General Update

Many of my faithful readers have told me that they would donate to the tour de pink based on my fitness improvement.

So with only 3 weeks to go, here is an update.

I started the adventure weighing in between 189 and 193 Today I'm weighing in at 171

However to be fair what i should have been measuring is my waist and quads. My quads are getting bigger and my waist is getting smaller, and we all know muscle is heavier that fat.

Another good overall measurement of fitness would be the body mass index:

• Underweight = <18.5>
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
  

Myself at 190 gives me a BMI of 28.1

Now at 170 my BMI is 25.1

Other side effects include fitting comfortable into some jean, wearing shorts that i haven't worn in years etc. But I'm in no way were i want to be. I'm grateful there are some tangible benefits from the exercises and better eating habits, but i still have a ways to go.

Going soly on BMI my ideal weight would be 150, If i can get my weight under 160 I'll be very happy, my reason for saying that is that there are some limitations to relying solely on the BMI calculation:

BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does have some limits. The limits are:
It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

My assumption today is that if i can get my weight down to below 160, I'll have a great platform for training for other events, thus shedding any residual weight i wouldn't need. For example, lets say that Will talks me into a 24 hour race next summer, well if my weight is down, i can start training and focusing on the event, without worrying about how much i weigh etc.

But there is more to the success I'm having than just riding the bike 2 or 3 times a week, I've had to change my eating habits, control my intake of calories, and really WANT to do this.

I've been following Chris Carmichael's book which i recommend to any and everyone, regardless of your fitness. The title of the book is Essentials for a Winning Life.

In my head i had broken my trek back to a fit individual into three phases.

Phase 1: Get on the Bike

Cycling

Eating Healthy

Phase 2: Cross Training

Cycling

Cross Training Running, Weights, etc

Eating Healthy

Phase 3: Event Performance

Cycling

Cross Training

Eating Healthy

I've done pretty good in phase 1, I've logged some decent miles on the bike, I've dropped some weight, which is important when i start running, and by doing something that i enjoy it has kept me motivated. Phase 1 will complete with the Tour de Pink, However i am already starting the transition into cross training, so keep reading on what activities I'll be doing to get me to a well rounded fitness.

My hope is to leverage Phase 2 through out the winter months, when i may not be able to get on the bike, The goal there will be to maintain and improve my fitness, so that I'm not starting over in the spring.

Phase 3 will kick off when i decide on tackling a new challenge, Racing, Mountain climbing, what ever. I'm not worried about what the activity will be, My focus is to be ready for what ever it is.

T