Being Healthy, Part 1 (17% Body Fat)

     "Be more healthy." I don't think I could have have been more vague if I tried.  Shortly after my new year's resolutions post was up on this blog, my lovely wife asked me to explain myself.

     Well.  Here it goes, and I hope it makes sense.  My health has slowly deteriorated since I moved to San Antonio.  The two main culprits were my allergies and my sedentary lifestyle.  The allergies kept me from going outside a great deal, and I've never really liked going to the gym.  Being on a treadmill gives me images of a hamster running in a wheel, and stationary bikes make me sad because they remind me that I could be outside on a real bike.  To satisfy my wife's and my need for some relative privacy, specially when it comes to medical stuff, I'm only going to say that I'm getting my allergies taken care of.

     With my allergies under control. I felt I finally had the opportunity to go on walks around my neighborhood.  I was free to explore the trail system in the closest city park on my BSO.  In the past 21 months since we got our first set of bikes from a LBS, I feel I've been more physically active than the previous 10 years in San Antonio.

     While trying to find some direction on how to be healthier, I stumbled upon several indicators and tons of different points of view.  The one that has been stuck with me the longest is the inaccuracy of weight as a general measure for health.  I've known from my own research that Body Fat Percentage (BF%) is a much better indicator.  In addition, in my own humble opinion, it is a less daunting number.  I find it a lot scarier to hear that I have to loose 50 pounds of weight than having to loose 10% Body Fat.  Also, I believe that BF% accounts for the fact that muscle is more dense than fat.  I have seen several people in my life get really discouraged when they loose a little bit of weight through exercise and then gain some of it back due to muscle gain.  Something tells me that if they had been looking at their BF% instead of their weight, they would still be exercising on a regular basis.

     With that said, my ultimate goal is to have 17% Body Fat.  It is the maximum allowed for men to be in the "fitness" category, and I plan to achieve it through both exercise and eating better.  Notice I didn't say diet.  Diets are evil (and yes, I'll explain later)!  Also, I don't plan to achieve the magical 17% goal anytime soon.  It took me 12 years to get where I am now, It's only fair that I take my time getting there.  For my new year's resolution, as long as I finish 2013 with less BF% than when I started, that will make me happy...

Be Safe and Be Green.

New Year's Resolutions

     Talking about biking alone, 2012 was a far better year than 2011.  I got to take part on a couple of critical mass rides, and I got a chance to participate on three massively organized rides.  Also, I doubled my milage in 2012, in comparison to 2011.  Thinking about all the great things I accomplished in 2012, led me to thinking about the things I want to get done in 2013...

1. Be more healthy
2. Do more miles than in 2012 (500+)
3. Do Conquer the Coast again
4. Do Trek Breast Cancer Awareness ride again
5. Do 2013 SA Marathon Bike Tour again (if offered)
6. Do Tour de Cure
7. Learn how to adjust derailleurs (front & back)
8. Learn how to replace and adjust shifter & brake cables
9. Begin a bike restoration project
10. Commute twice a week to work for at least a month

      As an unofficial #11, I would like to continue updating this blog and hopefully meet more people in the cycling community.  I hope everyone had a great 2012, and like me... looking forward to a great 2013.

Be Safe and Be Green.

A Small Rack for Bikes...

One Giant Leap for the Cycling Kind. Otherwise know as "ask, and you shall receive."  That is the lesson I learned yesterday.

Ever since the school year started, back in late August, I noticed that our new building was missing something. Something that should be in every new building, specially if said new building is designed to be a "green" building. A bike rack.  Bicycles simply promote a healthier lifestyle, but if you are reading this blog, then you don't need to be schooled on the benefits of commuting by bicycle.

I know it's not the biggest bike rack. It's technically designed to hold six bikes, but it's installed in the wrong direction, thereby cutting the amount of bikes it can hold by half. The biggest point; however, It's that is there and it is still functional.

The roads around my place of work are bike friendly. Bike through here in the mornings on the weekends and you are liable to see at least a dozen cyclists zooming up and down this humble country roads.  The roads are well kept.  They are straight -ish.  The hills are tough, but not unforgiving. And as far as my experience goes, the motorists around these parts are respectful and aware of cyclists.  These are a lot of the reasons why I asked to be moved to this new location, so I could commute by bicycle from time to time.  You never know, It could become a habit.

Early in the school year, I asked my manager what would it take to get a bike rack installed at our location. His answer "I don't know. I'll ask."  From then on, every time I bumped into him in the hallway he would give me a quick one or two sentence progress report on the bike rack.  Progress felt slow, but he had an awesome way of letting me know that the idea and the project had not stalled to a standstill.

Yesterday when I got to work after lunch I bumped into him as I was coming in the front door of the building (almost as if he was waiting for me), and with a smile in his face he told me: "That bike rack you asked for was installed a little while ago on the back entrance of the building."  Astonished. All I could reply was "Cool. Thank you, I'll go check it out."

When I saw it, I couldn't help but smile.  An overwhelming sense of hope came over me and I thought "build it, and they will come."  The presence of the bike rack should give people that have been thinking about commuting a little nudge towards the right direction. I for one... can't wait to lock my bike there while I work.

Question is... which one first?

Be Safe and Be Green

Plenty to be Thankful for...

     This past three months have been nothing short of remarkable, and considering how we just finished the the week of Thanksgiving.  It led me to thinking about all the things that I have to be thankful for.  The first two are kind of a package deal. My family and my health.  Without either of which, I could have had the last three wonderful months on my bicycle.

      Before the start of September, the only organized cycling event I had ever done was Ride of Silence.  In the past three months I've done Conquer the Coast, Trek Women's Breast Cancer Awareness Ride, and the 2012 San Antonio Rock'n'Roll Marathon Bike Tour.  All of which, I wouldn't have thought I would have done just a year ago.

     There is something about massively organized rides that gets my motor running. The euphoria of knowing you just completed and accomplished something you thought was beyond your capabilities is difficult to describe and exhilarating to pursue.  To feel the support and encouragement of family members is like butterscotch icing on the adrenaline cake.  To have them by my side or waiting at the finish line puts a little extra wind behind your rear wheel and little more drive to push the pedals a little harder for just a bit longer.  Again... difficult to describe... but thankful and grateful none the less.

Be Safe and Be Green.

What have I done?

As you may not know yet, I failed my August challenge. I only biked 71.88 of my 100 mile challenge. I started strong at the beginning of the month, and I tried to have a strong finnish. The middle two weeks though, I didn't get a chance to bike a lot. Somewhere at the end of the month, I was influenced by the spirit of the challenge and I signed up for Conquer the Coast and I signed up to do the Bike Tour on the San Antonio Rock'n'Roll Marathon.

     Out of the two, I'm dreading the Bike Tour a little more. It's only 22 miles, but you have to keep a minimum speed of 10 mph, and as far as I understand it, you are not allowed to stop for a break. Sounds pretty daunting. I know I can do 22 miles. I just don't know if I can do the miles without stopping. I guess I have two months to find out.

     On the other hand, I'm really excited about riding in Conquer the Coast.  Miss Adventure and I, both signed up to do this event, and we both signed up to do the 25 mile ride. One of the reasons I'm excited about this ride is that we get to ride all along Ocean Dr in Corpus Christi. From the northern tip of downtown to the entrance of the Naval Air Station. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would ever get a chance to ride the whole length of Ocean Dr. Not even when I first started cycling.

     Conquer the Coast also marks the very first organized cycling race that we've ever participated in. Last I read from their facebook page, last year they had nearly 1,500 participants. That's a lot of riders... but I'm still very excited for us to join them.

Be Safe and Be Green.