Is there hope for me?



kittaen

New Member
Aug 8, 2003
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Hi,Im 31 years of age,female,considerably overweight and pretty unfit(on the upside I quit smoking and still have all my own teeth)
I used to cycle a lot in my late teens and worked in a bike shop but in the past 10 years or so Ive kept up my love of cycling via my TV,armchair and cycling magazines.A year ago I had a gorgeous road bike built for me by Ribble which Ive been using for general trips to the bank,shops etc and have lavished much care and attention on although not put many miles into yet.
What Im wanting to know is if at my age and level of fitness there is hope for me to get in shape and participate as fully as possible in actual hands-on(or should that be bum -on?)cycling such as joining a road club,maybe doing some audax etc? I have a lot of free time and want to treat the upcoming new year as a new beginning.Any stories of personal experience would be much appreciated.
Im the kind of person that can never do anything by halves and suspect that once I get fit I'll be wanting to race next....erk!
 
Originally posted by Kittaen
Hi,Im 31 years of age,female,considerably overweight and pretty unfit(on the upside I quit smoking and still have all my own teeth)
I used to cycle a lot in my late teens and worked in a bike shop but in the past 10 years or so Ive kept up my love of cycling via my TV,armchair and cycling magazines.A year ago I had a gorgeous road bike built for me by Ribble which Ive been using for general trips to the bank,shops etc and have lavished much care and attention on although not put many miles into yet.
What Im wanting to know is if at my age and level of fitness there is hope for me to get in shape and participate as fully as possible in actual hands-on(or should that be bum -on?)cycling such as joining a road club,maybe doing some audax etc? I have a lot of free time and want to treat the upcoming new year as a new beginning.Any stories of personal experience would be much appreciated.
Im the kind of person that can never do anything by halves and suspect that once I get fit I'll be wanting to race next....erk!

Of course! Just get out there and ride. Make the lifestyle change so that you go cycling every day. Make it part of your life. You'll get stronger, loose weight, get faster, feel better, etc.
Start out with shorter rides, like an hour long, and keep adding time/distance. It'll take time to get into the shape you want to be, but it won't be work as long as you're having fun right?
Also don't look at a scale for a month! Muscle weighs more than fat so don't be surprised if you initially gain weight.

Tim
 
Originally posted by lumpy
Of course! Just get out there and ride. Make the lifestyle change so that you go cycling every day. Make it part of your life. You'll get stronger, loose weight, get faster, feel better, etc.
Start out with shorter rides, like an hour long, and keep adding time/distance. It'll take time to get into the shape you want to be, but it won't be work as long as you're having fun right?
Also don't look at a scale for a month! Muscle weighs more than fat so don't be surprised if you initially gain weight.

Tim
An Hour!!???I'll have to work UP to an hour,an hour of non stop riding is one of my primary goals.
 
kittaen,
Just go out for leisurely rides. Have fun. You'll have been out a hour before you know it!

Tim
 
Just get out there. I was very unfit, started cycling in small doses, and had only one rule: I would go at my own pace, but I would go every day. I made the same (short) ride most days for a couple of months. Then it started to get easier, so I went longer. Now, 5 months later, the results are staggering.

Go your pace. Go your way. Just go.
 
"just" an hour :) No, start where you are! It helped me a lot to make monthly mileage goals that were ridiculously low, so that I could end up meeting them by 2/3 of the way through the month -- and it allowed fo rthe ups and downs of life. Hopefully the results will be staggering before you are :) but jrc is right -- go your pace, go your way, just do it. Any little bit is better than not doing it.
 
Kittaen,
I think you have plenty going for you. You're young, female, no longer smoke, and once were a cyclist. I say get out there and do what you can. In a matter of time you'll be back to where you were. You obviously have a great attitude and most importantly, the time to enjoy yourself. An inspirational tid-bit that I came across in my education is that elderly women who begin a strength training program will have the greatest percent gains in strength. I'm talking about 85 year old ladies pumping iron and having greater percent strength gains than 25 year old male body builders. I always thought that was pretty impressive. You're already light years ahead of the average American because you've made a conscious decision to be healthier. Good luck with everything.
 
Originally posted by Kittaen
Hi,Im 31 years of age,female,considerably overweight and pretty unfit(on the upside I quit smoking and still have all my own teeth)
I used to cycle a lot in my late teens and worked in a bike shop but in the past 10 years or so Ive kept up my love of cycling via my TV,armchair and cycling magazines.A year ago I had a gorgeous road bike built for me by Ribble which Ive been using

Firstly, go for it Kittaen. You will lose weight get fit and feel better about life in general :)

Where are you from? I have two custom built Ribble Road bikes.
 
Originally posted by Kittaen
Hi,Im 31 years of age,female,considerably overweight and pretty unfit(on the upside I quit smoking and still have all my own teeth)
I used to cycle a lot in my late teens and worked in a bike shop but in the past 10 years or so Ive kept up my love of cycling via my TV,armchair and cycling magazines.A year ago I had a gorgeous road bike built for me by Ribble which Ive been using for general trips to the bank,shops etc and have lavished much care and attention on although not put many miles into yet.
What Im wanting to know is if at my age and level of fitness there is hope for me to get in shape and participate as fully as possible in actual hands-on(or should that be bum -on?)cycling such as joining a road club,maybe doing some audax etc? I have a lot of free time and want to treat the upcoming new year as a new beginning.Any stories of personal experience would be much appreciated.
Im the kind of person that can never do anything by halves and suspect that once I get fit I'll be wanting to race next....erk!

Please, I just recently got into cycling at 40. Admittedly I've kept myself in decent shape but I always did resistance training and never did any serious aerobic training (just enought to keep the body fat down). I've been amazed at how quickly I've improved. Surprisingly I can already outride several of my younger friends that have been riding longer:) It's never ever too late to improve yourself in any area.

Good luck,

Matt
 
My wife started a little over a year ago at 39. She has made vast improvements. Of course she can't keep up with me, but she is pretty good now.I think a big plus is to find someone to ride with. They can motivate you when you don't feel like riding. I believe that is one of the keys ,if you will ride when you don't fell like riding it makes it much more fun to ride when you do. DON'T QUIT!You will see results.I quit for several years before returning to cycling. By the way I am 51 and still improving every week.
 
Originally posted by Paul Graham
Firstly, go for it Kittaen. You will lose weight get fit and feel better about life in general :)

Where are you from? I have two custom built Ribble Road bikes.

I'm from Derby,I love my bike,Ribble have been great to deal with all along and I will always buy my stuff from them now whenever possible.I'm a bit of a tech head(probably comes from my time in a bike shop and my monthly munching my way thru all the bike mags)so I'm always wanting to upgrade something or buy new stuff.
I'm hoping to find other people to ride with(cute guys more than welcome)of course when I'm ready to join one of the local clubs I'll get to know more local cyclists,but until then it would be nice if I could find someone local to keep me company,fingers crossed.
 
Kittaen,
getting old happens to us all. I have been concerned enough about it to check out the literature to find out how much time is left for me to be in peak condition. It turns out that there is no reason at all for you to not be in top condition deep into your 30s and you should only lose a very little bit into your 40s. Dave Scott took 2nd place overall in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon at age 40. You have two good decades ahead of you to be in top physical form... and several after that to enjoy outriding people 20 years or more younger than you:)
 
Originally posted by Kittaen
I'm hoping to find other people to ride with(cute guys more than welcome)of course when I'm ready to join one of the local clubs I'll get to know more local cyclists,but until then it would be nice if I could find someone local to keep me company,fingers crossed.

Keep up the pedalling.. join a club as soon as you feel able. There ain't nothing like a Sunday out in a 'pack'.

That said, I have met some of my best cycling buddies while solo'ing.

Keep us informed on your progress :)
 
I have been suffering from a nasty chest infection for almost 3 weeks now so haven't really been able to get started yet(I know excuses excuses)almost better again now,is wierd as I'm never usually ill apart from the occasional hangover,I am hoping to start in earnest over the holiday when I'll have more time on my hands.
 
Originally posted by Kittaen
I have been suffering from a nasty chest infection for almost 3 weeks now so haven't really been able to get started yet(I know excuses excuses)almost better again now,is wierd as I'm never usually ill apart from the occasional hangover,I am hoping to start in earnest over the holiday when I'll have more time on my hands.

I know how you feel. Just when the training program seems to be going in the right direction.. fatigue!

Usually my heart rate monitor gives some early indications.. higher rest rate, difficulty in attaining max HR etc.. takes weeks to get back on form.

Reckon your doing the right thing, rest, get your health sorted and then start again slowly. The hangover thing could be a problem though.. being Christmas 'n' all. :)
 
Hi Kittaen,
I am 42 year old female who started riding 2 years ago to help loss weight and improve fitness, I started on a hybrid and 5 km's was more than enough for me. This year I am the proud owner of a Wilier Laverado, 15kg lighter, have just completed 6000km's for the year and got a second place in my club championships for the womens road race.
No great secret just get on your bike as much as possible, peddle, and chase the boys butts in Lycra!!
 
Originally posted by mfallon
Please, I just recently got into cycling at 40. Admittedly I've kept myself in decent shape but I always did resistance training and never did any serious aerobic training (just enought to keep the body fat down). I've been amazed at how quickly I've improved. Surprisingly I can already outride several of my younger friends that have been riding longer:) It's never ever too late to improve yourself in any area.

Good luck,

Matt

Hey Matt,
Any tips...I've been at this for going on two years with no improvement in my mph times...stuck at 13.5. Usually do a 9 mile ride, sometimes a 12. Don't see a lot of sense in going further until I can pick up my times. Roadie,
S.
 
Kittaen:

As you can tell by outpouring of support, cycling is one of the few sports where athletes consistently share words of encouragement with other athletes. Once you get started, chances are you will never stop. Conditioning your body starts first with conditioning your mind. Now that 10's of members have told you that you can certainly get "back on your rig" and ride with a club, the only person that hasn't chimed in yet is you. Tell yourself you are ready to go, and you will be ready.

Welcome back?


PS - Don't wait for the New Year to start, start the weeks before and set a goal for New Year's day.
 
There is always hope as long as you want to go through with it


how corny did that sound?
 

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