Virtual Bike Riding

Deborah's and my new smart bike trainers are fantastic. These are going to be a game changer for exercising during the Wisconsin winter when it's too cold to go outside and too zombie apocalyptic to go to a gym. We canceled our gym memberships over the summer and spent the early fall debating what to do for winter exercise, in between walks and bike rides outside in the uncharacteristically mild fall weather. Mid-level smart bike trainers were what we opted for. These will pay for themselves in about a year in money saved on a gym membership, not including the $15/month membership for the smart bike trainer ride apps that connect to the trainers and simulate actual real world bike rides (riding our own actual bikes, which attach to the trainers). $15/month definitely beats the $90+/month we were paying for a family gym membership. Plus, we can have multiple family members on one membership in the cycling app called Rouvy, which is what we'll likely use, having expired at least one of our free Zwift (another app) trials as of this writing. There's also an app called RGT Cycling, which is indefinitely free and works well (although it's limited to just a handful of routes and training regimens unless/until you upgrade to the paid premium membership). This morning, we participated in a group ride on RGT Cycling, which included me, Deborah, and my buddy Brian from California, all of us transported to Europe, virtually and instantly, for a ride through some computer rendered Italian countryside. There were about 20 other cyclist on the ride, who all pretty much lapped us. But we didn't care. It was our first such virtual group ride, and thus very much experimental. No matter what cycling app we end up subscribing to (probably Rouvy), it will be nice to have RGT Cycling available for free.

I think that's about it.

A Fortnight of Fitness: Day 10

Deborah and I are 10 days into the fortnight of fitness - to follow a plant-based, whole food (vegan) diet for two weeks. There is no caloric restriction on this diet, only that no artificial or animal-based foods may be (knowingly) eaten. We are objectively tracking weight and blood pressure, and subjectively tracking general well being and mood.

The dietary part is not that hard and we have been 100% compliant, to the best of our knowledge. Although there is no requirement to exercise during this challenge, I have gone to the gym every day (I think), and Deborah has gone most days.

I forgot to measure my blood pressure yesterday, but that was the only day I missed. Today I had a doctor's appointment where my blood pressure was 122/76. I measured it again before bed on our home blood pressure meter for consistency with prior measurements and got 117/65, definitely trending lower.

On the left is a graph showing my 10 day weight loss thus far on the diet. The trend is downward, as you can see.

KEYWORDS: health and wellness, best weight loss diet, lifestyle coaching, vegan diet, whole food diet

A Fortnight of Fitness: Day 5

My weight was 216 pounds this morning, Day 5 of the fortnight long fitness challenge I am doing with my wife - to follow a plant-based, whole food diet for two weeks. This weight measurement was unchanged from Day 4 of the challenge. However, this is actually a good thing, because I had expected it to go up as a consequence of a greater than usual calorie intake on Day 4. You see, this is my officially recognized birthday weekend, and although we stuck to the dietary protocol, I indulged in a significant number of blue corn chips (whole grain blue corn, salt, and safflower oil) and deluxe mixed nuts (roasted and salted) on Day 4. That said, we also went to the gym, where I burned at least 600 calories on the exercise bike. But enough about Day 4...this is my Day 5 summary.

After the weigh in, I made a breakfast of oatmeal with half a banana, about 20 grapes, and some unsweetened almond milk (my usual breakfast on this challenge). We went to the gym about noon, where I burned around 600 calories on the bike. For lunch, I ate leftovers - vegan chili and some pinto beans with brown rice. I spent most of the afternoon rehearsing songs for my band GUPPY EFFECT's performance at Funk's Pub later in the evening. Before heading to the show, I ate a baked potato that Deborah had made, seasoned only with a bit of salt. At the pub, the smells of restaurant food made me hungry, but I did not succumb. We drank water and that's all. However, when we got home, I sauteed some vegetables (3/4 of a potato, a medium sized zucchini, half an onion, and some celery) in olive oil with some herbs and spices.

My blood pressure was 110/67 before bedtime, reclining. Nice.