Some of you who read this may already know that I have Type 2 Diabetes, and to be honest it's a worry for me which isn't made any less by the fact that I nearly died of Severe Acute Pancreatitis before developing the condition. It's always in the back of my mind - and sometimes in the front of it too - and I think a certain percentage of the reason for my laziness and lethargy when it comes to exercise is my fear of having a "hypo", passing out or overdoing it, which considering my lack of fitness, could bring on a stroke or something else I can't think of.
I'm nowhere near being a hypocondriac, but events such as these and other close shaves in my life bring a respect for how close the old fella with the big sickle is sometimes.
Okay I'm not ashamed to admit that I am also a person who prefers comfort over effort, and that I hate with passion those who never seem to put weight on.
So it was a nice surprise to come across a blog by a guy in the U.S called "Biking Diabetic". Boz, whose blog it is comes over as a really nice guy who has had a tough time of it and I have just finished reading his blog from first post to present day.
The reason I mention Biking Diabetic is of course because I feel a tie to it medically, but also because in reading Boz's blog I have gained inspiration and some determination in pursuing this stupid peddling of two rings covered in rubber. I'm not so worried now that something bad is going to happen to me. In fact my worry now is that I'm not doing enough!
I looked on e-bay today at road bikes and how much a second hand one would be. If I can convince the missus that I need an early x-mas prezzy....heh heh!
I really hope that this inspiration will continue.
I'm nowhere near being a hypocondriac, but events such as these and other close shaves in my life bring a respect for how close the old fella with the big sickle is sometimes.
Okay I'm not ashamed to admit that I am also a person who prefers comfort over effort, and that I hate with passion those who never seem to put weight on.
So it was a nice surprise to come across a blog by a guy in the U.S called "Biking Diabetic". Boz, whose blog it is comes over as a really nice guy who has had a tough time of it and I have just finished reading his blog from first post to present day.
The reason I mention Biking Diabetic is of course because I feel a tie to it medically, but also because in reading Boz's blog I have gained inspiration and some determination in pursuing this stupid peddling of two rings covered in rubber. I'm not so worried now that something bad is going to happen to me. In fact my worry now is that I'm not doing enough!
I looked on e-bay today at road bikes and how much a second hand one would be. If I can convince the missus that I need an early x-mas prezzy....heh heh!
I really hope that this inspiration will continue.
Isn't the intrawebz great? It's awesome you can find a person you can relate to medically and have them give you a form of motivation to keep getting yourself healthy! Due to my health concerns I generally try to always ride with another person so if something goes wrong they can always take out a cell and call the hospital. Maybe you can find another person at work to try and jump on the bikewagon and go out with you at lunch?
ReplyDeleteAs for getting a road bike, I greatly recommend it. Not only will it be much lighter than your mountain bike (they say for every extra pound of bike weight is the equivalent of you gaining 10 pounds) but the tire width makes a drastic -drastic- difference. I got mine at about 50% off ($940 down to $500) because it was last years model. Similar to cars, bikes get a new model each year even though 99% of the time they are identical to the year before. Perhaps you can look into a few bike shops around your way to see if they offer as massive discounts for last years model? Also, over here LBSs (Local Bike Shops) generally offer free lifetime tune-ups, which (while the bike might cost more than off ebay) will save you a load of cash over a couple years (sometimes paying for the bike itself) considering the average cost for a tune-up over here is $80.
The one bad thing about road bikes is you feel each and every tiny imperfection in the road. A tiny little twig will feel like your last visit to the proctologist and those stairs you navigated down you will -have- to get off and carry your bike down.
But they are incredibly worth it. I have hit my record high of 44.3 mph (71 kilos per hour) on my road bike while my fastest on my mountain bike was less than half that.
I'd love to see what you are looking at for bikes when you decide to start looking! I spent a good deal of time researching what makes a road bike decent!