Exercise and Aging

Exercise is good for you…. Right? Everyone knows that. But is there such a thing as too much exercise, especially as we age?

The more I read on the subject, coupled with actual changes I am experiencing, the more I am convinced that you can “Over” exercise.

Especially when you really start getting up there in years. In less than two months I will be 82. I am both physically and mentally fit. For the last two years I have maintained my weight at 150 lb. (68 kg.) (My racing weight as a teenager.)

I take no medication, but I do take a lot of supplements. I have a complete mistrust of Doctors, Big Pharma, the Food Industry, and Government of course, only because they allow the aforementioned to operate with impunity.

I like and respect my own doctor, but trust him? Hell no. I go in for an annual physical, when he does blood and urine tests. But if he prescribes any medication I research it thoroughly, and invariably find the side effects of said medication is far worse that the condition it is treating.

One has to be their own health advocate. It is my body, so only I get to say what goes in it, and what I do to it. The great thing today is, all the information I need is right there on-line. Yes, there is a lot of miss-information too, but one has to be selective in what one reads. But on reading several articles saying the same thing, one has to accept there is some truth to it.

In the last couple of years, one of the things I have learned about is Free Radicals, and in particular Oxygen Free Radicals. With my limited high school science knowledge, I will try to explain in simple terms. Atoms are made up of a Nucleus of Protons and Neutrons, and electrons orbit around the Nucleus.

An Oxygen atom has two electrons orbiting the nucleus, and six more electrons orbiting outside that. A Free Radical atom has one or more of these electrons missing. It then “Steals” an electron from the atom next to it, which in turn steals one from its neighbor, setting off a chain-reaction of wholesale electron thievery that can actually cause cell damage.  

Free radicals are a natural occurrence, and the body has a defense mechanism in the form of antitoxins that repair the damage done by free radicals. Our bodies produce these antitoxins using nutrients from the food we eat.

The problem is as we age we stop producing these antitoxins and the free radicals are left to ravage our bodies and our brains. It is the reason we become old, get dementia or become more susceptible to cancer and other diseases.

Glutathione is an antitoxin the body makes naturally, and is known as “The mother of all antitoxins.” This is where the supplements come in, and it is here I wish it were it that simple. Glutathione taken orally, rarely makes it past the digestive system. However, the body makes glutathione from amino acids, Cysteine, Glutamine, and Glycine. By taking these supplements, the goal is to help my body produce its own Glutathione.

When we exercise to extremes, especially endurance exercise, which cycling can be if you ride far enough and hard enough, we actually produce free radicals. This is not surprising when you consider intense exercise means we are taking in 10 to 20 times more oxygen than we would while resting.

Our bodies are processing all that extra oxygen as it goes from our lungs to our blood-stream, to our muscles. I ask myself, is it any wonder a few little electrons get lost along the way? A young fit athlete can handle this, even a fit fifty or sixty year old might be okay. But when we get to our seventies and eighties, time starts to catch up fast. I for one have come to respect my limitations.

I ride a moderate pace around 15 mph. pedal a low gear at around 72 rpm, and never ride to the point of exhaustion, or even to the point of being out of breath. Apparently, the worst thing an aging athlete can do is to exercise infrequently, then exercise hard. Weekend Worriers beware. Slow down, if you are like me, you have nothing to prove to yourself, or anyone else.  

If you Google “Exercise and Free Radicals,” or click here there is much info on this subject.

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Maintaining my racing weight

A little less than a year ago I wrote about attaining my racing weight again. That was 154 lbs or 11 stone in the UK, the weight I was when I raced back in the 1960s and 1970s. Actually after writing that piece I continued to lose and my weight finally settled at 150 lb.

I have maintained that weight, within a pound or so either way, for a year now. Even through last winter when I wasn’t riding my bike as much. I weigh myself every morning the moment I get out of bed and log my weight with the date.

This may seem excessive to some people, but it does make it easier to maintain a target weight. If, for example, I eat out in a restaurant, I can practically guarantee I will be a pound or two over the next day. But ride a few extra miles on the bike the following day, or cut back on my food intake and I am right back where I need to be.

Without that daily log it would be all too easy to gain a pound a day, and be 10 lb. overweight before I know it. And quite honestly I don’t want to go back there again, not now that I have discovered how good it feels to be slim and fit again.

I will admit part of my initial motivation was vanity. I have always cared about my appearance.

And quite frankly a large belly and back fat handles hanging over my belt, I felt did not look good.

If vanity is a crime then I am guilty, but I look around me, and there is way too much “Visual Pollution” in this world without my adding to it.

All it takes to lose and then maintain a healthy weight is organization and discipline. And the discipline part gets easy after a very short time, as your body adjusts to the new food intake. I rarely feel hungry. Riding a bike has become so easy.

So often I hear from others my age that “Growing Old Sucks.” It doesn’t have to. I’m not saying everyone should do it, but I can recommend it.

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My Racing Weight

I wrote last week about the Imperial vs. Metric weights and measures. People in the UK still measure their personal weight in Stones. I currently weigh eleven stone, which was my racing weight. There are 14 lbs. in a stone, so eleven stone is 154 lbs. American.

As a teen I was pretty skinny and weighed around ten and a half stone 147 lbs. But by the time I reached my twenties and into my thirties I had added some muscle and was consistently 11 Stone. It was the weight I strived for every spring after packing on a two or three winter pounds.

It was the weight I was when I arrived in New Jersey in 1979. I rode a few races here in the US.

The picture left shows me in my Paris Sport, New Jersey Bicycle Club kit, having my number pinned on before a race.

I didn’t like the US Criterium style racing. Plus guys were openly snorting cocaine in the changing rooms and even on the start line, which hardly seemed fair to me.

The thing I really didn’t like was the way everyone talked about crashing, and showed off scars like it was some kind of achievement.

I rode three maybe four races and at 43 years old, decided it was time to hang up my racing wheels for good. In the years that followed framebuilding took up all my time and there was little time for riding a bike anyway. I was never grossly overweight and I think the most I have ever weighed was 175 lbs.

In recent years, in spite of eating healthy and riding my bike a lot, I seemed to be stuck at 12 stone, (168 lbs.) and I had that annoying belly fat. I came to the conclusion that exercise alone is not enough to lose weight, neither is diet. It has to be a combination of the two.

The first thing I did was check into my Resting Metabolic Rate. (RMR) This is an estimate of the calories I would burn each day if I did nothing but lay in bed or sit on the couch all day. I found this useful calculator. Your RMR depends largely on your gender, age, height and weight. Mine turned out to be around 1,300 calories a day. The cruel reality is, as you get older your RMR goes down.

I started about three months ago. I made sure I consumed no more than 1,300 calories a day, plus I rode my bike between 100 and 150 miles per week. I usually do a 50 or 60 mile ride on Sunday and I try to eat a good meal, with bread or pasta, the night before. I also carry food with me on the ride, just in case I should run out of gas.

I weigh myself every morning as soon as I get out of bed, and keep a log. Looking back at the log, I weighed 168 lbs. when I started. I immediately lost 3 lb. in the first three days. After that I seem to be on a cycle of lose a lb. maintain that weight for a few days then lose another lb. The overall pattern has been one of steadily losing weight.

I have lost a stone or 14 lbs. which was my target. One doesn’t realize how much even 10 lbs. is until you hold it in one hand.

Simple movements like standing up from a chair or climbing steps are so much easier. My belly is now flat and I can get into some clothes that I haven’t worn in years.

Here I am, 36 years after my last race and I’ve reached my “Racing Weight” once more. It's a good feeling.

All I have to do now is maintain it. On the days I don’t ride I just have to make sure I don’t go too much over my RMR. 1,300 calories. 

Footnote: Before anyone makes comments about my socks. Three-quarter length cycling socks is the one current trend I refuse to follow. The reason is simple. When I am wearing shorts and sandals in a social setting, (Which is most of the year here in hot, sunny, South Carolina.) I do not need a sun tan line halfway up my calf. I'm sorry, deal with it.

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Drink Your Water

I have a pretty serious urinary tract infection. If you have never experienced one of these, I advise that you take all the steps to avoid one at all costs.

It involves frequent trips to the bathroom, and when there the best you can manage is a slight dribble, with a pain that I can only describe as “Pissing Razor Blades.” To be repeated every twenty or thirty minutes.

This all started quite suddenly and without warning in the early hours of Monday morning. I didn’t go to a doctor until I was pissing blood on Tuesday.

It is caused by bacteria in the pee tube, and is easily treatable with antibiotics, which I am now on. I am improving. The pain now is now at a level where I mutter the word “Fuck” under my breath, instead of screaming it out in agony.

I am not looking for sympathy, in fact I need my arse kicking for allowing this to happen. The doctor said it is usually caused by not drinking enough water. I am not opposed to drinking water, or even dislike it. It is just that I am not good at keeping account of how much, or rather how little water I take in on any given day.

I get busy doing other things and simply forget to drink water. This has been a painful lesson and I will do better in the future. Apparently I should drink 60 oz. of water every day. I have a large, 20 oz. drinking glass, which is a British pint. I need to drink at least three of these a day. I drink one straight off the moment I get out of bed. Another mid-day, and one in the evening. Sipping water all day long will not work for me, because I can’t keep track.

Originally the last thing I wanted to do was to go public with this. But then I thought if it means someone else can avoid going through this, it will be a plus. Please, drink your water, don’t go through the agony I am experiencing right now. Before this happened, I was priding myself that I could go the whole night with only one trip to the bathroom. So this was completely unexpected.

I am exhausted because I have not slept properly since Monday, but it is improving. My urine is clear now, still frequent but less painful. So I can’t really leave the house. I should be all better by this time next week when the antibiotics have run their course.

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Running on Empty

A cyclist is somewhat unique in that he/she is both the passenger and engine. Like any engine it runs on fuel and when the fuel runs out the engine stops.

The fuel in this case is oxygen and carbohydrates, (Carbs.) and the muscles burn these as the cyclist turns the pedals. Oxygen is taken in automatically, but carbs in the form of the food we eat have to be taken in consciously.

Anyone who has been a cyclist for any length of time probably will have experienced the dreaded “Bonk.” Just as your car engine will splutter and stop when the gas runs out, run out of carbs and you will begin to feel weak, light headed, and the best you can do is creep along at a snail’s pace.

If you are alone and miles from anywhere that has food, you are in big trouble. If you have never experienced the Bonk, believe me it is an experience you would be better off avoiding.

Many of us are riding bikes to lose, or at least maintain a certain weight. Most people talk about carbs when taking on food/fuel, and calories when they are burning it. 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories.

If we burn more calories than we take in we will lose weight. We won't lose weight even if we put in a lot of miles on the bike, if we over compensate our food intake for the amount we are burning.

As we gain fitness our rides become longer; it is no use thinking because we have a “Spare Tire” around our waistline this will sustain us on a long ride, something like the camel’s hump. It doesn’t work that way.

According to this article, we have in our bodies about 300 – 400 grams of carbs that we can draw on as immediate fuel, and riding a bike you are burning at least 100g of carbs per hour.

So we are good for a ride of 3 to 4 hours in duration without eating. If you are planning a longer ride, you need to look on the 300 to 400 carbs that you start out with as a reserve.

This 3 to 4 hours of available energy is not a precise amount like the capacity of a gas tank; it will vary from one individual to another.

Also a lot depends on the intensity of your ride; the faster you ride, the rate of calorie burn per mile increases because of greater wind resistance. (See the table on the left.)

Not only are you burning more calories per mile, but you are covering more miles per hour, and therefore you could be burning a lot more than 100 calories per hour.

Let’s say you plan to do a 6 or 8 hour ride; you will need to start eating around the first hour, and each half hour after that. The average energy bar is around 40 – 50 carbs, and it is unlikely you will eat a whole one every half hour. (Maybe half a bar.)

You will always be running on a deficit; burning more carbs per hour that you are taking in. Which is why it is important to start eating early and leave the 300 – 400 carbs you start out with as a reserve.

My usual Sunday ride is around 50 miles. I ride a moderate 15 mph average which means I am on the road for 3 1 /2 hours. (Give or take.) Before the ride I eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. I usually carry an energy bar with me, just in case. I usually can do this ride without eating.

This bears out what is said it the above linked article, that we are good for 3 to 4 hours. By the end of the ride I am close to being “Bonked” out but not quite. On arriving home I immediately eat something like a Greek Yogurt, and maybe a banana.

Also I find if I get started on my ride early enough that I can be back around noon, I can ride without eating. However, if I get a later start, because possibly it is too cold to start early; I will eat half an energy bar, halfway through the ride. It seems my body is used to having some nourishment around mid-day no matter what.

Rule of thumb is, if the ride is an hour or so you should not need to eat while riding. If it’s over three hours, take an energy bar or a banana or something, just in case. Any ride longer than four hours, plan ahead.

Eat plenty of carbs and drink lots of water the night before and on the morning of the ride. And carry enough food to get you though the number of hours you plan to be on the road. Start eating an hour in, and continue a little at a time throughout the ride.