Newbie Health Benefits?

[sutts]

Well, for me, starting cycling earlier this year, it was all about getting fitter. I weighed in at my heaviest ever on Christmas day at 14st 13lbs (at 5'11", not serious, but not pretty) and I felt seriously uncomfortable. I decided to do something about it and started cycling.

I now weigh 12st 7lbs and that's a BMI of 24.4 for my height. I used to suffer from heartburn, but that's all gone, I can touch my toes again...and cleaning the car is now something that I do with ease, rather than puffing away after doing the sills! Add to this, as I sit here, my pulse rate is an incredible 42bpm at rest...and I just feel so proud (and bloody alive) at what I have achieved this year. I know it doesn't guarantee longer life, I get that, nothing does, but I think I have done the right thing! Cycling has transformed my life to be honest...and people 'smile' at each other as they pass on the bikes...it's 'just' incredible (I think they understand the secret and the passion of it all)!

I guess this post is fuelled by a glass of wine, but hey-ho, I can't give up everything, gotta live a little!

Has your health benefitted...well of course it has, but care to tell us?

 

[ColinJ]

Keep it up!

The chances are that cycling does add a few years to most of our lives, but it isn't just about quantity - the quality of our lives is that much better too, as you have indicated. I'm finally getting back down to a sensible weight and am really feeling the benefits. That also makes the cycling easier, which makes it more fun, so I want to do even more of it!

 

[Gravity Aided]

It certainly has helped me. I feel that I am alive today due to cycling. With a tendency to heart disease and arteriosclerosis in my family, I need all the help I can get. Athletic endeavor and activity help you get more years out of life, and more life out of those years.

 

[Biker Joe]

It's good to hear that cycling has been of great benefit to you.
Cycling has definitely been a considerable factor in keeping me healthy.
One and a half years ago I became quite ill and I don't think I would have come through it if it wasn't for the fact that I was in a good state of health to start with because of cycling.
Cycling has been a major factor towards getting me back to my present good health.
I raise my glass to you.

 

[compo]

I have osteoarthritis in my hips and knees. Cycling keeps my legs pain free and mobile. I can even walk fairly long distances. However when I don't ride for a week or so the aches and pains begin to bite. I am dreading the time when I cannot cycle.

 

[cosmicbike]

I'm sure my health has (had) improved. I gave up smoking after 25 years of 20+ a day back in January, and started cycling more frequently and over longer distances (nothing fancy, typically 25-40 miles). Never really carried excess weight, so no notable gains there, but after a few months just the ability to breathe was amazing! Got round to climbing the last of the 3 Peaks in June (Ben Nevis) and it was a walk in the park compared to Snowdon and Scafell Pike which I did in the 2 preceding years. Got the missus a new bike too and started family riding which the kids love.
I even started to get some nice muscle definition in the legs too.

Now, I have lost all muscle definition, actually most of the muscle too. Just sort of dissolved into the bloodstream and tried to take out my kidneys. Spent 2 weeks in hospital since July, and now find a walk of 1 mile hard work, though I managed 1.4 miles yesterday (followed by 1.5 hours sleep). Bikes are on the rack, and I'm waiting for the blood to settle, muscle to stop melting before I go near them again. So cycling = improved health, viral rhabdomyolysis = destroying all the hard work

 

[ColinJ]

Blimey, viral rhabdomyolysis = scary!

I just read about the condition. The article I read said to drink plenty to 'flush' the kidneys so I will definitely make an effort to drink a bit extra after hard rides.

Are your kidneys going to be okay?

Good luck with your recovery.

 

[cosmicbike]

Blimey, viral rhabdomyolysis = scary!

I just read about the condition. The article I read said to drink plenty to 'flush' the kidneys so I will definitely make an effort to drink a bit extra after hard rides.

Are your kidneys going to be okay?

Good luck with your recovery.

Wonderful read isn't it! What makes it worse is I am recovering from the 2nd bout of it this Summer, and I have been advised there are no guarantees it won't come back. Kidneys will recovery fully, but no drinking drinking as it were is allowed. Looking forward to a few more weeks of blood tests and once I hit normal levels the bikes coming out

 

[ColinJ]

The Like is only for the second half of the final sentence!

 

[Bryony]

I have a heart condition and took up cycling in April to help strengthen my heart, and I am feeling some improvements, I can certainly cycle a lot further with out feeling like I'm going to keel over than I did when I first started!

 

[Tcr4x4]

I hit 13 stone earlier this year, I'm only 5'7 so it wasn't awful, but enough to kick me into gear and do something about it. Running was out of the question, which is what I used to do, so since July 17 I started cycling. My weight is now 11 stone 5, I look much trimmer, and I feel better overall.

Ive always been relatively fit due to my job, but after my spinal operation and various other things over the last few years, my exercise went down and my weight went up. Now I'm probably the fittest and lightest I've been in 7 or 8 years and I hope to keep getting fitter and maybe even drop below 11 stone.

I'm hoping that it will also help strengthen my core and my back, so I can actually walk again. For the last few years I've been limited to very short walks, sometimes even walking around the supermarket would put me out of action for a week.

I really want to climb Snowdon again, and I'd like to try Pen Y Fan too. Hopefully next summer I'll be able too!

 

[sutts]

I'm sure my health has (had) improved. I gave up smoking after 25 years of 20+ a day back in January, and started cycling more frequently and over longer distances (nothing fancy, typically 25-40 miles). Never really carried excess weight, so no notable gains there, but after a few months just the ability to breathe was amazing! Got round to climbing the last of the 3 Peaks in June (Ben Nevis) and it was a walk in the park compared to Snowdon and Scafell Pike which I did in the 2 preceding years. Got the missus a new bike too and started family riding which the kids love.
I even started to get some nice muscle definition in the legs too.

Now, I have lost all muscle definition, actually most of the muscle too. Just sort of dissolved into the bloodstream and tried to take out my kidneys. Spent 2 weeks in hospital since July, and now find a walk of 1 mile hard work, though I managed 1.4 miles yesterday (followed by 1.5 hours sleep). Bikes are on the rack, and I'm waiting for the blood to settle, muscle to stop melting before I go near them again. So cycling = improved health, viral rhabdomyolysis = destroying all the hard work

I'm sorry to hear about this. One of the causes is apparently extreme physical exertion (I just read up on it). Was this the cause of your illness, if you don't mind me asking? Will you be ok, back to full strength...what's the outlook?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I can relate to your tale, @sutt . 5 years ago, I weighed 105kg (I'm 6'3" tall, by the way), then resumed cycling again. I've done it all my life, but had temporarily stopped for several years (dumbest thing I ever did). 6 months after resuming cycling, I was down to 85kg, and have been roughly that weight ever since. Sorry I can't translate my metric weights for you all, but you get the picture: I lost about 1/5 of my body weight, mostly thanks to cycling.

 

[cosmicbike]

I really want to climb Snowdon again, and I'd like to try Pen Y Fan too. Hopefully next summer I'll be able too!

Not done Pen Y Fan yet, but I'm told it's an easier option than Snowdon though I suppose it depends on the route..

I'm sorry to hear about this. One of the causes is apparently extreme physical exertion (I just read up on it). Was this the cause of your illness, if you don't mind me asking? Will you be ok, back to full strength...what's the outlook?

Initial diagnosis was compartment syndrome leading to rhabdomyolysis, though the orthopaedic consultant could find no evidence on the compartment syndrome (I didn't get taken to hospital until 4 days after the initial pain, and then it was 2 ambulances on the drive - gave the neighbours something to talk about) Their view was over exertion as they managed to translate "I cycle 2 - 3 times per week, 25 - 40 miles each time" into, "Mr XX cycles 80 miles daily at speed", I kid not... Subsequent to the initial event we discovered it's not an orthopaedic 'thing', since no bones broken and no operation required, in fact I was guaranteed I would never experience it again. It's a medical condition and best dealt with by rheumatology so I'm now under the care of a consultant rheumatologist. His opinion after a great deal more tests than during/after the first episode is that the cause is viral which in some ways is worse as it may return. Long term outlook is excellent (provided it doesn't return) and my leg muscles should be more compact yet stronger since we will be doing a very focussed rebuild after a great deal of muscle loss. Really hoping I never go through this again

 

[Tcr4x4]

Yeah Pen Y Fan is easier, my wife's done it twice with her family but I couldn't go with her.