Is 2 x 10 miles a day enough?

[VamP]

PS I always thought your avatar photo was of some exotic brown insect crawling up a tree but I just had a closer look and realised that it is a tanned man climbing a rock face! Is that you?

Um... yeah, that's me.


I go on gut feel too, and have yet to invest in a heart monitor, though I have taken part in a lab study, that measured my VO2Max and lactate levels at given power outputs, which I hope to use as a stick in the san for measuring my fitness in years to come, assuming \i get as serious about cycling as I appear to be at the moment.

Interesting insight into biological processes during exercise that study was.

 

[marinyork]

Good point, and what we should all aspire to I guess.

A question to the forum: How do people measure their level of fitness? A gut feel based on riding times, or is anyone doing anything more scientific - e.g. heart rates, VO2Max, lactate levels etc.?

I do have a heart rate monitor. It's more of a guide. You notice when it is high after recovery and you're fatigued or not well. I go by feel also, but it's noticeable when recovery for certain types of ride becomes quicker even without a HRM. I feel fittest since 2009 and it is noticeable my HRR has gone down to record lows recently. High compared with others (which doesn't correlate complete with fitness), but good. HRM is mostly useful imho on training rides when you're trying to push 80 or 90% MHR - I really can't tell that well left to my own devices how hard I'm pushing, that might sound weird to other people but it's really the case.

If I was getting VO2Max etc I'd mostly be interested in it out of curiosity and improving my riding.

 

[Andrew_P]

I use a HRM and I have compared a recent ride to a ride back in March, and although avg and max where within 10% the biggest, and I mean huge difference was the recent ride my HR had really big troughs on graph.


This is using the Garmin site HR Graph

 

[ayceejay]

I could be wrong but my guess is that your excess weight is fat around the gut. As a measure of loss in body fat your waist measurement would be a better guide than weight. As a rough guide nobody should have a waist measurement over 40 inches.

 

[lulubel]

You can also take other measurements, including around upper arms, thighs and calves, every 1-2 months, and this will show you if your body shape is changing (a sign of losing fat but gaining muscle) even if your actual weight is staying pretty much the same.

 

[Banjo]

Alun, you managed to put the point far better than I did.

Why are so many nurses in my local hospital fat, you would have thought seeing the damage it does to people would make them stay within a reasonable fat content.

Part of the reason will be the unsociable shifts they do. I am a shift worker and know it really screws up your body clock and messes with your metabolism. After a week off work I feel so much better its unreal.

 

[jay clock]

I was 16st5 and 5'9". After losing close to 3 stone I still do not look skinny

If you are doing that much exercise and not losing weight then "calories in" must be too high....

 

[screenman]

Banjo, being on shifts may play havoc with somebodies body clock, but being fat is about not having self control in most cases. My Dad worked shifts for 35 years and kept himself fit, self discipline not feeble excuses.

I know when I was a fatty it was because I had lost my self control not because I run a business that takes up a lot of my time, although that was one of the many excuses I used. I could have blamed it on the wife as she has a love of making puddings.

 

[Wednesday]

Maybe their body doesn't respond to things in the same way as yours does. Maybe there are other health complications or other things in their life that make things more difficult. Maybe they could lose the weight if they made an effort but they'd rather chill out and eat cake. Thing is, whatever's going on is all about someone else's body and therefore none of your bloody business.

Personally I'm naturally slim, but if not being fat took as much effort as it does for some people I know then **** that, I'd be fat.

 

[screenman]

Wow! just making conversation not trying to cause actual bodily harm. Just wondered why so many people that know the problems being fat causes choose to be fat, rather than do something about it.

 

[marinyork]

Part of the reason will be the unsociable shifts they do. I am a shift worker and know it really screws up your body clock and messes with your metabolism. After a week off work I feel so much better its unreal.

How people cope with sleep varies quite a lot in humans, a lot more than people think. It suits some people a lot more than others.

 

[Andrew_P]

off at another tangent. My wife is having a hip op. Part of the pre-op was a questionaire a question was rate your fitness and she put 8/10 which surprised me, I wouldn't have rated her as that and when she asked what would you put if you were answering I would rate myself a 6. She reckons I should be a 9 My reply was the smoking alone means I am not a 9 add in I am 1.5-2 stone overweight, drink booze means my self ratingis more accurate.


I Smoke, drink but eat healthly. My only excercise is cycling the last three months I have cycled 600-650 each month climbed 22000ft each month avg HR for the 650 120bpm avg cadence 86 and avg speed 15.3mph (cant seem to get avg moving speed in garmin reports!) I am 46 14st and 5ft 10"

Now rate my fitness out of 10 :-)

 

[Wednesday]

Wow! just making conversation not trying to cause actual bodily harm. Just wondered why so many people that know the problems being fat causes choose to be fat, rather than do something about it.

I guess without any social context your post wouldn't have bothered me, but it does bug me how it's considered acceptable and even beneficial for certain people's bodies to be publicly judged by anyone who feels like it at any time (which I'm sure you're aware of, having been fat yourself).

 

[screenman]

I wish when I was fat more people had told me so, I would then have kicked myself harder to do something about it. Pussy footing about and being nice does not in my opinion help very much being over weight carries many health issue's that need addressing urgently. People are coming on here saying they are fat, or over weight, much the same thing I would imagine.

Loco, I would call you about 4.

 

[ttcycle]

screenman, I'm with Wednesday on this one too. I'm slim so it's not personal for me but there's this judgement issue around overweight issues being about greed or lack of self control which does not help people with extra weight. I agree, it's not all about cotton wooling people and being nice for the sake of it but there are very complex issues with food that many people have. There are also health problems that can impact on weight.

Back to the OP- keep at it - sounds like some good distance, maybe build in a longer ride at one stage ie 35miles if you were up for it and eat a healthy balanced diet. Good luck!!