Is it an exercise bike!

Here's one for y'all to ponder and offer up your wisdom. Maybe some, the lack of>

Those of you who have met me know that I do pack a few extra pounds around with me. And I am not meaning the gear I load but the stuff I wear around the belly.

If I really put my mind to it, through regular exercise and proper diet (and I don't mean fad diets or starvation) I can loose weight and keep myself at a healthy weight. Unfortunately I like all the bad things for me such as salt, fat and sugar. Great thing for a diabetic isn't it. But back to the intent of this thread.

Seems recently on a couple extended rides, I lost significant weight. Last trip down to R3 was three weeks long and a few thousand miles. I lost close to 15 pounds. It has stayed off as well. I thought that other than the riding, I was leading a fairly inactive life on these trips. Not really any exercise to speak of. I did avoid the gut bombs at the greasy spoons and ate healthier where and when I could, but I did not starve. I enjoyed my ice cold beer where and when appropriate. Alcohol is one of the worse things we consume when we are trying to lower our weight. Yet I loose this weight, and quite honestly, feel, through out most of my body, that I have been partaking in minor workouts.

Even on a day ride of something like 450 miles recently, I felt then next day, like I had a fair workout the day before. SO what do you think? Are we riding exercise bikes and not knowing it? For those of you who are in the know, please step in and offer up your thoughts on what exercise we may wish to do to make our riding experience even better that what it already is.

Here's the kicker for me anyways. I can use the trips to R3 as a reason to my wife, that shows I am trying to do something about my health. Think she will buy it?

 

Sound like time for you to hit the road .....! :thumb:

 

I think any activity that raises your metabolism either through increased activity or just adrenalin, is a help. The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, I need to lose 40 lbs, but at our age it is hard. Years ago I went to my doctor in Toronto for a check up and asked him what was the best way to lose weight, he said simply: "Don't eat". It all boils down to calories in vs calories burned. To do that requires changing eating HABITS, easier said than done! Reduce calories and make what you eat nutritious. Unfortunately all good things in life are either illegal, immoral or fattening!

 

A little off topic of the bike but hey, its my thread. I learned a lot about nutrition when I was found to be type 2 diabetic. Doc sent me to a dietitian. The days of diabetics counting calories is long gone. You watch your blood glucose. But anyways, the diet stuff. They taught me about choices of foods to eat. Good choices vs not so good choices vs bad ones.

Calories are calories regardless of where they come from. 100 calories from pure refined white sugar has the same energy and potential for fat as 100 calories from say spinach. But where the difference is between these two examples in two pronged. The refined sugar is empty calories and your body goes through nothing to break the sugar down into energy. The spinach example. You still have the calories, which will get converted to energy, but your body has to work harder to break the food down and also gets the befit of all that fiber and nutrients of such vegetables. A health trade off.

Bread is another example. Bread can be good for you. It could be made from very nutritious grains. But this is where you need to read labels. Breads made with enriched flour, white or whole wheat, makes no difference, is a poor choice of bread. The more whole un-processed grains in the bread, the better. So happens those are what I prefer anyway. Just I should eat a little less.

You might think the a shredded wheat cereal is a good choice. Nothing added. Just wheat that has been processed into the shredded biscuits you buy. Rolled oats (not the instant crap) is far better. Your system has to work to break down the oats where the shredded wheat goes direct into your system and your blood glucose skyrockets if you are diabetic.

Salt is salt is salt no matter where it comes from. The difference between Iodized table salt and sea salt, is you get the benefit of nutrients in the sea salt that is not present in the processed table salt.

I could go on and on. My message here though, is that look at what you are eating. If the body has to work to break down the food, then that is a better choice than a food that is processed to the point the body needs to do very little to break it down. I am not saying you are getting exercise by this, but your system stays content longer with the food you eat. Then all you need to do is deal with cravings and vices.

A diabetics diet is a good diet for everyone to follow on a daily basis. You can even cheat from time to time. Just not as often as I tend to.

 

I never thought about the metabolism aspect of this. Something to consider. I was more thinking, even on the tame rides, are we exercising core muscles that much more riding a bike than say driving a car, that it makes a noticeable difference in calories burned off, and therefor fat loss?

 

As long as you burn more than you eat, only time I have had any success is when i tracked my intake calories on an app.

 

First, I think you should write a book that revolutionizes the weight loss industry. Forget Atkins or South Beach or the Paleo Diet. What people need to do to lose weight, is ride a motorcycle (or sleep with someone who does). That last part was my addition but you have full license to include it in your book.

For me, after a ride that lasts longer than a couple of hours, I feel it too. And I'm a relatively active guy. I feel it in my legs, arms, shoulders, and my core. Putting some pressure, even slight, with your knees against the tank and stabilizing with your abs as you make your hands light on the bars means you're working. It doesn't feel like a workout - well, sometimes it does - because our minds are usually occupied with everything else around us - the scenery, the traffic, the road conditions, the upcoming turn, the sounds and smells and pure joy of being on the bike. I imagine it's as if we were take a 2 lbs dumbbell and hold it straight out in front of us. Heck, even a dinner plate. Sure wouldn't feel like exercise or anywhere near difficult. At first. It'd be boring as hell but I'd wager that within half an hour (a couple hours for Allyance), the plate would feel like it weighed a hundred pounds (around 10 lbs for Allyance). It's not exactly the same thing but the concept is the same. A small amount of resistance, maintained for a long period of time, is a workout and you ARE burning more calories than simply being at rest.

Randy, you're on to something big here! Congrats on the weight lost so far. And even more congrats on the way in which you went about doing it!

 

This helped me a lot too. Exercise + MyFitnessPal app helped me change my habits and drop about 15 pounds.

 

Not long after the Columbine High massacre, we started practicing what we called "Active Shooter Scenario". We did that on our own here before it was officially authorized by my organization. You think a small 9mm hand gun is light weight? Hold that out in front of yourself at shoulder height and walk through a building searching rooms for 3/4 of an hour. I don't think I have ever given my upper arms and shoulders a more strenuous workout than that.

 

I can just see it. " See you in a week dear. I'm going for a work out!" Works for me!

 

I feel some soreness throughout my upper body particularly if I have been riding my VFR then take the Busa for a long ride. I attribute this to primarily to increased torque of the Busa. I'm sure aerodynamics plays a role here as well. With the Busa if your cruising at anything above 4k (75 mph) there is a constant pull on the the bars. I think involuntarily I pull myself forward trying to counter this. I get the same feeling occasionally on the VFR. Especially if the ride has lots of highway & facing head winds. Cruiser riders must be wicked sore at the end of a long day.

On your weight loss on the extended ride, you could have been burring more calories consistently than you normally do over that given time period. Probably lost some water weight on that ride. And depending on your diet the weight loss could also be partially attributed to muscle atrophy.

 

Great way to rationalize going for a ride, as if we really needed one (except for the gas).

 

I think you are correct. I know from my own experience that road trips cause me to eat less and to be quite a bit more active.

 

A possibilty. But I do stay hydrated quite well. Lots of water, very littel coffee while on trips. And that weight would come right back really quick. R3 was quite some time ago now.

Now I am going to come true on my ignorance here. Have to go look that one up.

 

I really thought that my food intake had not suffered. I guess maybe the snacking and comfort food declined immensly, and that is where most of us falter with weight control.

 

After my next long trip in 2016, I should be like a stray alley dog. All eyes, ribs and C*@k. That trip will likely be ion the three month time line I hope. Haven't told the wife about that one. Maybe take a break in Florida, fly her down for a 10 day cruise then fly her back while I continue on my way.

 

In July, when I rode to Nashville, Tn from SoCal, When I got back I lost about 20lbs. If you think about the constant low level tension your body is under on long trips, it's constant exercise. Plus, drinking lots of water and sweating a bunch helps flush fat.

 

Of course she will, just show her belows old thread: :smile:

Proof Motorcycling makes you Fit of mind and body
http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/13594-Proof-Motorcycling-makes-you-Fit-of-mind-and-body

 

The vfr is a exercise bike and that's why I started riding again, my old r6 was the same, the vfr puts a lot of strain on me -I have to roll it out of a wood floor garage-not easy-then get it back in without it falling over-and my car is in there too-its only a one car garage-a tight fit. I think I might need to lower it-my feet are 2-3 inchs too short. I like riding up high, but if I put those saddle bags on -forget it-very easy to fall over.

 

Many great comments here! Randy good stuff on the food.

For those of you losing weight, Randy's comment about white bread is right on. It has been highly genetically modified for decades now. This wheat is so far from something natural our bodies do not know how to process it, and so it actually messes up our metabolism. Stop eating white bread. And I LUV bread. Buttered. Oil with spices! Bakery! If you eat it daily and just stop, chances are you will lose a few pounds and that poundage will not come back. (Poison genetically modded wheat stuck in your fat.)

Also comments that resonate with me - Sitting at a PC all day, or TV at night, I am inclined to snack. Get out and do something physical, and there is no impetus to eat except to replenish fluids.

Whatever you do, do not starve yourself to lose weight. Your body will store more food in order to protect you and provide backup.

Okay I have a solid perspective on this. Out of shape, 40's, sit at a PC all day. I just started motorcycling and the VFR800 is my first bike. There is no doubt that riding and doing it well, and doing it on a slightly larger bike has proven to be major exercise. Our leg muscles are relatively large, and hugging the tank throughout the ride is a significant effort. Some roads near me are just trashed, so I put pressure on the pegs to stop the body from taking a pounding through the seat. I do not have to at my speeds but around sharper curves I do this as well to lower the bike's center of gravity. Guess I am preparing to be a monster racer or something. I can state unequivocally that 1/2 hour to 1 hour of riding has me pooped! And I hit the gym regularly to prepare for this new hobby.

So it seems everyone is looking for excuses to ride especially from the significant other. I can tell you this. I have a chronic headache. Yes "have". Had it for 10 years, it will not go away. The vibrations of the motorcycle (only a V4 Honda, of COURSE) must be sympathetic to my body and nervous system. Makes sense because I have actually undergone "vibration therapy" for pain from an MD. In any case, I can get on the motorcycle in somewhat of nasty pain. When I get off, for some period of time, I have a high, like I just downed a bottle of aspirin. I have a buddy I have wanted to ride with. He knows tons about bikes as he was into them in the 70's and 80's. But he has a problem where the pulling of his arms from the forward movement of the bike causes excruciating pain to his back, so I could not convince him to ride with me. Ironically, I explained to him that riding temporarily reduces my pain significantly. If I ride at 7 PM or so I get a much better night of sleep as a result of this.

The mechanic has had the bike for a couple weeks, literally with a toothbrush cleaning up 14 years of neglect, as well as regular maintenance and a PCIII upgrade. Although I was mostly riding on weekends and not daily, without the VFR I felt my pain peaking again with little recourse. Even the circuit machine routines I do have not had the same effect. So take that one to the bank. The body, the vertebrae, the tissue, it all has resonant frequencies. If you can artificially induce the right frequencies for a certain problem, at a minimum it can provide pain relief, at a maximum certain things can loosen up and then re-align properly.

Hopefully I get her back tonight. There was too long a delay due to the need for a used front wheel