Quick post - Be thin to Avoid Cancer Article

Quick post before I go for my lunchtime walk - have just seen an article on the BBC: Be Thin to Avoid Cancer

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7069914.stm

Sort of gutted - latest research apparently says that to avoid cancer you have to be as thin as possible without being overweight – which is okay I can accept that – they go on to say that means a bmi in the range 18.5 – 25 and preferably as close to low end as you can. Well am stuck at the low 26 point so am in a bit of a jam there. But I can take that am still aiming for 13st 11lbs even if not getting there very quickly.

However, I can’t take another of the recommendations which is “Thou shalt not eat bacon” (funnily enough the article says something like "these are not commandments" but that's how they'll be perceived.). Limit red meat as well – that’s also problematic for me. Am going to end up being very healhy if I’m not careful and I’m damned near killing myself with exercise as it is!!

On the up side it says “From a cancer perspective, all alcohol should be avoided, although researchers accepted drinking small amounts could have protective benefits for other diseases. “ Well I’m pretty much there on that score – have a drink now only if I’m on holiday which has masses of benefits for me.

Anyway, I reckon this could be another opportunity coming out of a problem. Have never liked eating white meat now I need to consider the risk of eating red meat and maybe give manky chicken a go!!!

Wednesday Post

Things ticking along nicely got another 15 miler done this morning and a further 7 miles on the bike last night after a 45 minute gym session. Have 57 miles on the clock for the week so am well on schedule for the hundred which with increased gym activity is as much as I want to be doing on the slow mountain bike gear. Although the average is going to be down because of the hill climbing ride around Carsington on Sunday the last few rides I've done have all been exceeding 13mph which is not bad for the low-geared incognito - Am beginning to like that bike. Have also been having a 'comment' conversation with an anonymouse poster about what bike to have at Xmas and am now considering these Cyclo-cross bikes - am going to do some research and will no doubt post on that later.

Have now done two thirty minute 10.5km/h runs with no breaks so am beginning to make that a habit. Have brought gym kit with me again to make going to the gym a habit too. Janette is taking kids to a Hallowe'en disco so can do a full-on gym session tonight to make up for the slightly shortened one yesterday.

I mentioned the other day that had started doing a 20 minute walk at lunchtimes to top up the overall exercise. I didn't mention that was after some pedals for the Incognito bike and some mudguards - had emailed a fella on Ebay and said "you've got both items I'm after listed how much cheaper would it be if you combine postage". The cheeky beggar sent me a money request with a whole 50p knocked off the £7 postage so I thought "sod you" and haven't done anything with it. Anyway to get back to the 20 minute walk, first one I did on Monday what should I find by the side of the road but a pedal (I only needed a pedal on the right hand side and would you believe it but it's a right hand pedal (thread goes the other way on a left hand pedal so they're not interchangeable)). So how's that for serendipity??? Okay, it's not the latest Shimano whizz kid pedal but I don't need that so it's utterly ace in my view!!


A pedal salvaged from the side of the road!

Tuesday Post

Legs were absolutely knackered last night so didn't put any further mileage in on the bike. Did a solid 16 miles this morning though on the slow bike so that's good. Am going to finish off fitting the Giant out tonight with a front light and then I'll be able to put some serious mileage in this week. Am all set up for another session in Gym tonight am going to go for doing the thirty minutes at 10.5km/h with no breaks again. Gym was dead busy last night so ended up using a different running machine which took a bit of rapid learning - I think it was a better surface in a wierd way. Am also going for the twenty minute walk at lunchtime as well. Weight was 14st 10lbs this morning so two pounds gone since yesterday. Is 3.5lbs in three days possible though?? - we shall see.

Monday - Good and Bad

Great Zeus' Beard!! As Ron Burgundy, anchorman would say. Today had some ups and downs you could say. Got to work and found had put 5.5lbs on since Thursday - nightmare but got what I deserved as have been doing everything wrong over the weekend on the food front so what will be will be.

On the good front it's made me ramp up the exercise or at least look for more opportunities to imcrease it. So went a walk for twenty minutes at lunchtime as well as 12 miles on the bike first thing as well as a really good gym session - did 2000m on rower in under 8min 30sec, did 30 minutes running all the way on a different running machine (partly because I didn't know how to change the program on it!). But it was 5km+ and 500 calories plus. Did about the same on the weights but messed about with the weights at different settings so perhaps not as good.

Anyway, am going to keep hard at it and hopefully get rid of a few pounds before Thursday to soften the blow a bit!!

Also on the good front, last September I was diabetic (borderline) and advised to attend the Diabetic clinic which was a three session educational thing at which you were encourage to set goals to help manage your Diabetes. I found the document this afternoon while looking for something else:-

1). Keep alcohol consumption to 20 units or less. 10 pints in a week and not a drop more.
2). Drink 2 litres of water every day.
3). Have five pieces of fruit every day.
4). Cycle or walk five miles at least three times a week.
5). To be less than 17st at age 40 (31/12/2007).
6). Attend gym once a week.

Through Caryl asking me to join the Slimming World group in Feb of this year I've pretty much smashed the lot of them - bloomin great!!!!!

Sunday Post - Carsington Reservoir Trek!

Got up sort of early - takes me a week or two to know whether it's early or not when the clocks get mucked about with! Played golf with Dave, Doug and John yesterday and we did okay in a texas scramble social comp - I hit a three wood onto the Par 5 eighth hole to get us on in two which was nice! We ended up three under which with handicap allowance of 12.3 meant we ended up with 56.7 I think which isn't quite good enough but was a good attempt!

Anyway, speaking to Dave I found out he was a bit of a mountain biker and he mentioned Carsinton Reservoir as being his track of choice. So went up to Carsington this morning in the poxy rain and did a trek round. It was bloomin good fun and I wished I'd done it more in the summer but there you go. Took me a good fifty minutes to do the eight miles but it was really enjoyable and am going to do it again soon - might even go round it anti-clockwise next week!!

Be warned if you're thinking about doing it to make sure you go round in good light and be aware that there's some steep little hills around it too - on the positive side you go through a bit of a pine wood with squirrels, pheasants and all sorts and in summer I bet the views of the reservoir would be cracking.

In the afternoon I've had to suffer a really poor performance by Derby. Billy Davies is looking bad with some of the decisions he's making, really bad. He brings on two strikers in the second half - good choice we're two-nil down, but then he pulls Kenny Miller back into defence - what's that all about?? On saying that he probably ought to start with a ten man defence as the one we got is just not good enough. Not impressed.


GoogleEarth Image of my trip round Carsington Reservoir this morning. Click to zoom in.

Save the planet and all that.

Over the past few years green issues have really come to the fore. Janette went shopping in Sainsbury's this morning and came back with a free energy-saver bulb which was nice. Came back with a leaflet that said various ways of saving energy and it was interesting to see how many have come into one's consciousness (posh eh!) in recent times. Have been using the bag-for-lifes for about a year now, but we've also got I reckojn 95% of lights powered by energy-savers for example.

Have posted link to Sainsbury's site but if you don't go to it one thing I didn't know for sure but half suspected (and this can be harmful to slimming so be warned!) is that a half full fridge or freezer uses more power than a full one. You might have learned something reading my blog for a change!!!

Link: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shoppingandservices/FAQs/mtdd_leaflet_oct_017.htm

Saturday Post - Cycling Stats

Got the hundred miles up this morning so that's one target met!! Cycling stats including last week's below:


Got golf later but am generally taking it easy today!

Friday Post

Everything ticking over nicely now, did 10 miles last night and 11 and a bit this morning so mileage standing at 82 miles so can get away with 10 miles tonight and 8 miles tomorrow morning and that will do for the hundred. Am going to do another gym session tonight as am still aiming for this 30 min non-stop run (wierd thing is that I could do it when I fetched the paper from up Ashbourne the other day when the bike light wasn't working but can't seem to do it at 10kmh on the tread-mill). Still it's something to aim for. Am dead pleased with weight loss this week although have gone a bit off plan this morning - had the normal yogurt/weetabix/banana mix and then when got back from biking added to it with a bacon sandwich (cut off all visible fat though as per the Slimming World way!!). Never mind am aiming for another 1/2lb loss next week - the week is for a weight of 14st 6lbs or better.

Later the same day .... did another gym session - 4.5km on the runner, tried to do the full half hour but got a bit zonked after 17 minutes so walked a bit, 430 kcal overall. Did 2000m in 8mins 48 on the rower which is quite good I reckon. Did a bit less on the weights but in general quite pleased.

9pm - went out for another ride on t'bike and got 9 and a bit miles added on. Only 9 miles needed for the hundred. Bit of cycling in the morning then golf at 12:20, ttfn

Week 35 Weigh-in; even a cruise can't make a dent!

Well pleased! Half pound loss this week since last weigh-in on Tuesday 16th in Redditch (kept shoes on for normality's sake). Half pound doesn't sound like much to be pleased with really but... last week was on a P&O cruise which meant lager, wine, whisky, gorgeous food and limited exercise opportunities! However, this week have done gym three times, been back on zero-alcohol, run 4.5 miles one morning, not as much but some cycling (done another ten miles tonight to make total mileage so far to 70 miles so 100 for the week is definitely on).




Gym session tonight wasn't a full bore one as Thursday is shopping night so couldn't be too late. Did 30 mins on runner (4.8km, 460kcal - getting better) with a 1 minute break to talk to Glen, then did some weights (upped the reps on the weights), missed the rower but made up for it with ten miles on the bike tonight. Am worried that I might be addicted to exercise now!! Don't think it'll be a hard habit to break!!!!

Disaster - overlaid!!

Blimey, didn't manage to drag myself out of bed until 6:10 this morning which was a bloomin hour late!! Think the four and half mile run combined with the proper gym session (a proper gym session being one with n'owt taken owt!) did me in.

As a result of that late start and of Lucy getting up at 6:20 (had to do her some toast) meant that I didn't get out until gone 6:35 which meant only a poxy 4 miles done on the bike this morning (needed to be at home for 7am and in office for 8:15 as had regular Thursday morning meeting at 8:30).

So not a good start, but hey-ho such is life. Am going to go to gym at 4:30 this afternoon and then maybe do some miles tonight. Am currently standing at very mediocre 60 miles for the week on the bike but am not overly worried - with luck I should be able to complete the mileage by Saturday night and have done a ton of other exercise this week so am happy with what I've done so far.