Last week while listening to WSB radio, I heard Clark Howard say he felt his health was improved by standing while he worked. He said either he felt, or statistics proved, I am not sure which, the more a person stood the healthier he seemed to be. He further said he knew a friend who had a treadmill beneath his desk, Which was a drafting table. He set up the treadmill to cause him to walk a half a mile a day while he worked. I thought that was rather interesting. As I don't like spending useless time, I just might look in to treadmills now.
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Scovell
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: Blood Sugar
Vicki,
I keep track of my speed now by the number of minutes I ride. I start out by counting the number of revolutions the peddling yields. I've had the kids, more than once, watch the digital display as I ride and exactly 40 complete revolutions equals 0.2 of a mile. So 5 minutes equals a mile. I can run at exactly 12 miles an hour without counting. I run my counter on my watch for the first 10 minutes and once and awhile, I count how many revolutions I have gone in one minute. My average, without pushing it, is 42 to 43 turns. So by the first couple of minutes, I have my speed locked in and don't have to track it by counting turns any longer. If I run 47 to 48 turns, I'm up to 14 miles an hour. If I push it, I run 52 and 53 turns so I'm over 14 miles an hour and then I only ride for 30 minutes. If I'm down near 40 turns, I ride 35 minutes to insure it comes out slightly over 50 miles in 7 days. About every two weeks, I take a day off, sometimes two days, while at other times, I may go for a month before taking a day or two off. Any more than about a day, and it becomes difficult to start up again. I turn my little wall furnace up when I start to generate a higher temp in the room and that way I sweat a little more and burn a few more calories. The bike is in my back room of my office and close to the furnace which is punched through the wall that has been there since it was installed 27 years ago and a gas line run to it when we bought this house. The display has such readings, if I could see, for heart rate and calories burn but that does me no good, haha. Some days I read the Bible with earphones, on less spiritual days, I listen to talking books, and on other real sinful days, I listen to the radio, if there's a football game playing, or other days of the week, when Rush is on. I often do nothing because I like to let my mind day dream while riding. I ponder outlines, meditate on books or articles I am writing, adding to them in my thoughts, and just try letting the time go by without focusing specifically on much of anything. Almost like riding a horse, haha. Say, maybe I should wear my cowboy boots and hat and pretend I'm on horse back. I normally do my riding in early afternoon instead of first thing in the morning but since we don't have grandchildren over all day any longer, the afternoons work best for me.
Phil.
----- Original Message -----
From: Vicki
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: Blood Sugar
Hey Phil,
That's great about your blood sugar. May that 7-day thing is a good idea. I can't seem to take two days off either. Hahahaha! So then, you're not the only lonely non taker offer. How do you know how far you've ridden?
Ah, I picked some up at Christmas. And then our 25 anniversary is coming That day, it's for celebrating, not fixating on weight loss. (smile)
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Scovell
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 4:36 PM
Subject: Blood Sugar
I forgot to mention last week that I went for my three month blood draw for my A1C blood sugar test. I was down about it being high because Christmas, new years, our anniversary, and December birthdays, screwed up my low carb diet because I fell off the diet wagon several times. Anyhow, I was shooting for 20 pounds loss in three months and only got 7 but my blood sugar, probably thanks to my stationary bicycle riding of 50 miles a week, was still 6.4 as it was 3 months before. So I was very thankful for that. Of course, some of you, as diabetics, already know how important daily exercise relating to blood sugar levels is. I've put a year long dieting schedule together to be down at my normal weight by my next birthday. No, not this one this month but a year from now. Do you know how hard it is not eating sugar? This is one reason why I attempt to ride my stationary bike daily rather than 5 days a week. If I take off the weekends, I find it nearly impossible to start up again. Great will power I have, haha.
Phil.