Are you now at the age where you see the worth of exercise, but your joints just can't take the impact of running? Those same joints can't stand the hunched over position of biking? Well, just get bent! Used to be, the statement "get bent" was a derogatory way of telling you to go fly a kite. We mean get comfortable. Ride a recumbent bike or trike.
"What is a recumbent?" you say? At first you may refer to them as odd or funny looking bikes, or trikes. If they have under the seat steering, you will inevitably ask, "how do you steer it?" However, if you try it, you will say "How Comfortable." These comfortable metal steeds come in three basic types, short wheeled base (SWB), long wheel base (LWB) and trikes. Most folks say that anything under 60" is a SWB. And, anything 60" and over is a LWB. Ah, which do I choose?
This online magazine is dedicated to the education of the public about the benefits of recumbent biking. We want to promote good health and a faster mode of exercise than walking yet, without the impact of running.
Some years ago I started walking because I could no longer run due to degenerative joint disease. When my grandson came along, I'd walk with him on my back for 5 or so miles. With each step, I wanted to see what was around the next bend or over the next hill. But, it just took too long to take long distance walks. So, I started running again with my grandson on my back. This lasted for a few months. I could run 7 to 10 miles. Then I developed that dreaded problem. (that was promoted by all those runs on concrete and in boots while I was in the army) my knees started to hurt. There went my running.
I had been eyeing these funny looking bikes they called recumbents for years. My first sight of them was as a young lieutenant while my family and I were up in the Alps on vacation. I remember saying then, "Now that is the way to bike." That was when I was in my twenties. It was not till I was 53 years old that I bought a recumbent trike. Yes, it was expensive; but, it was worth it. I dusted thirteen to thirty-year-olds with my 72 gear steed.
My grandson was three then. He started to riding on the back for short distances. Then I put bags with a cushion on the back and we would take ten and twenty mile rides. Later, I bought a child's trailer for him, and we could go on extended rides. This was the first time I even thought that I might be able to go several miles on a bike. That first summer I had my trike I did a century ride. I rode one hundred miles in 12 hours.
I'm sold on recumbency. Come with me on trips around Europe. Learn what to look for in a recumbent. Learn of other sites where you can gain information on this type of exercise. Read articles we will be publishing on your health and exercise.
Knee Problems?
The content on this link in not endorsed by 'Ben Miles. It is provided
for our reader's convenience. If you have any health questions, you
should see a qualified medical physician.
Knee Problems?
The content on this link is not endorsed by 'Bent Miles. It is provided
for our reader's convenience. If you have any health questions, you
should see a qualified medical physician.
Any medical or
health action taken by you should first be discussed with your doctor.
Face it! Your mother was right when she told you to eat all your
vegetables. Man was not designed to eat pounds and pounds of meat.
Yet, many of us are raised on meat for breakfast, meat for lunch, and
meat for supper. I have taught biology for a number of years as well as
other sciences. Many hours have also been devoted to my fun reading,
diets and nutrition. From my studies, I have learned that complex
carbohydrates are--in fact--the healthy choice.
In comparison to carnivores, such as lions we humans have a very long
digestive tract. We are very slow on the run, our nails were designed
more for digging than tearing flesh, and our teeth are designed to chew
rather than rip flesh from the bone. If you ever have the opportunity
to watch a carnivore eat meat, you'll notice that it gulps and swallows
whole parts. It does not chew as we do. With its short digestive
tract, the meat it eats is soon passed completely through its digestive
system and eliminated from the body. We, on the other hand, take much
longer to digest our food. That in part is because the foods we were
designed to eat, complex carbohydrates, take time to release energy for
our bodies to use. They do this to provide a gradual release of sugar
so as to avoid sugar lows and highs. And, in part the longer tract takes
longer for the food to pass through.
However, the longer the remains of our meal stay in our body--after the
nutrients have been extracted-- the more problems it presents for us.
For example, a diet high in meats and cheese, and simple carbohydrates
will sit longer in our large intestine. The water from it will be
reabsorbed back into our bodies, along with the poisons that were
intended for elimination. The longer it sits and the drier it gets,
the harder it becomes to eliminate. Hence, constipation, hence
hemorrhoid problems, hence various kinds of cancers. You should never
have to strain during a bowel movement.
Why is it important to eat complex carbohydrates you ask? Because they
have fiber. The more processing a food undergoes the less fiber it is
likely to contain. White bread has no fiber because its outer coat has
been completely stripped away. Then they want you to know that it is
vitamin fortified. They added vitamins back into it. This white bread
is a simple carbohydrate and is easily turned into sugar. This
contributes to sugar highs and lows. Simple carbohydrates are so easily
turned into sugars that they do not tax the body's energy while
conducting this conversion. The less energy used to break it down, the
more left to store around your waist.
There are two kinds of
fiber: Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like
substance. It can be found in plants such as oats, legumes, barley,
apples, citrus fruits, and carrots. This type of fiber is instrumental
in lowering cholesterol. It is believed to bind with cholesterol
molecules on its way out of the body. It has also been associated with
lowering glucose levels.
Insoluble fiber can be found in whole-wheat flour, nuts, vegetables,
bran and fruits with edible seeds, such as raspberries. This type fiber
moves through the body faster than soluble and promotes soft bulky
stools.
In addition to speeding up the elimination of waste products from your
body, fiber also scrapes and cleans the intestinal walls during its
movement through the digestive system contributing to the protection
from various cancers.
Archie L. Tucker
Publisher
'Bent Miles
An Online Magazine for Recumbent Riders
"Tweety Bird" and I hope you have enjoyed this issue. If you have,
please drop us a line and let us know what you think. Constructive
comments are always welcome.
Write
me.
