Tag: calories

Todays Ride

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

I decided that since I got a new cyclo-computer that I would go out today even though I went out yesterday.  I like to give my legs a day’s rest normally but I was too excited not to go out.  I wanted to see the exact amount of time I would ride along with the exact miles per hour and the exact amount of miles that I rode.  Before I would have to go to google to map out my ride so I can get an exact number of miles that it takes to go from the house to there and then back but this tells me all that information.  Also google maps doesn’t let me map out the ride on the bike trail so when I start riding on the bike trail I won’t know how many miles I went.

Well, today when I got to Beach Park the ride was only 16 minutes.  Normally with my other stop watch the ride is like 22 minutes but that’s because whenever I pull over to get a drink of water or to rest my legs for a minute I don’t stop the timer.  This new computer turns the timer off when you stop riding so I’m getting an exact reading of how long it takes me to get there.

I’ve been putting in the SparkPeople website that I’ve been doing 14-15mph and I was riding 12-15 mph today but it showed my average speed at 10mph so where it shows my calories that is reflective of me going 10mph.  So, when I added todays bike ride to SparkPeople I had to tell them I went 10mph.  I want to be as accurate as possible.

Instead of riding every other day I’m going to try everyday.  I figured maybe I could do 2 days on, 1 day off but I think that my legs are getting used to it enough that I can start going everyday.  This is my 4th week of riding the bike.  My first week I only rode to California ave and back which was 4 days in that week.  My 2nd week I only rode to Oak and Truxton and back and that was 3 days.  My 3rd week I made it to Beach Park and rested then came back and that was only 2 days.  Now my 4th week I’m getting to Beach Park and without resting going straight onto the bike trail but I only went a little distance before deciding to go back to the park and resting for 10 min before going home.

Now that I’m getting better I would like to spend 20 or more minutes on the bike trail (maybe 10 min out then 10 min back) then resting before heading home.  I’m actually really excited that my legs are getting better and getting more used to riding because as I’ve said before, I’d eventually love to ride for 2 hours a day.  The weight will definitely melt off when I’m riding for 2 hours a day.  Also I’d like to get to the point where that is 2 hours straight.

I’m actually excited about losing weight for the first time in a long time because I know that if I ride the bike on a daily basis I will definitely lose the weight a lot faster.  Now I just need to start eating better to make this weight loss go faster.  I’m trying my best.

Edit: Yes, I realize I was rambling lol.  I edited out some of the redundancy lol.

38 Minutes

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

I went bike riding this morning just as the sun was coming up.  I don’t recall the time, it was before 7am though.  Instead of stopping at California Ave and turning right and going back home, this time I decided to keep going to Truxton and turn left to go to Oak St. which is the way to get to Beach Park where the bike path is at.

I went to Oak but had to turn around and come back home because I’m so heavy that as I was riding my bike I could tell that my seat was going down because my legs were no longer straight when my pedal was all the way down.  They were bending still and when I left the house they were straight.  So I’m so heavy that I’m pushing my seat down which is not good.  Next time I go on a ride I have to raise the seat again.  I have a feeling that until I lose this website I’m gonna have to keep raising the seat every time.

That’s ok I guess.  I’m just happy that I rode a longer distance than before.  38 minutes is a lot longer than 14 minutes.  I also rode for 4.2 miles total.  I checked it out on Google Maps.  Go me!

By the way, I was so close to Beach Park, like 5 blocks from it.  I was so close I could have tasted it.  I had no idea that I was that close either.  If I knew I was that close I would’ve tried harder to get there.  At least they had water so I could have refilled my bottle lol.  I ran out just as I was getting closer to the house.  That only tells me I need to bring the bigger bottle next time lol.

Edit: I went to Spark People to add my cardio for today and 38 min at 10 mph (I don’t know what my speed is as I don’t have a bike odometer and 10 mph is the lowest they have so it’s my only option) and that is 342 calories burned.  The total for the whole week is 87 of 90 min that they require you to do and 783 of 780 calories burned.  They only want you to do exercise cause they are there to tell you what you need to do to get thin.  You aren’t “required” to do anything you don’t want to in which case you don’t have to sign up on their website.  But anyway, my point is that I exceeded the amount of calories for the whole week but I was still 3 minutes shy of the amount of time.  That’s fine though because next week will be double because I was so close to Beach Park that next time I will actually make it there and maybe even get to ride on the bike path for a little while.  I might end up doing the entire 90 min for the entire week in just 2 sessions.

High Seat

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

When I came back from my ride the day before yesterday I raised my seat up a lot but I guess not enough because today I rode my bike and I was still in pain when I got home and I noticed that my leg was still bending as I was riding.  Your leg is supposed to extend fully when it gets all the way down.  If your seat is too low it can cause an injury to your back and/or legs.

Well, when I lowered my seat I lowered it all the way then I realized how to raise the handlebars but I never raised the seat again.  Big mistake.

So anyway, this morning I thought it was high enough but it wasn’t and I came home from my ride in a little bit of pain in my legs.  Not as much as before but I raised it even higher and got on it and it was perfect.  My legs straighten completely.  Hopefully tomorrow I can keep going past California Ave instead of turning right.

My goal is to get my muscles strong enough to where I can ride the bike for long periods of time but having my seat so low was counter productive to my progress.  The longer I am able to ride the more calories I will burn and then I can just go back on with my life.  When I was a kid, teen and young adult (in my 20’s) I was very active.  Either running from bullies (junior high) or riding my bike to and from school, to and from work, to and from Hollywood via North Hollywood, to and from Simi valley via Canoga Park.  Point is I was active and active means skinny.  I never gained an ounce.  I could eat and eat and eat and believe me, I was a hungry guy and I never gained any weight.  So, hopefully, I can keep my eating habits but exercise it all off with the bike.

I also wanted to add that I am so excited to have my Dell DJ back.  I went too long without it and I’m so excited that I got that battery for $10 + $7 shipping.  I nearly bought the same battery from another retailer for $25 and another was selling the same thing for $50.  I almost gave up until I went on eBay.

Jump Rope

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

I bought a $8 beaded jump rope today and boy is that hard work lol. I’m going to use it to relearn how to jump rope and to get used to using one then I am gonna give this one to my neighbor’s daughter Devan then I want to buy one that’s a little more expensive that is the kind that is faster and thin so I can do it better.

I thought this was the better kind for me because I was afraid the rope would be too thin and light and trip me up but frankly this does that to me too lol. I haven’t used a jump rope since I was like 10 years old and watching me jumping rope is kinda funny, I look like a child just learning.

I used to be really good at it and was able to just lightly jump inches off the ground and was so fast but now I’m like a clumsy 6-year-old. Oh and my leg muscles are sore from 2 minutes lol. And after 2 minutes I’m out of breath and need a drink of water. I really need to relearn this because it is excellent exercise. It burns about 32 calories a minute and works all the muscles in the body.