Advice for an old codger

[Steveoh]

Hi,
I’m a sixty nine year old man, overweight and I haven’t been on a bike for fifty years.

Having recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I’m keen to improve my fitness and hopefully lose some weight.

So I’ve got myself an exercise bike. But I’ve no idea what I’m doing. Words like cadence and wattage/kg are a mystery.

I’d be very grateful if someone could give me some simple advice where to start.
Thank you.

[Carlton green]

I suggest seeing your GP - assuming you can actually get an appointment - and discussing exercise with them. The NHS websites also have advice on exercise. Before you start on the exercise bike I’d have thought taking yourself off for some walks would be a good idea, to put some foundation of fitness in. I’d not bother with the exercise bike, ride and walk with a basic three speed bike; get out there and enjoy your exercise in the open air.

I don’t bother with them myself but think about a heart rate monitor and limit how fast you allow your heart to go (by stopping or slowing down whatever you’re doing).

Diet is important and diabetics can now continuously motor their blood sugar levels. Eating correctly (the right stuff and the right amounts) can make a big difference to diabetics - well that’s what friends with that condition tell me.

[Nearholmer]

One thing to be aware of about cycling is that, of itself, it’s unlikely to cause you to loose much weight quickly.

What it will do, whether done indoors or out, and out is better, is improve your fitness, if you put whatever level of effort into it that your doctor approves.

To loose weight, you have to take in significantly less energy than you burn, and it’s unlikely that the amount of cycling you will put in during the early stages will cause hugely increased burn, because cycling is so efficient as a way of getting about (or not getting about if on a static bike!) you have to go at it long and/or hard to burn lots of energy.

I’d mirror what Carlton says about managing what you eat. A close pal of mine was diagnosed diabetic at c70yo, and while he wasn’t hugely overweight, maybe 3 stones at most, he managed to shed that excess weight fairly quickly, and thereby reduce his dependence upon medication, by simply modifying his eating and drinking habits. Basically, he zoned right down on “treats”, which had been in the form of a couple of glasses of wine an evening, largish meal portions, the odd fry-up when on days out with friends, pudding after dinner, that sort of thing. He is now a lot leaner, and really feels the benefit, and this despite still not doing a huge amount of exercise by most standards (he has a partly fused ankle from an old car accident, so he can’t cycle, and can’t walk fast).

[TrevA]

Cadence is how fast you pedal. I don’t think you need to worry about Watts/kg.

Start off slow and easy and build up slowly. You could start with just 5 minutes per day of easy spinning, just to get your legs used to the exercise, then add a couple of minutes to each session. You may find that you quickly get bored on an indoor exercise bike. I know I do. You can get stats on your phone or tablet to make it more interesting or distract yourself by watching the TV, Netflix or something on You-tube. If your exercise bike can support it, you can use Zwift or Rouvy or similar to do virtual rides, which does make things more interesting. You may eventually find that you want to cycle outdoors too.

I’m also a Type 2 diabetic, but have always cycled. I’ve recently lost around 3 stone by joining my wife’s Slimming World class, which made me consider my diet more closely and has had a beneficial effect on my blood sugar numbers. I cut out cakes and sweets, eat more fruit and veg, limit bread - just 2 slices of whole meal bread per day.

It’s worth getting a blood sugar meter to see which foods spike your blood sugar. For me, it’s bread and cereals, cakes and sweet treats. Then you’ll know what to avoid. You can get a continuous blood sugar monitor but they are expensive. You’ll pay around £100 per month for the sensors, which have to be changed every 2 weeks. I use a finger prick blood test monitor.

[Steveoh]

Thanks for your replies.
I should have mentioned, I’m currently following a diet plan, but felt that an increase in my activity would be beneficial to my general health.
To start off, I’ve been spending 30min a day on the exercise bike, which shows an average of around 100 watts. Feels like a good place to start.
Thanks again.

[gbnz]

You're on a diet plan, others have mentioned the diet/intake as being critical to weight loss (Nb. I found "Anita Beans "complete guide to sports nutrition" a superb handbook / dozens of similar others will exist. In depth reading/study, gives an excellent degree of knowledge, allows a planning of weight loss

And exercise bicycles ? Have been a cyclist for 40yr's, dedicated gym user for 25yr's, had always been dismissive of exercise bikes. Only started using exercise bicycles 4.5yr's back (Nb. Due to injuries). Have found they can be incredibly beneficial - "spinning" is worth doing for the cardio vascular benefits (Nb. Minimal pressure on the pedals required, but exceptionally fast turning of the pedals). Have found it extremely effective in respect to having an intense cardio vascular workout, without requiring much in the way of existing muscles, or effort via injured legs)

[Navrig]

Thanks for your replies.
I should have mentioned, I’m currently following a diet plan, but felt that an increase in my activity would be beneficial to my general health.
To start off, I’ve been spending 30min a day on the exercise bike, which shows an average of around 100 watts. Feels like a good place to start.
Thanks again.

Combining exercise with your diet plan is a great idea. You should also look at what other "stuff" you don't do and start to do more of it. For example - wash your car by hand (instead of going to a car wash), cut your own grass, walk the dog a bit further than normal, housework, help an ever older neighbour with their garden etc etc.

Then look at what you do regularly which is totally inactive and reduce the time on that - TV, internet, etc etc.

[Navrig]

At risk of sounding negative I suggest you share with us what bike you have. Some very cheap models are difficult to use effectively and may discourage you. Some are difficult to use on a solo basis as they are mostly used in a class situation until you know what you are doing.

Also be aware that you will have a sore backside if you sit too long to start with. Better to build up the time to get used to it.

[Steveoh]

Thanks for your advice.
I needed a bike that would fold up for storage, and not having a great deal to spend, I opted for the MERACH MRK-S15 from Amazon.
You’re correct about the sore backside too.