The Fit Nation

https://ift.tt/qLYuSiK I finished installing an electric assist kit on my recumbent, from a British company here . I’ll be describing it in more detail in a post soon. For now suffice it to say I’m delighted in it. I took it for my first long test ride last Friday, and it performed superbly. I took the same bike out on rides Saturday and Sunday which were very enjoyable. Monday I did my upper body strength workout then took my upright on a shorter ride. Tuesday was my group ride and I took the recumbent for the first time in a while. With assist I can keep up with the group easily climbing, while on downhills and the flats I don’t need assist because of the aerodynamic advantage of the recumbent. So this made the group ride an easier social outing. On Wednesday I took the recumbent again, and after a long cruise I did some intervals and sprints. I did less of these than in the past but pushed harder. I did 8x repetitions of 90 second intervals with about 30 seconds recovery, then 8 rep...

https://ift.tt/SYENeJc www.Amazon.com/books This is the title of an inspiring book by Matt Landry. Matt, who lives in New Hampshire near the White Mountains, was an experienced hiker. But he was not as dedicated about it as he would have liked. So as his 50th birthday was approaching, he decided to set the challenge for himself of hiking all 48 of the mountains over 4000 feet in elevation in the Whites. He chronicled the story of this adventure in this books, including the life lessons he learned along the way completing this significant challenge. I enjoyed this interesting read. I like how pointing towards a goal that is a stretch can focus you to be more consistent in your training and push yourself beyond what you perceive as your limits. This inspires me to come up with a challenge that is out of my current comfort zone.

https://ift.tt/ogCGPpx Lots of riding this last week plus I did my first hiking in a while. Last Thursday I did my morning strength workout followed by a short local ramble. Friday was a bike and hike in Harvey Bear County Park. I rode down to San Martin to the park then went up the Harvey Bear trail which runs into Willow Springs trail. I rode these most of the way to the top where Willow Springs trail intersects Coyote Ridge trail. There are nice views of Coyote Lake from there. I then returned via Coyote ridge which eventually intersects Harvey Bear, which I took down, then rode home. I rode as much as I could on these sections and hiked, pushing the bike, wherever riding was not comfortable because it was too steep or the trail was too squirrely. This was the first time I had hiked in quite some time, and I was pleased that my SI joint did not act up at all. The next day I did a local easy recovery ride. Sunday I did a long loop through San Martin, down to Rucker ave in Gilroy and ...

https://ift.tt/65AuadZ I rode every day since the Tuesday before yesterday since the weather has been quite nice (a little hot later in the day some days but nice in the mornings). Last Wednesday and Thursday were both relatively easy local rides. Friday I did my upper body strength workout then a hard ride southeast past San Martin to Gilroy, with a brisk tempo workout followed by intervals and on-bike strength training. Saturday was another easy day, then Sunday was a repeat of Friday’s workout but this time the ride was up into the hills to the West. Monday was another easy recovery day. Yesterday was a longer group ride to the southwest, and out to the end of Redwood Retreat Road and back. This was a gorgeous route on a really nice day. Last Wednesday’s ride is posted here , Thursday here , Friday here , Saturday here , Sunday here , Monday here , Yesterday here . Looking South From Chictatic-Adams Park (yesterday) Beautiful panorama on Redwood Retreat road (yesterday) A...

https://ift.tt/x8fsmlp I’ve known this for some time but it was good to see it confirmed in a recent study [1]. Thanks to Clarence Bass for reporting this study on his website and discussing it here . The main conclusion of the study was “This study indicates that bicycling may be favorable to knee health and should be encouraged”. I would add the caveat that biking is better for your knees if you avoid “grinding” in high gears. Also, Clarence has mentioned on his site that in his own case he has avoided cycling on the roads for many years after being struck by a motor vehicle. I would recommend stationary cycling for people in that category. I have an inexpensive stationary recumbent cycle I found online that works fine for me. I do prefer being outdoors, so I take various measures to make riding there safer (avoid riding at night, don’t use busy roads that don’t have bike lanes, and ride defensively- assume motorists don’t see you). Other tips for safe urban cycling are given here ....

https://ift.tt/sya8GcY http://www.Amazon.com/books This is a book by Osteopath David Vaux about strength training for middle-aged and older adults. In order to be healthy into old age, the author urges us to take up strength training no later than middle age because it is “use it or lose it”, and it’s harder to get it back once you have lost it. But if you are reading this and already beyond middle age, I would add don’t despair, it is never too late. The first half of the book is motivation and also important instruction on pacing yourself as you train as an aging adult. Life is a marathon not a sprint, so it is important to do consistent training and not overdo it to avoid injury. Dr Vaux has experience from his own life, where he served in the firefighting service, and from years of working with clients. The second part is the author’s 10 recommended movements for overall strength. I found these to be quite comprehensive, including upper body pushes and pulls, compound moveme...

https://ift.tt/Zhs14IC http://www.Amazon.com/books This is a fascinating book by psychologist Dr Becca Levy about the connection between our beliefs about aging and our health. She starts out by showing how in cultures like Japan where elders are revered, people live longer and age better. She then details the results of various research studies that show that negative age beliefs and stereotypes correlate with less healthy aging and even weaker immune systems. Fortunately, the opposite is also true, and positive beliefs lead to healthier aging. I was not surprised at these results given the power of the mind-body connection, but the magnitude of the effect shown was impressive. This is very interesting read.

https://ift.tt/MtUfzhl On Tuesday my group headed south towards Gilroy then up into the foothills east of town. We first rode out Dryden ave where we saw the little farm where the pigs Petunia and Harold live. We then headed to the hills off of Roop Ave. That is where we have visitted our camel friend Aladdin in the past but unfortunately he is no longer there. His owner is selling his estate so found a new home for Aladdin. Harold and Petunia View From Aladdin’s Former Residence Wednesday I did a hard ride on my recumbent for about two hours, with some intervals and on-bike strength training thrown in. Thursday I did my upper body workout and then an easy ride, and Friday I did a workout similar to Wednesday’s. Wednesday’s ride is here on Strava, Thursday’s upper body here and ride here , Friday’s ride here .