getting better...

badly_dubbed

ok how do i word this


well im pretty much unfit, and when i say unfit i mean REALLY unfit.

i smoke 20 a day - which is crap but i have a doctors appointment for NRT.

the fags arent helping my cycling, ive only just got back into it and i have a massive desire to get better, i commute daily to work which is only 3miles each way - and it kills me (did i mention i was unfit?) and every other day i do a 5 mile jaunt after work..and i push myself on it.

been doing this appox 6 months now and i just do not feel any fitter than i was before, which i reckon is down to the smoking.

do you guys reckon i should do some longer cycles after work 8/10 miles or more?

just want to get fitter and better on the bike really

cheers in advance folks

Davy

jonnyc2420

try champix for the NRT - gives you WILD dreams but works a treat !

forcutty

NRT did not work for me. Instead i had to dig deep and mentally stop myself.Its hard but i honestly believe that all the nicotine replacements are a con!
You could cycle further but remember, it's not all about how much exercise you do but how much you eat aswell.
Take it easy and remember mind over matter!

badly_dubbed

ive had champix before - really didnt work for me, i felt nothing lol

patches have given me the best results so far - 5months.

but ended up going on holiday and started again fail.

Iwingstein

Davy,

However you do it, you need to quit the smoking - taking it up was deffo the biggest mistake I ever made.

The thing you really need to know is, you will be nicotine free within 48 hours of stopping, then it's down to willpower. I stopped smoking Oct/Nov 2006, but was then addicted to Nicotine gum till July 2009 (so yes, technically I was still an addict), since then I've had a Polo, Tic-Tac and Extra Strong mint problem. Oh yes, I've also put on a lot of weight.

To get fitter you need to continually strive to improve on previous exercise. If you cycle three miles to work on day 1 and take 20 mins, you need to do that at least a 10 second quicker the next day, or cycle an extra 100 metres in the same time. At the end of month 1, you'll have knocked 3 mins off you time.

If you are exceptionally unfit, it may be worth your while (read safer) discussing an exercise regime with your doc while you're talking about NRT.

Is it the effort that hurts or are you uncomfortable on your bike?

I've (yesterday) done my first proper ride since August (bear in mind I'm 43, ex smoker, approx 30kg overweight, exercise free for approx 26 years and cycling irregularly since Feb 2009). Ok so it was only 16 miles in 1 hr 6 mins, but it's a start

This year I managed 700 miles on the bike, which would've been 1000 if I'd not had Aug to Dec off from injury, so I've set myself a target of 4000 miles on the bike (and 200 miles in the pool) next year (and I expect it's gonna hurt but needs must!)

M1llh0use

re: the smoking thing.

spoken to loads of peeps about it since i gave up (circa 7 years ago) and for every person that has tried and failed it turned out that they wanted to quit because they thought that they should for whatever reason nt because they actually wanted to. Every one of the people who actually wanted to give up managed to quit without patches, gum or anthing else.

Moral of the story is you REALLY REALLY NEED to want to give up, not stop because you think you should...

jndb72

I tried and failed loads of times to quit. I think the reason was because I didn't really want to quit, I enjoyed it too much. It was only when I stopped enjoying it that I really decided I wanted to quit. Didn't bother with any of the NRT stuff, went cold turkey, worked for me because deep down I knew it's what I wanted. That was over 6 years ago and I haven't looked back since. And know I can happily tell smokers what a waste of money it is, how bad they smell etc without being told "you don't know how hard it is to quit"

Couldn't walk up a flight of stairs when I was smoking so God knows how the OP can jump on a bike.

Cheers

J

badly_dubbed

i can cycle decent enough - i just get knackered quickly, which is to be expected.

i try to get out every day even if its just a cycle up to a mates. and im getting better but slowly.

i dont know how i manage it but going out with mates etc deffo helps, and if im out on a decent length of cycle i dont seem to smoke that day at all (probably cos i couldnt even if i wanted to)

just need to stop the smoking crap!

but again i dont want to put on anymore weight

PaulBarman

I'm a smoker and it feels like it takes 30-40 mins of riding to get the CO out of my system. During this time I'm breathing much faster than I feel I ought to and it takes ages to catch my breath if I stop. If I push it too much I just cant breathe fast enough to get my legs to their limit (if you understand?) A bit similar to exertion at altitude. Once this initial phase passes the rest of the ride is quite comfortable. Maybe you're experiencing this on your commutes?

If you want to lose weight then a couple of longer & slower paced rides (maybe 2 or 3 hrs?), each week would be more effective than the furious 5 milers every other day. (If I remember correctly, it takes the body about half an hour of exercise to start using body fat for fuel, longer if you're out of shape). Fewer rides would also allow more time for recovery, which is when you gain fitness.

weeksy59

badly_dubbed wrote:

but again i dont want to put on anymore weight

you don't HAVE to eat more simply because you stop smoking.

DiaShan

Wow never thought I would see a SVAG boy on here. I'm kinda in the same boat as I havent rode in like 5 years and I'm dying at the mo but it comes back just gotta keep at it.