Published on 12, July, 2020
I am curious as to how other people stay fit and healthy on the forums.
My fitness levels are not great at the moment so I am thinking about what I can do to get back into a routine. My energy levels are very low so need to build something up gradually, but would like to get back into cycling again as I do miss it.
What about you? What is your approach to health and fitness?
I have been inspired by others on the forum to try the couch to 5k. So far I have reached week 4 which I am pleased with as I do have a lot of couch time due to fatigue. I’m not sure how far I will get with it as I have arthritis in my knee and spine but even if my “jog” is faster than my walk it’s an improvement and it’s free and can do it when I like
I too aspire to getting an expensive trike the Hase recumbent or Icetrikes especially the ones that can be used off road. However they are at the moment prohibitively expensive as they are adjusted to personal requirements. This type of cycling is better for my spine and balance.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K3UKKaidpwc
ive also cut out sugar and fat from my diet and had started to cut out gluten ( which I felt a lot better without but have to eat it again for a while til checked out for coeliac). I also try to have my main meal at lunchtime whilst In more active and just soup and fruit before 6pm so that I’m not going to bed with a full stomach. We’re all so individual we have to try different things to find what suits us.
I'm glad the couch to 5K is going well so far. It's a good app and have used it in the past. I've found a training plan similar to this style, but for cycling, so I am hoping to try that once the weather improves - snow and ice on a bike only leads to disaster!
Yes you are right, we are all individuals and as such have our own requirements. I have experimented a lot with nutritional approaches over the years and have found a vegan diet suits me well. Likewise, I have also cut out refined sugars and my fats mostly come from nuts, avocados and dips such as hummus or tahini. I am trying to get my partner to eat healthy with me as well, which works so far as he will eat freshly prepared meals with me, but then binges on cakes and biscuits! I can't win!
The recumbent trike looks interesting. I did some research a few years ago on recumbent bikes as I wanted something I could do a bit of travelling on and would be suitable to pull a small pack on wheels behind it. The low position put me off a bit, but saying that, there is a man I see commuting to work on one and he has a tall flag mast mounted to the rear of it with a bright flag mounted on top. Definitely makes him more visible and he gets some decent speeds out of it.
There are different styles of recumbent so that racer types are almost on the floor and fast but there are others designed to sit higher up which is what I would go for ease of getting on and off and to be seen. Some have space for bags on the back or pulling a something. Plus for me I felt safe on it when I tried one which I don’t with bicycles and it was fun which isn’t something I’m used to. It immediately brought a big grin! And because of the fatigue issues It creates a seat when stopped. Anyway it will be quite a while before I can get one The fat tyre Icetrike for off road looks great because you can cycle on green lanes and beaches etc as long as you wash it afterwards.