For the thousandth time, I'm going to take better care of myself.
 

The one person I always break promises to is me. This time it's going to be different because I have a plan!

Going to ride my bicycle more because its a necessity plus it's fun.
Going to do all the yard work instead of hiring out because I'm cheap deep down plus it's therapeutic.
Going to work on my 911 because its been sitting on jack stands too long plus it's fun and I need a hobby to maintain my sanity.

All work and no play some gotten me nowhere but older.

What do you think?

I have been working on this pretty hard since officially turning "middle age". Had a good run so far except for a time when I did long distance commuting, wasting 2-3 hours on the road a day.

Start posting here. It helps:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/726649-ppot-weight-loss-fitness-challenge-2013-a.html

Get a device logging your miles, time etc. and set a minimum per week. I often find myself putting in another run or swim on Sunday night because I have not met my weekly goal yet. This week I should break 100 hours of activities for the year and 50,000 calories burnt. Imagine all the extra food I have been eating! ;)

G

As always we need pics. Lofty goals achieved by others are the most entertaining....
:)

Here:

http://www.mychicagoathlete.com/Medi...ner305clse.jpg

G

this VVVV.

this will suck any extra fat off your ass, AND your wallet.

this is all part my my master plan...muhahhahahhaha..

and continuing to eat less.

C55..i have a dirt trail mocking us!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1367342292.jpg

Good for you! :-)

I made the same commitment last fall when I decided to enter the ski race "Vasaloppet". I figured I needed a goal. Something that made it absolutely necessary to get into reasonable shape, as the race is 90km long and generally takes almost 12 hours for a couch potato like me.

I got myself a cross-trainer. Put it in the basement, a TV set in front and all 8 seasons of the original 2 1/2 men. In a sense it was Charlie Sheen that got me fit enough to endure 11 hours and 41 minutes non stop skiing..

I'm giving it a shot, I bought a used Specialized Rockhopper off of Craigslist on Sunday and went for a ride at 6 am today. Legs are like rubber after about 3 miles, which only reinforces how fat and worthless I have become.;) I'm hoping to lose some weight (20 lb would be nice) as well as get rid of my lingering lower back pain.

matt, my friend. prepare to be stunned.

my legs are sinewy now. my wife loves them..which really helps when wanting to buy a new mountain bike. hahhaha..

i gotta work my angles with this woman..

"ride my bicycle more"???

Come on, lets get some specific goals in there. Otherwise who is to say you've reached your personal goals. If you have "I will ride 10 miles per day by October 10th, and I will celebrate by driving my 911 to dinner that night!" Then you know if you succeeded or not!

I bought a Garmin Forerunner about 6 years ago, hands down my best purchase for my health. It's helpful in a couple ways. The first is obvious, it tracks my distance & speed as well as elevation changes. I'm a creature of habit & run the same 5 mile trail, so I have a solid benchmark to compare my fitness at anytime. I'm past trying to set personal bests.

I'm 48, I get lazy/sore sometimes & go a couple months without running. The heart rate monitor helps me not over do it when starting back up. I had my lactate threshold level tested a few years back, so I know to not exceed 155bpm for extended periods. This has nearly eliminated nagging pulls & strains.

The second most useful tool was a good body composition scale. The one I bought is surprisingly accurate. I had my body fat checked at a hospital using a BodPod last year because I didn't believe my home scale. It was within 1%.

I got braces a couple months ago, they seem to help with calorie intake, but not something I would recommend.

I made a similar commitment to fitness a few years ago and started running. At 6'3" and 215 lbs or so, I don't have a "runner's" body, but what the heck. No pain, no gain, right?

Fast forward literally hundreds of miles of running and quite a few 5Ks later and my knees are officially shot (at 48 years old). The orthopedic surgeon even told me to avoid stairs if at all possible. Now I just have pain every day with no gain. :(

LOL, I'm already shopping for a new suspension fork.:) It's hard to resist the temptation to mod stuff.

I'm a creature of habit, so my plan is to take a ride every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning. Plus evenings when my kids feel like going out, but that's a more leisurely ride. My wife does workouts M/W/F mornings so it works out well. I need to get into a routine or I'll be lazy and slack, which might happen anyway.

That sucks Mike, I had knee problems (meniscus) & had to get off tarmac, Superfeet inserts helped as well. If I couldn't run, I would probable go back to swimming a few times a week. Cycling around here is too dangerous.

Really sorry to hear, Mike. Exactly my story. Thats how I found the cross-trainer. The only equipment I can use without limit and still be able to walk the next day.

So how much is an entry level Mtn bike going to set me back? I need an angle with my wife too. She already thinks I have way too many toys.

I used to be a runner waay back when I was young and in the military. Loved it then but now I'm just carrying too much extra weight for running to be enjoyable again. I'll jog every once in a while fr a mile or two but that's about it then my feet start complaining.

[QUOTE=cantdrv55;7416028]So how much is an entry level Mtn bike going to set me back? I need an angle with my wife too. She already thinks I have way too many toys.

An entry level bike (I have not shopped for one for a while-mine is about 4 yo) I believe would be about $300-400 and you can get them cheaper and more expensive. And don't forget a good helmet. :)

I bought a Specialized Rockhopper from 2005 for $225 on Craigslist, in good shape with a tired front shock. It was about an $850 bike in 2005. That's probably less than a Walmart cheapie.

New, it's hard to get a quality aluminum framed bike for less than $500.

A nice new base model Trek at the local store will set you back less than $400. I have had mine for 6-8 years and am beating it around really good. No complaints. A lot of the components are heavy and basic, but I need exercise, so I don't care if I ride a heavier bike up the mountain! No issues with trails and heavy use.

G

Pretty good, mine offered to sell me an entry level USED Trek for $400.:rolleyes: