Last December I dislocated my right knee and spent 10 weeks unable to drive and using a walking stick. I haven't done any exercise for, well I was going to say a few years but its probably my whole life, having problem knees and flat feet hasn't really helped in this respect.
I have been overweight for a long time but the above injury meant that my weight went up to 15 1/2 stone. I had key hole surgery on my knee in March and was due back for a major operation in July. My consultant advised me that following the operation it was quite possible that I would have a slight limp, and that the only way to avoid the surgery was to exercise and try to build up the muscles around the knee, oh and lose some weight.
So I started a campaign of, not dieting but being more careful about what I eat, and cycling on my Halfords Apollo mountain bike on a circuit that is 8 miles and a mixture of on and off road. I then started cycling to work as often as possible. This is only 5 miles each way but has really helped.
Anyway the result was 3 stone lost and no operation yet with a review in December.
I enjoyed the cycling so much that I bought myself a Giant Defy a few weeks back and have been out and done a few longer rides around the 15 miles mark, longest being 18 miles - though I have completed a 16 and 12 on the same day, which is as much as I tend to have the time for on a weekend due to family commitments.
So today I took the afternoon off work with the intention to cycle 25 miles but once I had set off I thought that I could stretch this to possibly 30, and this then stretched to 40 so that as I returned into the village where I live I had 43 miles on the computer. It then seemed daft not to go the rest of the way and make it 50, so I continued out through the other side of the village and travelled far enough so that the return would mean that I broke the 50m mile mark, returned home with it reading 51.12 miles, at an average of 13.7 miles an hour.
No idea if that is a good average and to be honest I am not really bothered about that. Whilst I had quite a bit of riding into the wind I also had it behind me pushing me along for quite a bit as well, but in reality I am just thrilled that I have done it.
Lessons learned, as others have said not enough food and drink with me, though I did stop and pick some up on the way I will be better prepared next time.
Oh, and my legs ache like, a rude word!!
Once the bug gets hold of you it is difficult to stop, and even though I ache now I cannot remember ever looking or fealing so healthy
Regards, Alan
I have been overweight for a long time but the above injury meant that my weight went up to 15 1/2 stone. I had key hole surgery on my knee in March and was due back for a major operation in July. My consultant advised me that following the operation it was quite possible that I would have a slight limp, and that the only way to avoid the surgery was to exercise and try to build up the muscles around the knee, oh and lose some weight.
So I started a campaign of, not dieting but being more careful about what I eat, and cycling on my Halfords Apollo mountain bike on a circuit that is 8 miles and a mixture of on and off road. I then started cycling to work as often as possible. This is only 5 miles each way but has really helped.
Anyway the result was 3 stone lost and no operation yet with a review in December.
I enjoyed the cycling so much that I bought myself a Giant Defy a few weeks back and have been out and done a few longer rides around the 15 miles mark, longest being 18 miles - though I have completed a 16 and 12 on the same day, which is as much as I tend to have the time for on a weekend due to family commitments.
So today I took the afternoon off work with the intention to cycle 25 miles but once I had set off I thought that I could stretch this to possibly 30, and this then stretched to 40 so that as I returned into the village where I live I had 43 miles on the computer. It then seemed daft not to go the rest of the way and make it 50, so I continued out through the other side of the village and travelled far enough so that the return would mean that I broke the 50m mile mark, returned home with it reading 51.12 miles, at an average of 13.7 miles an hour.
No idea if that is a good average and to be honest I am not really bothered about that. Whilst I had quite a bit of riding into the wind I also had it behind me pushing me along for quite a bit as well, but in reality I am just thrilled that I have done it.
Lessons learned, as others have said not enough food and drink with me, though I did stop and pick some up on the way I will be better prepared next time.
Oh, and my legs ache like, a rude word!!
Once the bug gets hold of you it is difficult to stop, and even though I ache now I cannot remember ever looking or fealing so healthy
Regards, Alan
