The 2016 Healthy Habits Thread

[SD45T-2]

I learned something validating today: I'm not the only one who struggles with my bike! Apparently when I lent my bike to my roommate's fiancee, he also thought it was really difficult to ride! This means it's not just that I'm out of shape and suck at hills -- it's that my bike is really old and sad and not good for beginners! Makes sense, because even though I got it tuned up last summer, it's still a mid-1980s road bike that my friend got for free and then gave to me as a hand-me-down.

Does it have traditional road bike gearing? Unless you're a freaky old school masher, that will kick the crap out of you. Eddy Merckx liked 53/44 cranksets.

Now my plan is to sell it on Craigslist, then move, then shop for a new one.

Anyone have good commuter bike recommendations (the cheaper the better)? I would want a bike that I could ride to and from work, on medium-sized and relatively steep hills (not SF-level hills, but steepish), and on bike trails around the city.

[MENTION=15246]SD45T-2[/MENTION]

Unless the roads are catastrophically bad or you otherwise have to ride over obstacles, you probably don't need suspension. And you probably don't really need disc brakes either. So off the top of my head, something along the lines of the more basic variants of the Specialized* Sirrus or Vita, or the Trek** Verve or FX seem to fit the bill. All of those have triple cranksets and mountain bike cassettes, so the gearing should be pretty doable.


*Even though Mike Sinyard is egotistical control freak

**Even though the Burkes screwed over Greg LeMond because Lance Armstrong told them to

 

[kyuuei]

[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] I'll ask Bamboo, he's a bike nut.. hosted a couple couchsurfers that walked across America literally, and built two trash bikes for them to bike back across with.

 

[SD45T-2]

@<a href="http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/members/4945.html" target="_blank">EJCC</a> I'll ask Bamboo, he's a bike nut..

Does he have one of these?

 

[EJCC]

Does it have traditional road bike gearing? Unless you're a freaky old school masher, that will kick the crap out of you. Eddy Merckx liked 53/44 cranksets.

I have no idea -- all I know is that the gear system was weird af and hills were really, really difficult.

Unless the roads are catastrophically bad or you otherwise have to ride over obstacles, you probably don't need suspension. And you probably don't really need disc brakes either. So off the top of my head, something along the lines of the more basic variants of the Specialized* Sirrus or Vita, or the Trek** Verve or FX seem to fit the bill. All of those have triple cranksets and mountain bike cassettes, so the gearing should be pretty doable.


*Even though Mike Sinyard is egotistical control freak

**Even though the Burkes screwed over Greg LeMond because Lance Armstrong told them to

Thanks for the recommendations!! Will look into these.

Edit: Looks like your suggestions are right in line with The Sweethome's suggestions: The Best Hybrid Bike | The Sweethome

(for those not in the know, The Sweethome is like an awesome and free version of Consumer Reports.)

[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] I'll ask Bamboo, he's a bike nut.. hosted a couple couchsurfers that walked across America literally, and built two trash bikes for them to bike back across with.

Thanks kyuuei!!

 

[kyuuei]

Does he have one of these?

Hahaha nooo no too expensive for his taste.

 

[SD45T-2]

I have no idea -- all I know is that the gear system was weird af and hills were really, really difficult.

I guess you can count the teeth if you really want to. With a really old school setup you'd have a lowest ratio of like 42:23 or maybe 39:25, which might be okay for Florida. On that Trek you'd have 28:32, i.e., less than 1:1.

Thanks for the recommendations!! Will look into these.

Edit: Looks like your suggestions are right in line with The Sweethome's suggestions: The Best Hybrid Bike | The Sweethome

(for those not in the know, The Sweethome is like an awesome and free version of Consumer Reports.)

Aluminum is light and stiff and has a harsher ride than steel. On a road bike with skinny tires (23-25mm) at like 100+ psi that could feel terrible, but on a commuter-ish bike with 32-35mm tires at moderate pressure the ride quality should be much more civilized.

 

[kyuuei]

Omg I crushed the healthy gig thing today. Out doing some spring cleaning in the sun, some bean cereal + tofu chocolate pie, oranges and banana for breakfast, and a big lunch of amazing things: tuna egg salad sandwiches built up with cottage cheese, mustards, sambal, spices, and a ton of crushed and torn up veggies, avocado and chips, and some asian quinoa salad.. I'm on my last leg with that stuff.. with a spinach peach mango date smoothie and a glass of water to top it all off. Dinner is probably going to be pho again because we have all the ingredients + broth. Finding vietnamese meatballs at the asian grocery has made my week for sure.

<3 I did my first round of P90X last night and it felt pretty good to train that intensely again. I'm doing the "lean" version which is really just the easier version with slightly more cardio. Did some yoga afterwards.. Not gonna lie, yoga felt so incredibly soul crushingly boring after that awesome work out. I somehow powered through it though. If it had been any longer than 23 minutes I probably would have given up.
[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION]
- If you're not a skilled biker having suspension can REALLY help take the jostling out of the ride. You can look at it two ways: suspension makes things easier and less think-y, or you can look at it from a "I'll be more skilled as a biker by learning to maneuver the bike the smoothest way possible if I don't use suspension" standpoint. Bamboo definitely likes the skilled aspect and says it made him a better rider. It isn't quite necessary in urban terrain at all, and is there as a luxury cushion... but to me? That cushion makes a big difference between enjoying the ride or concentrating.

From bamboo: You'll be happy with almost anything you get. Bike technology hasn't really changed much at all considering, so whatever price point you're looking at you'll meet that mark. If you're looking at expanding your skills servicing a bike, the best thing is to go to a bicycle recyclery sort of place and exchange help and buying parts for learning. Most people enthusiastic about bikes are willing to help teach, and there's all sorts of stuff online to help as well.. so, if you're looking for something more serviceable don't hit up major stores because those bikes are meant to be trashed after they're done. They aren't set up for repairs like older bikes are. If you aren't? Then it doesn't matter, anything will be fine.. pick something that fits your body right. Lightweight is always good, heavier bikes are a pain to shove into cars and onto buses and such.

 

[kyuuei]

[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] btw I totally forgot to mention this but. Healthy Deep Dish Cookie Pie this recipe uncooked is the better of the two. I make them both depending on ingredients on hand but I think this one comes out more cookie esque and thick.

 

[kyuuei]

I tried out zucchini meatballs today. And you know what? One of the better vegetarian recipes I've tried to date. I'm experimenting with freezing them right now.. but if all goes well, then I'll be making a large batch of these and eating them pretty frequently. In sauce or in spaghetti or pasta dishes, these things are pretty cool. They aren't exactly super healthy on the salad-scale of things, but they are made at least 40% of vegetable, and they are tasty. Paired with a spaghetti squash chicken spaghetti these things would be a little bit of luxury shoved into a plate. And they weren't all that time consuming to make.


I'm almost through my first week of P90X. I've been logging my skip days (2) so technically a week has already passed... but I'm going by days (day 1, 2, 3, etc.) so for me this is day 6. It's Kenpo X which is a pretty fun one. And the next day is a stretch day.. and then I tumble into them all over again. I'm also stretching out after these with 30 days of yoga again, and it does provide a longer stretching routine. Though, I wish I could find more stretching-centered yoga on youtube vs preachy yoga or the "downward dog, stick your leg in the air for an hour, hold it, you can do it" yoga. Bleh. This does fine for now though. Beats paying $30 a month at the gym for sure.


Going to a new city these next two days for the sake of going somewhere new. Bike riding mostly, and probably trying out some hammock camping to see if this is a viable option for us in Japan. If it is I'm super stoked about it!

 

[Beorn]

Just got my fitbit flex in the mail and am currently setting it up.

Got it for $45 on woot. Sorry I didn't think to mention the sale here.

 

[kyuuei]

All the stretches today!! YAY!! I'm actually not excited at all about this, but I'm trying. Stretching is really the worst for me.

Made some waffles today from a hippy-style protein-oat-pancake blend I got at the discount grocery.. pretty good but not as dense as I'd like. Meatless meatballs leftover, some leftover cauliflower stir fry, and a tuna sandwich.. I ate mcdonalds for breakfast. You really cannot beat a hot 400 calorie sandwich with meat, cheese, and egg for a frikken dollar. I used to really hate mcdonalds.. but I think they're pretty okay.

 

[EJCC]

Trying the hip/glute exercises from this article: Your IT Band is Not the Enemy (But Maybe Your Foam Roller Is) | Breaking Muscle

I can already feel a difference in my runs -- other muscles are starting to engage!

 

[kyuuei]

Core tonight. I missed a couple days because work/sleep was too crazy in and of themselves.

I realize now that my boyfriend has.. this.. odd compulsion to interrupt my work out times. "I need to work out.." "but I just brought home the project I want your help with! Never you mind I didn't tell you about it beforehand!" I need to find a way to get work outs done in non-bf time zones. I don't think he means it... but he wants to spend time with me, and he doesn't want to spend that time working out with me.
His idea of working out: Go outside, throw things, pick up things, jump on things, run around for who knows how long.. 10 minutes? 2 hours?.. Who cares! Just go do things!
My idea of working out: EXACT times and methodical exercises, focusing on groups of muscles at a time, measuring what's been done/lifted and what fell short, having guided exercises to remind me of my form so I can focus on the exercise at hand.

On my nights off? Easy. Wait for him to go to bed, then work out.
But on the days I work, or on days where I'd like to work out when I wake up vs before going to bed? It's a nightmare.

Finally went grocery shopping today. Yay fresh greens! How I missed you so. <3 Also, deviled eggs for days this weekend.

Trying the hip/glute exercises from this article: Your IT Band is Not the Enemy (But Maybe Your Foam Roller Is) | Breaking Muscle

I can already feel a difference in my runs -- other muscles are starting to engage!

Are the links at the bottom what you're referring to with the stretches?

 

[EJCC]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION] Sort of? Basically if you turn that into a modified leg lift without having someone press down on your leg. They give instructions in the article.

 

[rmrf]

Did over 10km of walking today, a lot of it uphill. When you do enough, it goes from being somewhat boring to very enjoyable and relaxing

 

[Evo]

Gonna start posting in this. It's been 3 weeks that I have fell into bad habits

 

[EJCC]

New neighborhood, new network of trails to explore! Hoping to go for a nice run after work to test it out

 

[ceecee]

I tried out zucchini meatballs today. And you know what? One of the better vegetarian recipes I've tried to date. I'm experimenting with freezing them right now.. but if all goes well, then I'll be making a large batch of these and eating them pretty frequently. In sauce or in spaghetti or pasta dishes, these things are pretty cool. They aren't exactly super healthy on the salad-scale of things, but they are made at least 40% of vegetable, and they are tasty. Paired with a spaghetti squash chicken spaghetti these things would be a little bit of luxury shoved into a plate. And they weren't all that time consuming to make.

We were at IKEA a couple weeks ago and decided to eat after following the maze of commerce. I ordered the veg. meatballs. They serve them on a sweet potato puree. They were very tasty, I liked them enough to buy a bag but I bet they're easy to make.

 

[EJCC]

Damn you, Easter candy on sale. God damn you.

 

[kyuuei]

Chuggin' right on alone with my P90X. I was thinking I'd change the difficulty and go for broke with a classic routine for the next two weeks.

Also, there's a spring challenge for some bullshit company that has a shake they sell with free workout videos I might try on for size on my in-between days. I'm not training P90X daily, but by the day--as I have time to complete a workout, I do.

I'm also doing 30 days of a yoga side by side with it. Both are coming along slow, but swimmingly and tolerably so well.

I bought... 11 zucchini for $2 at the flea market the other day. So I made a ton of veg meatballs and froze all of them. Planning on a nice spaghetti for some of them at least. I do have some prettier zucchini that I can turn into noodles.

I also made some chicken egg salad.. Strong smell, strong flavor, I love it. I'll be eating on that today and tomorrow at least.

I had tried out a zucchini-vegetable-bake with the leftovers, and I must say it came out too wet but still good. It was definitely suppose to have a more cake-like texture vs a casserole, but it was yummy with some fruit seasoning. Ate it during my work week.