Fifty Plus (50+) - does riding keep you healthy

hello im not 50 plus yet. on even haf of that to be truthful :thumb:

but thought you wouldnt mind me coming to ask for some advice.

i wanted to know over your lifetime if riding you bike on a daily basis has contibuted positively or negativly towards your health and could you give exmples.

E.g Does riding you bike keep your knees in good working order or has it worn them out.

just curious

It will take the weight off, good for mental stability, physical fitness, etc.
You must rotate correctly in a cylindrical vertical plane to keep knees in shape.

Good Luck!

On the general topic - no question, yes. Blood pressure, cardio fitness, cholesterol, etc. all good.
Knees - ah - can be a sore subject...
There are many threads on knee pain in almost every group within BF. For some people the answer is in saddle height or adjudment, others it's in cadence, some say stretching and some say strength and conditioning. For me the answer is in the latter - taking care in the spring to protect my knees until my muscle strength has returned. The knee is one of those few items where the master architect didn't spend enough time in the design phase - it's good but it isn't great.

I'm not particularly a physical fitness buff. Pretty much the only thing that I do for fitness is bicycle. I'm also an experiment of one so that's not a very good sample size.

I drive a school bus. Lots of the bus drivers would qualify for 50+ if they bicycled. I can tell you that I have a lot fewer health problems than the majority of my bus driving peers. Knee replacements, heart issues and the dreaded "C" word are quite common.

I have a son in his mid-30's. He frequently tells my wife and me how much better shape we are in than his buddies parents.

My conclusion is that bicycling has been good for my wife and me. YMMV.

Yes, it improves fitness.

When I ride at higher cadences my knees feel better. After 4 years of riding I'm in much better condition than I was 4 years ago.

It's good for fitness.....why.....because it's fun and it's something you will do just because you like to.

Does riding you bike keep your knees in good working order or has it worn them out.
I had knee surgery a little over a year ago -- injury caused by an accident at work.
The sports medicine doc who did the surgery prescribed cycling as my only physical therapy. Cycling helps the knees. He said my knees would keep going until I was 100. :beer:

Being a standard-issue, flabby middle aged sedentary lawyer at age 47, I came down with a bad case of colon cancer, a disease with a median age of 75. Now at 53, probably (but not definitely) having beaten the 30% odds I had, I am healthier than I have been since law school. So I think the answer to your question is a strong "Yes."

I'm currently 52. I took up cycling in March 2006. I hadn't been to the doctor in least five years (maybe more) when recently I was hit by a car. I went to the doc for that.

Comparing my chart, then to now:

Weight: Gained 8 pounds, I say it's muscle mass. ;)
BP: 140/85 then, 110/60 now.
Heart Rate: 72 then, 44 now.

Didn't have any blood work this time, but it was all okay the last we checked.

The staff were amazed, and asked how I did it. I told them that I took my doc's advice. :) I quit smoking, I exercise and I eat right.

As for knees, it depends on the nature of one's knee problems, whether or not cycling improves them. I'm a lucky one. I had knee instability problems for years and years. This was accompanied by pain on the sides of the joints, and I walked with a limp. That all went away within a half-year, or about 2,000 miles back then. I haven't had even a twinge since then.

Edit: Now I'm on a roll...

I had a joint condition called fibromyalgia. I'd been on meds for that since the middle 80s. It has disappeared completely.

I have two different sleep disorders (and no, neither one is apnea). I'd been on meds for them for years too. I still don't sleep well, but I sleep well enough that I'm no longer on meds for it.

Back in 2005, during the SARS scare, I had to go to Toronto (one of the big SARS cities) for a convention. I was terrified that I'd catch it there and that if I caught it, it would be fatal, since I'd smoked for 35 years. Last year, my bike and I took Amtrak to Colorado, where we rode to the top of Mt. Evans (14,130 ft) and later in the week, rode a century that passed by Rocky Mountain National Park. My lung function has improved markedly.

Right now with the Swine Flu thing going around, I'm unconcerned. I work at the Circulation Desk of the Public Library, where all day at work I'm exposed to everything everyone has, including whatever the homeless guys have (and they sound nasty). I caught one cold this year. Nothing last year. Meanwhile, my co-workers, well at least one of them is sick at any given time, despite using gallons of hand sanitizer and disinfectant sprays. BTW, I ride straight through the winter.

To summarize, I used to "feel my age". Now, I feel fantastic--alive and vital--every day.

There may not be anything to this exercise thing, but I enjoy it and plan to keep it up.

In the US, the number one killer is heart disease. Exercise is the cure. In fact, regular exercise is the treatment for most of the undesirable symptoms of aging. My resting heart rate is in the low 40s; what's yours? Cycling isn't the only exercise there is; but I've found it's easier on my body than running, it's more convenient than swimming, and nothing else is intense enough for me. Besides, when I'm on my bike, part of me can still be a kid.

BTW, I am 53.

i wanted to know over your lifetime if riding you bike on a daily basis has contibuted positively or negativly towards your health and could you give exmples.


How could riding on a daily basis be anything but a positive toward your overall health? Any activity that gets you outside and moving is a plus, we just happen to choose bicycles, but even walking is better than doing nothing and it makes us better looking as well. :rolleyes:

Along with a responsible diet, exercise is a must for anyone that wants a better chance at a long healthy life.

Yes.

I'll certainly join in the Yes group

But you wouldn't really expect many Nos from asking the question on a bicycling forum

On a Car Driving forum, you'd get more 'exposure to risk' answers, and that point of view can't be discounted, so maybe the question needs to include 'is riding SAFELY good for your health?'

But riding a bike, breathing fresh air and enjoying physical activity has got to put us at least in the upper quartile of fitness in a sedentary society even for a couple of hours a week

I'll be interested to see the views which follow this very interesting thought-starter

There will always be a small downside risk to any activity. I try to weigh the upside benefits against those risks. Also, I need to enjoy what I'm doing, or i won't stick with it.

Cycling has significant risks, but these are easy to manage.

Road safety: The most serious risk IMO is a bad fall or collision with a car. The rider can reduce these risks but never totally eliminate them. I read the "Art of Cycling" and find the safety advice in the book to be excellent. I've had 3 minor falls, and each time I modified my behavior to further reduce my risks. I now pick the roads I travel on very carefully, avoiding those with heavy traffic, higher speeds and frequent crossroads. I'm also careful around pedestrians.

Joint pain or injury: I'm not an expert, but bike fit, conditioning and technique can reduce joint pain for many people. It has not been a problem for me.

On the benefits side of the equation, the upside is tremendous. Most fatal and debilitating illnesses in the U.S. can be reduced or eliminated by the kind of exercise that cycling provides. The other posters have already listed many of the types of conditions that cycling has reduced or eliminated. Lifespan and quality of life can be dramatically improved.

I also think that cycling provides a level of happiness that would be difficult to attain without the pleasure of doing an activity that is so enjoyable.

Michael

Sorry to re-post so soon, but your thread got me thinking

There's the old coincidence/causality debate

By which I mean, people who are interested in staying fit are more likely to explore cycling as an activity
And people who cycle regularly are more likely to stay interested in keeping fit.

Chicken/egg, cause/effect

The old e-mail joke -

' I used to think that coincidence implied a cause. Then I took a night class in logic, and now I don't think that any more'

'Sounds like your class was influential in your thinking'

'Why d'ya say that?'

Me - 40 years type 1 diabetic. Keen cyclist. (Medics are surprised but) no signs so far of adverse effects. Long may it last, and I'll keep chasing the coincidence

You guys are so kind!!!

So friendly and full of good advice. Thankyou !:thumb:

That’s it im NEVER Learning how to drive. I’m 23 and have used cycling as my transport to everywhere from around the age of ten I used to ride my bike four miles round trip to school. I live in the uk. And always try to perpetuate the same habitat. Now I still ride my bike to work its a 14 miles round trip, Ive moved out in the countryside in wales, and it seems quiet isolated, thus most people from the age of sixteen drive cars. I was just checking that I could just keep going riding my bike till Im double or triple maybe quadruple my age but it’ll probably be “hover bikes” ;) by then.

Cycling is something which I really love! Its GOOD to know I can carry on.

Blazing pedals My resting heart rate is 17… :innocent: only joking its 57 and 5/8. wow yours is 40! :thumb: Im impressed how dd it become so low? what are you life long health tips?

So you guys have pretty much proven yes it is better for you in the long run as long as you ride safely.

Thinline that was a really good tip!

Could you please share some more wisdom on maintaining general health eg correct technique etc from you experience?

MANY thanks

nathan

It is not a magic bullet cure-all but it is a big step in the right direction. People die biking, people die sitting on the couch. But nearly every medical study I'm aware of that took exercise into account has come to the conclusion the even a little bit of physical activity is of great benefit to your over all health. Just keep peddling. I'm an almost 66 yr old mountain biker who's had 5 heart attacks BB(before biking) and intestinal cancer also BB and I feel better now than I have in many years. But, there's no 'lead-pipe' guarantees, just measures taken to improve the odds.

I have discovered the fountain of youth, and it is a combination of aerobic exercise, weight training, mental exercise, a nutrient-rich high-fiber diet low in sodium and fat, a positive emotional outlook, a supportive social and family structure, and plain old-fashioned clean living. Bicycling is the best way I know to get the ol' ticker ticking without putting too much of a burden on my feet, ankles, and knees. Use the low gears, keep up the RPMs, and eschew the current single speed and fixed gear fads in favor of something practical and knee-friendly.

See also the late George "King" Stahlman's personal motto (in my signature), which I have plagiarized for my own life.

As I've been cycling to work since I was 23, and and I spent 10+ years cycle camping on what essentially were racing cranksets - my big mistake. Your genes will have something to do with it, but now at 59.5 and recently having been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, my knees are pretty well shot. Everything else about cycling's impact on me is positive - it greatly improved my life in numerous ways.
So my take home message is simply: learn to spin in lowere gears sooner rather than later. Bike fit is of course critical, but so is spinning.
That, and don't be in too much of a hurry on your bike - ever.
Happy trails!

I'm 52. My answers to your questions are yes. I took up Fixed gear riding at age 41. I was told, "At your age? You can't!" Well, here I am, eleven years later, and I seem to be fine. My PCP seems to agree, on my annual physicals. I rode multi-gears starting in the 70's with my blue Raleigh Record. (Wish I had kept that bike. It would have made a great fixie conversion.)

Cycling is good for the body and the mind. A day of aggravations from dealing with "the logic challenged" can be forgotten with a simple evening ride of fifteen miles. I always feel very relaxed after riding. I sleep very well. I'm not a "dieting type", but I am a "watch what you eat type". Snack foods for me now consist of apples, and unsalted mixed nuts. Got a weakness for ice cream, I just eat less of it than I used to.

By "low 40s" I mean 42-45 when I first wake up in the morning. I wore a heart rate monitor at work a few weeks ago, and my HR sitting at my desk can drop to 52. To what do I attribute it? Hours of hard work at the other end of the heart rate scale. Spend enough time at 90% of your max, and the ticker gets really strong! As much as I like cycling, I hate doing it in snow and ice, so in the winter I do interval training in a pool. That's good exercise too, but not everyone has access to a pool.

For me, the worst negative health aspect of bicycling has been due to my allergies to various types of grasses and pollens. The first days of Spring, when it is so tempting to get out and ride are also the peak times of pollen output. Not only am I drawn outdoors to be exposed to the pollen, but I am out there working hard and breathing deep, drawing that stuff deep into my lungs so it can really do a number on my breathing. Beyond that problem, it occasionally causes me to limp around with bruises, scratches and scrapes. Especially when I get too aggressive with my mountain biking.

So much for the negatives. Cycling helps me keep my weight under control. It helps me keep my blood pressure in the good range. I have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and my diet doesn't always help with that. But for several years now I have been able to avoid taking medication for it by increasing my bicycling frequency and mileage. It has never failed to bring it under control. Cycling keeps my back muscles toned up enough to keep my bad lumbar discs in place and me out of surgery.

But the biggest plus so far has been that even though riding did not keep me from getting cancer last year, it seems to have played a major role in helping me beat it. My doctors are convinced that because of the great physical condition I was in and the stamina and general toughness cycling gave me, I was able to withstand an extremely aggressive chemotherapy regimen with remarkably mild side effects which allowed them to really pour it on and kill the cancer cells. That stamina also helped me endure the intense pain and harsh physical damage done to my neck and throat by 8 weeks of daily radiation treatments. I am convinced that if not for my years of bicycling, I might not be around now.

My Doctor tells me to keep cycling, we have high blood pressure in my family, and mine is 120/70 with no BP medication. I started riding again about 5 – 6 years ago and I feel great. Every once in a while a young lady will shout out from their car “nice butt”, and my wife concurs with them.

Age 76.
Weight: 135.
Miles bicycled: 300,000+.
Knees: fine.
Health: very good. Had prostate cancer 5 years ago . . . 3 weeks laters was back on the bike.
Ride 100+ miles a week.

Believe cycling has improved health and outlook on life.

I don't ride daily, but bicycling has made me intelligent and good looking.

On a serious note, were it not for bicycling, I'd be a fat man. My Body Mass Index would be high and I wouldn't be able to explain it away as a result of the large muscle mass in my legs.

Knee pain is almost entirely preventable. It's brought on two ways. The first is improper bike fit. The second is body misalignment. Bothe are easily correctable.

hello im not 50 plus yet. on even haf of that to be truthful :thumb:

but thought you wouldnt mind me coming to ask for some advice.

i wanted to know over your lifetime if riding you bike on a daily basis has contibuted positively or negativly towards your health and could you give exmples.

E.g Does riding you bike keep your knees in good working order or has it worn them out.

just curious


Yes.

This quote is from Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (from the Phrase Finder: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/ars-longa-vita-brevis.html)


"Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile."

This can be rendered into English as 'life is short, the art (craft/skill) long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult'.

That would lead us to interpret the meaning as 'it takes a long time to acquire and perfect one's expertise (in, say, medicine) and one has but a short time in which to do it'.

You can ask this question for years, of many cyclists, physicians and/or other experts, but as the Nike slogan states, "Just do it." :thumb:

Every once in a while a young lady will shout out from their car “nice butt”.

Where do you ride, that young ladies in passing cars are so informed, observant and appreciative of bike frame internal geometry?

I ride a fair bit.

It probably helps to keep my blood pressure reasonably low.
It keeps my resting heart rate low.
It helps to keep my weight down.
It lowers my stress level (I have an anxiety disorder and aerobic exercise is a great medication for this).
It probably decreases my risk for diabetes.
It probably lowers my risk for heart disease. A word of caution here, diet probably plays a bigger role in keeping down cholesterol levels than exercise.

Pat

I was going to run my recovery from a virus [I think.] as a special thread so folks could judge for themselves about lifetime bikeing on your health[I have been a lifelong biker now 69]today was my first serious bike so ill say [a lifetime elderly biker starts recovery to cycle at 0. I was good for about the first 10 miles of a 30 mile trip[my strenth for the first ten suprized me]but resting often and increaseing my water intake didnt help the onset of fatiege and I was very glad when I completed the ride when I started the ride I had a slice of boiled ham a ripe tomato with vinigar/salt/pepper and a glass of spicy vegy juice.///I didnt drink my usuall coffee //I dont think the coffee makes any difference one way or the other .Ill keep an update of my rideing till the end of july when I hope to take a longer trip to Grand LAKE Stream Me.[Keep a one track mind,///Kenneth

Ha HA hA /JAN M M/I cant think of a better reason to ride:thumb:/Kenneth

QUOTE=thatsut;8974374]hello im not 50 plus yet. on even haf of that to be truthful :thumb:

but thought you wouldnt mind me coming to ask for some advice.

i wanted to know over your lifetime if riding you bike on a daily basis has contibuted positively or negativly towards your health and could you give exmples.

E.g Does riding you bike keep your knees in good working order or has it worn them out.

just curious[/QUOTE]


You're on the ball by being interested in these issues at a young age. You are also fortunate in that now there is a wealth of scientifically rigorous information available on exercise vs. mortality and the quality of life.

For reducing the risk of death, aerobics like cycling can do that. The more you engage it at higher heart rates, the greater the reduction in the risk of death. However, to maintain the quality of life and especially mobility, one must also engage in resistance training and with relatively heavy weights.

For me personally, it was jogging, backpacking, hiking and paddling canoes that kept me aerobically fit from age 26 until I started serious cycling at about 63. Cycling has been my aerobics component to the present --- almost 70. I've been weight training for about 30 years.

Knees are a personal variable. Some people have serious knee issues especially jogging, but many have no negative effects. The reasons are not all fully understood. Weight training is a key component in maintaining joint health. I've had knee issues a few times, but managed to correct the cause each time so far.

A good summary of how much and why to exercise is an easy to read book Younger Next Year. It's for all ages. The scientific basis for exercise and the health/mortality benefits are well presented in the more difficult to read Physical Activity and Health edited by Bouchard, Blair and Haskell. In this book you'll find data like figure 9.5 (p150) where it shows that the very fit (17 minutes on a high heart rate tread mill test) have 1/6 the death rate than the non-exerciser. For 8-minutes it was 1/4 the death rate. However, the effect gets much less pronounced as the fitness gets below the 8 minute point. The test group was 25,000 men who were followed for many years.

If one is 60 or over, the same type of test (on 13000 subjects of various ages) shows a factor of ten reduction in death rate (page 976, Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance, 6th edition, by Williams and Wilkins) for the top fitness category. However, if you are into more leisure bike riding or an activity like expending about 3500 calories a week walking (p906), then the best you can hope for is a 50% reduction compared to the sedentary.

The key is that there is a definite dose response with exercise. In Exercise Physiology is the statement : moderately fit smokers with hypertension and high cholesterol live longer than healthy but sedentary non-smokers. My view is that unless you are into vigorous exercise, you are not healthy to begin with. The rational is that we evolved as hunter-gatherers who were in effect endurance athletes. That's our "default" condition.

Al

...
That’s it im NEVER Learning how to drive. I’m 23 and have used cycling as my transport to everywhere from around the age of ten I used to ride my bike four miles round trip to school. I live in the uk. And always try to perpetuate the same habitat. Now I still ride my bike to work its a 14 miles round trip, Ive moved out in the countryside in wales, and it seems quiet isolated, thus most people from the age of sixteen drive cars. I was just checking that I could just keep going riding my bike till Im double or triple maybe quadruple my age but it’ll probably be “hover bikes” ;) by then.
Cycling is something which I really love! Its GOOD to know I can carry on...
nathan
a worthy objective, nathan. However I would say, 'learn' to drive. Having skills is not a bad thing. Its how you make use of them. Can be said of many things we somehow must decide on.
A cycling lifestyle
Can be wonderful in focusing on the things which really are 'real' versus some other use of time which might be just only that, a use of time.
But (IMO) being singular with cycling leaves open the very distinct possibility of being a very dull cyclist. Passion is good, but let it overflow into many other things, equally as worthy.
In the past 45 years (since age 15), all but 6 of them have had cycling playing a major part of my life. As relates to 'benefits', well there have been and are many. There have also been many moments of pain and injury, a few moments of sadness and thankfully, more moments of joy and happiness. All of which constitutes 'living'.
If the act of cycling is a strong component of living for you, then by all means find ways to incorporate it as often and in as many ways as possible.
One thing is clear. Most Cyclists I've met and gotten to know are better than the average bird in many ways other than cycling. So if interesting and diverse is how you like people, keep ridin.
I've known cyclists who smoked like chimneys, drank like 'fish' and really took poor care of themselves. But they still rode, and had a great time doing it. Likely they would have been worse off if not for the cycling.
But cycling by nature can require some physical exertion, so concerns about health are natural for most cyclists. And being 'fit' - your definition - makes cycling all more ejoyable.
Its a very beneficial side effect of the lifestyle.
so DO learn to drive an auto or ride a moto. they're skills occasionally called for which help secure your independence. then you have a choice.

I started 10 months ago after my doctor told me that all my numbers are way off the chart.
Now I can say that I feel/look much better than 10 year ago.
Just doing 3 or 4 day per week of commuting of 24 miles round trip.
You want to find out for yourself, then just do it.
-G

CV CV CV all about th health strong heart!

I am 52. I seriously started biking 5+ years ago. At the time I couldn't run anymore, my knees were hurting too much. Even at night I had knee pain. Following the advice of a surgeon friend I started non impact knee exercise on a rowing machine. Within a few weeks I could feel improvements but it was boring. I cannot stand gyms, I like to be outside so I thought about biking. I used to mountain bike a lot years ago and gave it a shot again. It worked great but the hills around here are steep and I was out of shape. I saw a road bike on ebay at a great price and went for it. I learn to spin instead of mushing and knee pains were gone within a couple months.
Since, I upgraded to a better bike (the 3rd actually), ride centuries, and even completed the Death Ride last Summer.
Health benefits are plenty:
- no more knee pain.
- weight loss.
- much better stamina and fitness.
- feels younger, physically and mentally.
- have a lot of fun when on the bike.

Take it one step at a time at you can hurt yourself while biking too. Bad fitting, too hard a gear can create long lasting issues with your knees, legs, back... Start slow and increase your load progressively. Make it a priority to emphasize fun over results. In order to be beneficial you need to stick to it for the long run so don't burn yourself but setting the bar too high too soon. Progress will come slowly but surely, you will be amaze.

There is no question about the positive health benefits-both physically and mentally. My doctors tell me to keep pouring on the miles.......

On the other hand my wife may put me in the ground early because of what I spend on my bikes........

There is no question about the positive health benefits-both physically and mentally. My doctors tell me to keep pouring on the miles.......

On the other hand my wife may put me in the ground early because of what I spend on my bikes........

The mental aspects are as great as the physical. Aside form the increased sense of well being, it's now known that one actually increases the amount of gray matter of the brain with vigorous exercise. If one then applies the brain to difficult mental tasks (one of mine is studying physiology), one increases his IQ.

Many researchers now believe that one should exercise the brain as one does the body. Meditation as practiced by the Buddhist philosophy is an example of such exercising often mentioned. The Buddhist were ahead of their time.

I keep the wife as well outfitted as I do myself. The bribery pays off.

When I had to switch doctors some years back, my new doctor was literally horrified about the heart rates I was reaching during my activities. He was aware of the cardio issues of an unfit person exercising too vigorously, but not aware that old people can operate at very high heart rates nor of the benefits. After providing him some references and articles plus the fact I keep on ticking, he's come around.

The medical profession is catching on, but very slowly.

Al

This is another update; today I spaded the garden and completed the floor of my REBUILD of my rhodes child carrier to a utility; and went for a short ride to adjust stuff even took the dog for a ride in it [she wasnt thrilled]My recovery from the virus seems complete and im looking forward to a ride to press hard to see if some of the old moxie[grit] is in me to push into some hard mnt. bikeing////Kenneth:twitchy:

. Too much exercise at too high a level probably does as much if not more harm than little exercise.

No way. I have two physiology refences listed on this thread that show it's not true at all.

Al

Greetings Alcanoe//I notice your mention of weight's training/[something I forgot ]in my criteque ;Im very much in favor of ,and have trained with weights when I was younger and believe that training added greatly to my strenth and staminer through my later active life./Kenneth

I'm just barely 50. I used to be an avid cyclist, and got back into the sport about 6 years (and 85 lbs) ago. I do have knee trouble, but it is all a result of damage from non-cycling activities in my youth.

Cycling actually helps stave off additional "wear and tear" damage.

I'm all for being active and enjoying many hours of fun activities, but when the talk turns to a strict regimen of rigourous excersize being necessary for a longer life, I might just prefer a shorter, more enjoyable life. To each his own. Whatever floats your boat. :)

No way. I have two physiology refences listed on this thread that show it's not true at all.


That's like when I was involved in editing. No matter what the disagreement on a grammatical point, you could always find some way of justifying anything. It's the same with matters of health. Vigorous vs moderate exercise is a never-ending see-saw of proof and counter-proof. The best we can do is to exercise common sense. My guess, and it's just that, a guess, is that if many of the people who post on Bike Forums and others actually did what they say they do and did it for a long enough time, they would quickly start suffering from overtraining and never recover.

[QUOTE=Longfemur;8992482]No matter what the disagreement on a grammatical point, you could always find some way of justifying anything. It's the same with matters of health. Vigorous vs moderate exercise is a never-ending see-saw of proof and counter-proof. .QUOTE]

It ended for me a long time ago. (I see nothing at all grammatical about it. You might expand on that point as it may have gone over my head.) That's why I study the physiology of exercise and diet. Nothing like exploring the science in depth vice opinions. There's a lot of justification going around, but it's not well founded.

I don't consider articles, snippets of science and forum opinions on the web as proof or counter proof of anything. That's why I'm careful to reference so if anyone really is interested in learning as opposed to just pontificating, they can pursue the science. I put my money (about $160.00) on the 1500 roughly 8" X 11" pages of exercise physiology. I may have a few hundred more to spend before I'm through.

One of the Physiology books I referenced (both were published in '07) has a whole chapter on exercise risks. Yes, you can even die from it. It's kind of like driving a car. If you don't, you'll never have an accident. However, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

If you are physically active, you'll hurt yourself once in a while. I've done 44 years of the very active stuff and I'm fine. The vast majority do the same. Statistically you gain far more than you risk. Those who are at risk are generally those who don't study the activity before they run into a problem and over do or use improper technique. The devil is in the details and those details are rarely discussed in forums. Forums are for snippets.

For example, if you are not well trained and go out and get your heart rate high, you are at high risk of a heart attack. The blood is thickened by strenuous exercise and only the fit should get their heart rates up. That's the snow-shoveler's syndrome. It's not the exercise, but the ignorance that's really the danger.

Al

Greetings Alcanoe//I notice your mention of weight's training/[something I forgot ]in my criteque ;Im very much in favor of ,and have trained with weights when I was younger and believe that training added greatly to my strenth and staminer through my later active life./Kenneth

Greetings kenkayak (obviously with that name you are a paddler too) A few years ago, I would have agreed that earlier weight training would help later in life. In the formative years which I think extends to the mid 20's for bone and joint health, it appears to be true to some extent. However, it's also true that you need to keep it up through ones life to get the benefit to counter the decay due to ageing. That's unfortunate as I hate weight training, but it does keep the energy way up there.

Al

ha HA HA /Go out and wait for the causway bridge to make a hill for ya ///Here in Maine its 45* snow at Clayton Lake.:crash:/Kenneth

I agree and The heavy work in the woods logging and firewood has been my only substitute and I my say a poor one to a good small weight training program./Kenneth

I should also have said a thing or two about the name [kenkayak]/an old nick name. In the hay day of bloodworming in Maine 1960s/70s we started harvesting in the winter I used a Baldwin Kayak to transport me to the outer flats in the ice a very adventure filled time for us all but I did it a bit different hense the nickname/the big tides we wanted to dig in these times were at night adding to the adventure./Kenneth

This is another update[ha ha ha bicycleing hasnt improved my memory] ;/We have added a number of layers to gaining or helping good health with cycling.;/This was spoken of before but I wanted to add my two cents./Heredity!My farther in law had a bad back ,my wife is going for another operation today /a new knee part for a bad knee,all my children have back diffeculties. My back and legs have been the mainstay of cycling and work and those with difficulty there come to cycling with different criteia.:twitchy:/Kenneth