Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

In the Morning, On the Beach

Carlin Park Beach
Jupiter, FL
January 31, 2023

 Given the combination of calm winds and mild temperatures, Chris and I went to the beach for our morning walk yesterday. 

Admittedly, it has been a while since we went for a morning beach walk, but we were not disappointed. The day was a classic January South Florida day with blue skies, light winds off the ocean, and medium surf. It was a fantastic way to begin the last day of January 2023 and it reminded us both why we are living here. 

Pelicans on Patrol
Carlin Park Beach, Jupiter, FL
January 31, 2023
While we were walking a squadron of pelicans flew over. We almost always stop to admire them. They fly in formation I imagine that they always seem to be enjoying the air currents as they fly above or skim over the ocean's surface.

After the walk, we managed a short 11-mile ride on our bikes. Chris is really coming along in her stamina and endurance. The ride yesterday took me over 1024 miles ridden since September 3rd and I rode over 250 miles during January. I think I am getting my money's worth out of my bike.

The first month of 2023 is now history and now we are queued up for February. 


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

COVID-19 Escape

 

S22i Studio Cycle in Patagonia, Argentina
My Ride
January 18, 2021
My S22i NordicTrack Studio Cycle continues to get significant use now after over one month of ownership. To be honest, I have only missed cycling two days and I am really enjoying the escape form reality that it provides. Just this week I have cycled in Norway, the toughest ride so far, and Argentina! Seriously, Sunday in Norway and Monday in Patagonia, Argentina. 

The cycle is the perfect COVID-19 escape. For between 30 and 50 minutes each day I escape to the open road and view some beautiful scenery and get my butt kicked by some really in shape trainer as I struggle to climb mountains or race on an open road. 

Yesterday I rode around a lake in Patagonia, complete with hill climbs. I have been wearing my Apple Watch and tracking the workout and my heart rate. I have been getting some very strenuous workouts--and enjoying them while enjoying some great scenery. So fay, I have ridden in Glacier National Park; North and South Carolina along the Blue Ridge Parkway; Fairbanks, Alaska; a route I built in Florida, and sampled Norway and Argentina.  Glacier National Park and the Carolina series were both 12 separate rides each. 

The ultimate escape while working to improve fitness.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

My New Gym Buddy

 

Until September, I had maintained a gym membership for many years. Originally, Chris and I took the membership to improve fitness. And we were very diligent for some time, but eventually the membership evolved to just me and I used the gym exclusively to play racquetball. 

Fast forward to 2020--the year which cannot end too quickly. 

With arrival of the end of September, the club/gym to which I belonged to play racquetball closed because it could not compete with COVID. I played racquetball infrequently through October at an outdoor court, but when the second surge began--it was determined that I should sit it out until Spring. It really is tough to play racquetball on outdoor courts in the cold, rain and snow. Additionally, with the daylight hours being so short--it is hard to finds a time to play. I have been playing racquetball mostly at about 5:30 AM with the exceptions being for leagues and occasional special meetings. It is just dark too at 5:30 most of the year to play outside. 

Enter my new gym buddy!

Meet the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle. It had been suggested that I call it the Mean Machine. I'm thinking about that. 

I rescued my new gym buddy from Dick's on Sunday and have completed three sessions totaling about 15 miles of riding through Glacier National Park. So far, I love it. I enjoy the rides and they are challenging. Riding the cycle at home is far more time efficient than driving to the gym and then home or to work for that same workout. AND, the added benefit is that I am hoping that I will not be soft and fat when I can again take the court and swing a racquetball racket or walk onto the golf course and whack away impotently at the little white ball which continues to vex me.

After only three rides it is hard to offer a recommendation, but I did my homework. I compared the S22i to its competitors (one of which I really wanted) and, so far, I am extremely happy with my choice. The assembly was not too difficult and as you can see from the picture, I still have not taken all of the packaging off the cycle. 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Did You Notice the Sodium in that?

I have a new Fitbit, given to me by my loving wife so that I could participate in the family fitness activity. It was a great idea and I am having a lot of fun with it, although, even by playing racquetball daily I am not competing very well because I cannot wear my Fitbit while I am at work.  and therefore lose credit for 8 or more hours of activity, albeit it mild, everyday.

I have been fascinated with the whole idea of tracking steps and working to improve general health and fitness for a while now, but I hadn't taken the leap to actually acquire a tracker of my own. Some insurance companies provide money back for meeting step thresholds and doing other healthy things. Mine doesn't and the place where I work needs to improve its commitment to employee fitness, but that is a thought for another time. 

The most interesting part of my five day experience has been in tracking my food intake and understanding not only what I eat, but what is in what I eat.

Seriously. On my first day of logging my food and trying to understand what is in what I eat, I varied from my usual lunch fare of chili--and for those who know me, they know that that in and of itself was a monumental occasion. I decided to eat a healthy looking Cuban Pannini sandwich offered by the cafeteria. Mmm, it tasted good. And then I looked at the nutritional information regarding this sandwich as prepared by the company which has the food contract at work. 

Cuban Pannini sandwich:
Calories: 643
Fat: 24.1 g
Sodium: 1996 mg
Carbohydrates: 66.3 g
Protein: 39.2 g
Fiber: 0.7 g

Ugh! I got my entire daily allowance of sodium in just that sandwich! And while I thought I was getting some fiber, I would have done better having chili. And then I went and added mayonnaise to the sandwich, which skewed a few other items, but the bottom line was healthy looking is not healthy. 

Did you notice the sodium? My total sodium intake for that day was about 3400 mg.  I did much better by eating chili the next day ending up with a total sodium intake of only 2200 mg for the day. 

I've been looking at sodium in food since then and am appalled at how much is added--it is everywhere except in one of my favorite beverages! There is no sodium in wine.

I'll just have to drink more wine to offset the sodium in what I eat.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
My Zimbio
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