number when they hear my weight. Others are hardly surprised and mock, to them I say F you!! lol
Times have been a little stressful over recent months, for some pretty obvious reasons, and a few others which I have kept to myself for the ease of every day life. Nothing life changing, just stress invoking. So after much reflection, soul searching and deep thinking (also known as over thinking to the point of self destruction), I decided that what I needed more than anything else right now was a little stability and structure. And for that I needed to plan each and every day out, to make it full and worthwhile, while allowing time for the more mundane things too like.... eeew! WORK!
To compliment my current physio routine, working on my achillies (recent post) I have decided to increase the activity, but lighten the load. Still walking the dogs, but only twice each a day now, the third walk was always their walk together, which obviously I can't do anymore. The up side to this is that I can take a little of the stress out of my feet, and save some time and energy, focusing it elsewhere instead.
My morning routine is now quite a busy one, and almost doesn't allow time for any changes. Up just after 6, get ready to take the dogs out, and go, finishing around half 7. Get in and changed, into the little home gym,
7.45. While the legs are still warm from the walking, headphones in, ASOT turned on and up, resistance turned right up, and start with the best part of an hour of cross trainer time. This is a change for me as usually the pace was much faster and the resistance fair. Now to take even more out of it, and feel much more in my quads, calfs and hams, the resistance up and speed low really hits them hard. Almost feels like a stair climber.
8.45, time for a quick sip, and a change of shirt, and its onto the weights. Hitting a few core groups, and of course the core itself.
9.15 and its time to take those aching tired muscles and put them through hell, namely the legs. It's physio routine time. With 6 movements all requiring numerous reps and sets, not to mention having to do them in different areas of the house, I allow myself 30 mins to get these done. So now we are rocking on in the day.
9.45 Finally all done. Quick change of clothes, feed the dogs, oh and its time for me to get some food and fluids in me too. Training on empty has always been my preference, and as long as I keep within my limits, it reduces my chances of nausea.
10am, dogs finished eating, time for me to actually sit down for a few mins, stuff my face with granola and orange juice, and unwind.
30 mins later, and I am preparing food, smoothies etc for taking to work.
Right now, with no other distractions in my life, and quite frankly feck all else to be doing, this is a routine I am happy with, can feel is paying off, and is within my comfort zone to maintain. Hopefully I can avoid an of the usual dramas or injuries which are normally the cause to calling it a day, quitting and piling on the pounds again.
As far as numbers go, I am filling my day with them, but very little focus on such a thing as a target weight etc. I know my happy place, I know how I feel when I am around that range. Same with my cardio, knowing what ballpark my heart rate is in has become second nature to me, The numbers I am watching are reps, movements, time, resistance etc, as can be seen here.
As seen here.... https://www.instagram.com/p/-Q3zVqu86d
Another thing about my slight change to training is a bit strange.
With doing the cardio on the cross trainer, obviously I am holding on to something, so if I close my eyes there is no real danger of falling off. For some reason, even though I have a lovely TV screen right in front of the trainer, I have recently taken to zoning out, eyes closed, and visualising things. Anything that I need to visualise to either provide motivation, or to push me through the barriers as the legs start to fatigue. While doing this I have noticed something quite strange, and that is how controlled my breathing has become. Something I have struggled with for as long as I have done any cardio work. Obviously this is rather handy for scuba diving. So both healthy heart and breathing is great news.
Over all I'm feeling good, and would love to maintain the current routine, 6 days a week, into early next year. Making small changes here and there to keep it fresh. But main goals are simple.
Maintain physio routine, and eliminate achillies pain
Increase cardio load and keep challenging the heart and lungs.
Keep other muscle groups active, but avoid growth. Concentrate on strength and a little definition (vanity rocks!)
And of course, #FightBack !
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