Added new exercise to dull routing...

Ahmee2034

Okay y'all! I was bored with the same old, same old, so, I decided to try another form of exercise. CYCLING! I bought a 21 speed mountain bike yesterday. I did about a mile last evening and am about to head out again in a few minutes. What I'd like to know is if you all have any pointers for me. Any suggestions, you know, just whatever. I've heard a lot of good things in my research about cycling and weight loss. I'm hoping this will ramp up my metabolism so I can finally drop these last 20 pounds. They're sticking to me like glue! I've added extra workouts, changed up my diet and nothing has happened. Still stuck.

So, anyway, guys and gals, please, share all your wonderful knowledge with me about cycling. I'm a sponge waiting to soak it all up!

staceyw37

nice to see you! and good for you!! you will break thru this plateau!

how is your son? how are YOU?

congratulations on taking axn to change things for yourself. :flowerforyou:

Ahmee2034

Thanks for the kudos! I feel like I haven't deserved that in a while. Lots going on. My son is doing EXTREMELY well. Thank God! He is actually leaving for college on August 14th! I can't believe it. 3 months ago he was lying in a hospital bed on the verge of death or paralysis and now he's moving 600 miles away to college! There can be no doubt that God has His hands on my son.

As for me, I'll admit I've been stress eating. Not "pigging out" but eating something here and there that I know better than to eat. I've gained about 4 pounds and noticed the little pudge making an appearance so I'm gonna put my nose to the grindstone and stop sniffling over my baby and just do it! In Jesus' holy name!!!!

How about you? How's it going?

nickiebb

Hi, congratulations on your new purchase! This advice may sound lame, but her goes: wear a helmet and stick to bike trails.

Before my daughter, my husband and I mountain biked. It is much safer to ride on bike trails. Cars drive too erratically and don't look out for bicyclists. I know too many stories of bicyclists that have been hit or "near hit" by cars.

Have fun! Mountain biking is a great workout.

Nickie


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Easy Calorie Counting

Ahmee2034

Hi, congratulations on your new purchase! This advice may sound lame, but her goes: wear a helmet and stick to bike trails.

Before my daughter, my husband and I mountain biked. It is much safer to ride on bike trails. Cars drive too erratically and don't look out for bicyclists. I know too many stories of bicyclists that have been hit or "near hit" by cars.

Have fun! Mountain biking is a great workout.

Nickie


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Easy Calorie Counting

Thanks for the advice. Luckily, I don't live in a "city setting" where there is a lot of traffic. I really live out in the burbs...Lots of places to ride in the neighborhood. I think I overdid it yesterday because when I got on it this a.m. my butt REALLY was sore! Riding makes me feel like a kid again.

arewethereyet

Looks like that cigarette money went to a good cause!!

Good for you! I am in the same boat as you, last 20 wont go away. I bought a bike for the same reason and love it because................................well I love it!!! RIding that is!!

It is so freeing to have the wind in your hair although I could do without the bugs in my mouth!!

SO that is my advice to you this day. Do NOT sing with mouth wide open when riding your bike (unless you have allotted the extra protein calories!):laugh:

stratdl

My advice is to make sure that you have a good bike seat. The one that came with my mountain bike is horrible--obviously invented by some sort of sadistic fiend! It's raised up in the middle (instead of hollowed out), so the "girl parts" get really squished. Went for a bike ride for over an hour last week and I thought I was going to need a hemrrhoid cushion or something!

...but seriously, unless the seat has a hollowed-out spot for your sensitive areas, you can cut off blood flow, which is NOT a comfortable feeling. One of my colleagues who's done a lot of biking says that you want to make sure your "sitting bones" are supported by the seat and almost nothing else. He even said that you're really not supposed to even sit down much on the seat--your legs should be supporting most of your weight. In that case, you want to make sure that your seat is of a correct height so that your legs can bear most of your weight (mine was too short, so I had to adjust it and it made a HUGE difference). And also I went and purchased a gel cover to put over my bike seat so that there is a hollowed out spot. If that doesn't work, I'm going to sink some money into a new seat (they can be VERY expensive).

Also, you may want to consider a helmet. Someone posted a few months back that they were biking for the first time in a long time and accidentally fell over, whacking their head. If not for the bike helmet, they'd have had one squashed melon!

I hope this helps!

Cheers! :drinker:

foxyforce

Looks like that cigarette money went to a good cause!!

Good for you! I am in the same boat as you, last 20 wont go away. I bought a bike for the same reason and love it because................................well I love it!!! RIding that is!!

It is so freeing to have the wind in your hair although I could do without the bugs in my mouth!!

SO that is my advice to you this day. Do NOT sing with mouth wide open when riding your bike (unless you have allotted the extra protein calories!):laugh:

haha, this has so happened to me!!! bugs in my mouth...and contact lens, it really is better to wear glasses for biking!

my only advice for cycling is figure out how to use the gears properly, i still cant make the best use of mine and it makes it even more difficult for my biking experience. now i rarely bike, it just frustrates me, i've got strong legs but i just can't seem to do it! so proper use of gears!

Azdak

Okay y'all! I was bored with the same old, same old, so, I decided to try another form of exercise. CYCLING! I bought a 21 speed mountain bike yesterday. I did about a mile last evening and am about to head out again in a few minutes. What I'd like to know is if you all have any pointers for me. Any suggestions, you know, just whatever. I've heard a lot of good things in my research about cycling and weight loss. I'm hoping this will ramp up my metabolism so I can finally drop these last 20 pounds. They're sticking to me like glue! I've added extra workouts, changed up my diet and nothing has happened. Still stuck.

So, anyway, guys and gals, please, share all your wonderful knowledge with me about cycling. I'm a sponge waiting to soak it all up!

Just some random snippets of advice, not in any order of importance.

1. Make sure your seat is adjusted to the right height. The vast majority of beginners--unless they were fitted at a good bike shop---set their seats too low.

2. Work on developing a smooth, supple pedaling style. Ideally, you should be be riding with toe clips or clip on pedals. You should pedal in a circular motion, pulling up on one side while pushing down on the other. But, again, in a circle, not "stomping" up and down.

3. Work on developing a consistent cadence rather than pushing heavier gears, around 75-90 rpm.

4. You are only working when you are pedaling. Just being on the bike is not exercise. Any time you are coasting, you are not working out. That doesn't mean never coasting, obviously, but it does mean keeping focused--and also is another argument for a lower resistance/higher cadence style at first.

5. If you are going to be riding on trails and in more isolated areas, learn how to replace a tire tube and carry the necessary spares, tools, and pump. A basic toolkit can fit in a little wedge pack that fits under the seat.

6. Keep your chain and derailleurs clean, lubricated, and adjusted. Your chain and cranks should be mostly silent when you are pedaling.

7. Don't get gear-happy. First of all, if you look at a gear chart for your bike, you will notice that many of the gears duplicate--e.g. sprocket 4 on the big front chainring will be equivalent to sprocket 3 on the middle ring. You will find that, on level ground, you will probably only need 1-3 gears, using the others only for uphills or downhills.

8. Keep the tires properly inflated--makes a huge difference.

Ahmee2034

Looks like that cigarette money went to a good cause!!

Good for you! I am in the same boat as you, last 20 wont go away. I bought a bike for the same reason and love it because................................well I love it!!! RIding that is!!

It is so freeing to have the wind in your hair although I could do without the bugs in my mouth!!

SO that is my advice to you this day. Do NOT sing with mouth wide open when riding your bike (unless you have allotted the extra protein calories!):laugh:

haha, this has so happened to me!!! bugs in my mouth...and contact lens, it really is better to wear glasses for biking!

my only advice for cycling is figure out how to use the gears properly, i still cant make the best use of mine and it makes it even more difficult for my biking experience. now i rarely bike, it just frustrates me, i've got strong legs but i just can't seem to do it! so proper use of gears!

Well, I listened to everyone's advice and decided to get "an old fashioned" comfort cruiser bike. Yep, that's right! I just got back with my brand new, new comfort cruiser bike! I tried doing another mile on the 21 speed this morning and it about killed me. I think I was in love with the idea of all the gears, the speed, the endurance!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!! My butt talked my geek self into going for happiness and comfort. :blushing: We're BOTH happy now!

You guys rock! Thanks so much. You know, I've noticed A LOT of topics dedicated on MFP to all sorts of fitness and sports EXCEPT for cycling. There is wogging, aerobics, running...Just after this short amount of time having the bike, it REALLY IS a workout! Especially since you can track your speed, distance, time, etc. And you burn WAY MORE calories in less amount of time than a treadmill and it is MUCH MORE enjoyable. Can I get an "AMEN!"?