The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

Still not much change. I always hear the recidivism rate after losing weight is pretty high, so even just maintaining my weight 10 pounds away from my goal with very little exercise is a great accomplishment. Had I been “dieting”, I couldn’t have done it - I would definitely have returned to my old habits. Since I’ve studied my own life, practiced awareness of my habits and made choices to change them, maintaining my weight will be easier - eventually, it will become just as automatic as gaining weight was, since health will become habitual.

My wife and I went for a bike ride after work yesterday - it was so peaceful and serene. Even the other people we passed were serene themselves. We’re lucky to have the NC Arboretum in our area - there are flower gardens and exhibits to enjoy, riding and walking trails that vary in difficulty and scenery, Lake Powhatan - lots to discover, do and enjoy. We also occasionally ride at the Biltmore Estate, which is also fun but not as “in the woods.” If I have my camera with me, I might occasionally make some trip reports of my bike rides. There’s some beautiful places out there I’d like to share.

Now that I have installed fork clamps in the bed of my truck, hauling the bikes around is much easier. I’ve never had the need to use the quick-release clamps on the front tires of our bikes before, so I’m still getting used to those. I also need to find some sort of retaining device, a box made out of netting or something, to hold the helmets, my shoes and keep our front tires from rolling around. The ease of throwing the bikes in the back and taking off will make riding much more attractive this season - what used to be a 30-minute fight putting the bikes in the back of her SUV is now a 5-minute breeze.

Riding yesterday, I had a couple of questions I thought I’d ask people:

1. I haven’t exercised or lifted weights with any regularity for years. However, grinding up a hill was MUCH easier than before I lost my weight. Is that solely due to just pushing less weight around, or does the fact that I have a better muscle-to-fat ratio have something to do with it?
2. Does carb-loading really have an appreciable impact on performance? I know what Dave will say - maybe he can do a report on exactly what it does, what impact it has, and include some studies on the effect?
3. I was looking at maybe getting a road bike for riding in the city when I can’t get out to the trails - being able to just get on the bike in my driveway and ride for an hour would be nice. However, they appear to be incredibly expensive compared to mountain bikes. Why is that?
4. My saddle used to be comfortable enough to use. Now that I’ve lost so much weight, it hurts. What should I look for in a new saddle, if I decide to get one?

If you or someone you know has any insight, I’d love to see your comments below. Thanks for your input.

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Still maintaining, still no consistent exercise. I took my mountain bike by the shop for tune-up (if anyone else lives in the Asheville, NC area, Carolina Fatz is an awesome bike shop). I have a Haro v4, which I bought early last year. I did a lot of research on mountain bikes, read some reviews, talked shop to several store owners, and rode a few bikes in the same price range - I don’t think anything compares to the Haro:

• Solid, light frame
• Nice Shimano shifters - Moving from the grip-shifters my last bike (a Trek) had, these lever shifters are a dream. No more “dialing in” the gears - one click and it shifts.
• Shimano Deore derailleur - Deore isn’t the best in the Shimano line, but it’s nice and smooth. I tested bikes with Shimano components both higher (XT, LX) and lower (Alivio) in quality, and the Deore seemed to have the best quality at the best price. I could definitely tell a difference between the Alivio and Deore - less clunking, much smoother.
• Disc brakes - Moving from rim brakes to disc brakes was like upgrading from a 486 to a Core Duo: worlds apart. I tested both mechanical and hydraulic, and while I could tell a difference, I didn’t feel the cost was worth it for me.
• I love the shocks (it’s got a RockShox fork), but it wasn’t noticeably different than the others I rode, probably due mostly to the fact I tested them in parking lots. I purposely went for a hardtail - I don’t like the spongy ride a softtail gives, and they’re more money than I wanted to spend.

When I bought the bike, I immediately had them install some Shimano clipless pedals. It took about 15 minutes to get used to them, and a few rides to get comfortable with them, but well worth the price and initial discomfort. Just a tip - ride on dirt your first couple of times. And don’t skimp on the pedals - being able to clip out quickly is pretty important, as is being able to rely on the clip’s retention. I didn’t get anywhere near the most costly, but I didn’t skimp either.

This weekend, I’ll bolt on some fork clamps to the toolbox on my truck and an eyelet for running a bike chain, and I’ll be ready to hit the trails! Between mountain biking, volleyball (which should start up soon) and racquetball, there should be plenty of opportunity this summer for outdoor exercise. The first time in years I’ve actually been excited about getting outdoors - it’s a wonder what losing 70lbs will do.