Posts Tagged ‘health’

Resolutions

Posted: January 3, 2019 in Cycling, Health, OaP, Retirement
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2018

2018 held such promise for me and to be honest most of it was delivered though I did kind of wreck it towards the end: Having started the year weighing 100 kg I finished it weighing 93 kg though I did drop to 83.5 kg. This was all in pursuit of improving my health and appearance and because I needed a new hip and I wasn’t going to get one while I was fat.

To help me lose the weight not only did I stop eating just about everything I liked 😦 but I also experimented with new foods such as vegetables which, I’d always deemed to be poisonous :-). The results were amazing as I lost 16.5 kg. I also found myself doing more walking and cycling and even took up weight training. I felt like new man. Then came the news, I was scheduled to have my hip replacement on the 31st October (the surgeon was so impressed with my results he lost no time in getting me in sooner rather than later).

Following the operation I was forced into many weeks of rest and recuperation and although I did try to get back onto my bikes and try lifting some weights I was forced back into r & r. I consoled myself by eating nice stuff again and with the build up to Christmas, the nice stuff was plentiful and ‘justified’ and aided by the fact that I had finally retired and mutated into an Old Age Pensioner.

The weight, inevitably, went back on but at least I did finish the year lighter than I started it :-). And, the benefits of losing the weight were highlighted by a distinct improvement in my breathing.

Through 2018 I cycled and walked (recorded) 199 and 53 miles respectively.

2018 stats

2019

Resolution #1

Match the miles cycled and walked through 2018 in a single month in 2019. then cycle at least 2019 miles.

Resolution #2

Reach my target weight of 75 kg.

Resolution #3

Get a second medal for completing the Great South Run – last completed ion 2003.

Go Podge, Go.

 

Podge Gets Fat, Thin And Fat Again!

Posted: December 31, 2018 in COPD, OaP, Retirement
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Poor Podge

So, His Podgeness, or Podge to his friends, started 2018 weighing in at 15.5 stone or 100kg, which is quite a lot for somebody who is only 5’9″ or 175cm tall.  Yet, despite his doctor telling him, all through 2017, to lose weight, the weight stayed where it was. However, two events through 2018 garnered Podge into a goal of weight loss. It is also worth noting that Podge has COPD and a manky heart caused by fat and of course COPD. The consequence of these is that exercise was difficult and so weight loss was a challenge. Add to the list a now arthritic hip, it was all a bit of a chore.  Poor Podge indeed.

The first event was when Podge was promised a shiny new hip but, only if he lost 2 stone or 12.7kgs. The second event was helping a long-standing friend, Lillybet, in her quest for qualification as a Nutritional Therapist. Both these events helped Podge lose enough weight, 18kgs in the end, to have the op and improve his breathing and heart no end.

Then the Operation

So, come the end of October, Podge goes down for his hip replacement followed by many weeks of rest and recuperation, then retirement then Christmas and Podge puts back on 11 of the 18Kgs that he’s lost. Bad Podge. Now, Podge’s breathing is not too good, and his heart is all over the place. So, Podge once more is returning to the healthy diet that Lillybet had advised, it did after all work. Basically, Podge has to stop eating and drinking everything that Podge likes. Still, at least Podge ends the year 7Kgs down from the start of 2018.

IMG_5217 copy

Expect more pictures of lard 🙂

Through 2018, Podge cycled 208 miles and walked 63 miles, not including normal day-to-day walking, some stats to be improved for 2019. Poor Podge.

So, here’s to 2019 and Podge becoming UnPodge.

Now, it’s new year’s eve so, everybody down to the Pub.

Happy New Year Everybody.

Just 15 Days To Go – Cycling For a Better Future

Posted: June 23, 2013 in COPD, Cycling, training, Travel
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Blimey, time seems to accelerate as you close in the target. In this case, the 550 miles I challenged myself to cycle from Hungerford to Ligueil and back to prove that ‘The Old Codger’ can and to prove that COPD need not stop me from doing what I like to do, while also helping others.

At my last checkup with the nurse my obstructive lung lung effectiveness was 48% while my restrictive lung effectiveness was 49%. Now looking at these figures, this suggests to me that i’m effectively operating on one lung, which isn’t that good. My understanding is also that while my restrictive effectiveness can be improved by losing a bit of weight (too much fat restricting the movement of the diaphragm is bad) the obstructive part will NOT improve. If that’s the case then, ooh err, I’m in for some bad times ahead.

A hint at the possible bad times ahead came to the fore last Sunday when I was out on my 74 mile epic. As I ‘pumped those pedals’ onwards and upwards my breathing would get harder, as for everybody else. In my case however I was breathing in vast amounts of air (well, I thought it was vast amounts anyway) but I seemed to breathing back out the same. It felt as though while I was breathing I wasn’t getting the oxygen: that, was scary. Obviously I was getting oxygen otherwise I would be here and you wouldn’t be reading these words 🙂

I have a checkup tomorrow followed by a lung function check the Thursday before I depart and I will be interested to see what the figures are. In the meantime, the next 15 days are all I have to prepare myself for the big challenge which will hopefully help others. Others such as those less mobile than myself and would welcome the opportunity to enjoy the nicer things in life just like those more mobile. In this case, it is enjoying some tranquil relax time on canal boats: Canal boats that have been specifically designed to accommodate wheel chair users, such as those operated by Bruce Trust Barges who rely on charitable donations to keep the boats operating and even acquiring new boats. Others that I hope to help are those still at risk of contracting Polio.

Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, and for as little as US$0.60, a child can be protected against the virus for life. If we don’t finish the fight right now, more than 10 million children under the age of five could be paralyzed by polio in the next 40 years.

The above was taken from the End Polio Now web site. The site shows that we are so close to eliminating this disease. But my fear is that because we’re so close, there’s the danger that we may ‘take the foot off the pedal’ and relax. We must make sure we avoid this, we must keep going to totally eliminate Polio once and for all.  But this takes funds. This is why I’m riding my bike: To prove I can and to help others, so who will help me?

If you want to help me to help others then why not support me, and encourage me via my just giving page at www.justgiving.com/kevin-stirzaker.

Now, I’m off for breakfast and to plan today’s training ride not sure how far yet but it will be less that 74 miles I do know that much 🙂

Go Podge, Go