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Clover and Northwind - interesting.
Knitting is one of my new hobbies but it just doesn't give me that Adrenalin buzz.
Yes on calcium and trying to get out into this wonderful sunshine while I can.
Northwind I eat natural yoghurt and milk daily. I guess I never stopped liking dairy from childhood... feel for those who cant eat dairy though 🙁
I'm pretty sure doing rough & rocky trails on a hardtail contributed to my slipped disc, but then it was probably the last straw after a lifetime of abuse. Anyway the positives must outweigh the negatives for me as I'm back on the bike again, though it's full suspension only now and I avoid the really jarring trails.
What does it do to my body?
Forget that. It keeps me off anti depressents and sane*.
Thats priceless.
*As long as I dont leave a mechanical fix till Friday 7pm
I reckon mtbing is good for your body overall.
But crashing is a good way to do permanent damage.
A dislocated collarbone, aggravated a previous neck injury thru whiplash and scarring on legs and arms. Untold disputes throughout my marriage.
Fitter than I've ever been at nearly 42. Brilliant for my mental state (so long as I keep riding-can't handle days off!) and saves me from the boredom of the gym.
I guess as I get older I'll progress to more road-riding/gentle trails but as of now that's not an option!
We worry about dehudration, salt and sugar but we sweat out a buttload of calcium when we ride apparently and nobody ever thinks about it
Interesting. Don't some electrolyte drinks/supplements contain calcium too?
I've started drinking a pint of milk before every ride. The stuff is amazing (funny that) 8)
If I drank a pint of milk before each ride I'd not get much riding done for the uncontrollably violent diarrhea it would induce!!
Cycling helps me clear my head, though in fairness that's more sport in general, football and cricket have done the same in the past.
It's also given me a damn fine pair of legs, albeit with some interesting scares on them. It's compensated this by giving me the under body of a 12 year old. It's also given me the tightest and shortest hamstrings and a calves the podiatrist has ever seem, I really should stretch more.
It's helped my asthma to the point I rarely use my inhaler.
Thrustyjust as I said to Pook of this Shire. I can ride a hell of alot quicker however you should always hold something back, because riding at 100% means one day you'll be off the bike and work for weeks. That and not being able to walk, wash and dress properly
It wouldn't be half as much fun, mind you, Hora, if you weren't elbows out through some singletrack with like minded friends, laughing at line choices and manic decisions.
Weirdly, my first rib issue was in a Gorrick race, where the bike slid away in a slow section and I hit a tree stump with my back, second was on a night ride and hit a badger, who jumped out the undergrowth on a wide gravel track and third time was last week, where I was pootling along in the massive heatwave last week, pedal was grabbed by a root and threw me into the handlebars. So none actually linked with massive speed and wild abandon. These things can happen, without any prior warning.
Oh the shoulder dislocation was 4 abreast tanking it down hill into a 1 mtre wide funnel of singletrack at the bottom and I didn't win. 😀
Well I've got the skin of a 90 year old on my shins, my wrists grumble at me in cold weather, both shoulders make strange noises and I spend most of the year looking like someone with a major self-harm issue.
On the other hand, I'm 65kg, can eat what I want, can wear the same size clothes as when I was 16 (although trousers are a bit tight round the thigh), relatively sane and don't get out of breath when climbing a flight of stairs, unlike many of my contemporaries.
Oh, and like most things, you get better at crashing with practice...
I'm pretty sure I owe my life to MTB, or maybe my lifestyle would be more accurate.
When I started again at 28 I was massively over-weight, but more dangerously I was seriously depressed, although I didn't know it at the time and suffering from stress which meant I only slept for 2-3 hours a night and had uncontrollable spasms. To deal with it I got drunk every weekend and took pills and coke occasionally which didn't help - finally I developed mild type 2 diabetes - all the hallmarks of a unhappy life that was going to end all too soon and alone.
I got a bike through R2W because it will such a good deal at the time - £1000 bike voucher, for £16 a month over 3 years, although a bought a crap bike from Halfords it got me going - a couple of my mates bought bikes about the same time and headed out on our first ride - the route was about 5 miles around a local nature park, it took 4 stops on the way down, 6 on the way back and a few hours to do it, I could do it in about 30 mins now I'm sure.
At first the real benefit wasn't the fitness element, although it helped - I guess we all know that when you're concentrating on not hitting that rock, or not slipping on that mud or going around that stump you can't think about that meeting, or that target or that psychotic ****er in work that wants you dead. Within weeks the binge drinking and drugs stopped - there was NO WAY I wanted to go and get hammered on Friday and Saturday night because it meant no riding the next day.
10 years on and I'm no catwalk model, but I'm very fit by the standards of the average man on the street - perfect blood pressure, a nice low resting heart rate and I'm supple and flexible.
Downsides? Well I've got a plate in my left wrist which is a bit sore in the mornings, especially when it's cold, I've lost the tip of my right elbow which is also sore in the mornings, it's misshapen and I've got limited range of movement - but I know I was unlucky there - I'm lucky enough to ride with a big group of friends and I'm the only one who's really got any long-term injuries. My chest hurts sometimes, I cracked a few ribs so now cartilage grows between them at the joints, I've got to throw my shoulders back and puff my chest out and it makes a horrible crack, but doesn't hurt after that - it goes away for a few weeks. Other than that I get the usual aches and pains, but less than my Wife gets from being a Nurse - on the few occasions when I've had to stop riding for a couple of weeks they've all gone away so I'm pretty confident if I don't have another big crash that when I finally do hang up my FiveTens I won't have any lasting issues.
It gives me an enormous sense of well-being 8)
Goldigger - Member
It makes my Gooch numb if I spend to long in the saddle.
That's the beauty of MTB over the darkside, generally you spend less time just sat in the saddle, spinning away and what time you do is broken up by out-of-the-saddle bumpiness 🙂
we sweat out a buttload of calcium when we ride apparently and nobody ever thinks about it
Forget thinking about it, I never even knew that! I drink shed loads of milk anyway. Incredibly, despite smashing up more bikes over the years than I can remember (due to rider incompetence) I've yet to break a bone *touches wood (stop s****ing at the back)*
Interesting. Don't some electrolyte drinks/supplements contain calcium too?
I'll do some classic half-educated sharing here. I recently read somewhere that most post recovery drinks are no better than a pint of milk. That's not to say that they're bad per se, but that you get the same recovery effects from milk (protein, sugars, calcium I guess). Apparently "they" did a load of tests with elite level athletes and the milk performed to the same level. I've been drinking a pint of milk after all exercise now for a while and I swear that I don't feel nearly as beat up, in terms of muscle stiffness, the next day.
Apart from that I'm 43 and the biking is brilliant, keeps me young and my body is in way better shape than it would be without it
Since it seems to have raised some interest, this looks like a decent blog on the subject
http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/03/bones-and-cyclists.html
My source was from my consultant rather than research so I don't have any firsthand links/studies etc. It's less of a risk if you have a good diet but again, calcium's something people overlook in diet. (there's a suggestion that in normal people, supplements don't help over and above a good diet- don't know about that)
Where does it say it needs to be weight bearing for it to be any good? Does this mean swimming is terrible for you?
Hypermobility means I occasionally dislocate my shoulder going down some rocky stuff. Just need to pop it back in and I can finish riding. It's sore for a few days after, but nothing some painkillers and rest won't cure. Weight training usually sorts it out, but I've been riding more this year so the upper body wastage is worse.
MTB (cycling in general)means I've become more aware of what I eat and more aware of my weight. Both of these are major positives. A lot of people are unaware of how much their diet affects their lives in general.
Cycling has screwed my hamstrings so I now get back ache if I don't stretch daily. I think I have hand nerve damage from mtbing which results in the odd pain in my hand. I also get knee pain occasionally from a an old damaged ligament. Otherwise nowt
I have exercise induced asthma which the mountain biking doesn't help
My asthma is much better controlled if I do exercise. All I can think of is you aren't fit enough to get a noticeable improvement.
MTBing and cycling in general are great for wellbeing and fitness IMO. And injuries are part of doing sport and exercise, with certain sports more likely to result in certain injuries.
I now have a mental image of bunnyhop engaged in extreme knitting. I must go for a ride to clear my head.
It ruins your fingernails.
...calcium's something people overlook in diet
probabaly because there's so many foodstuffs which supply it, assuming you are a healthy individual with a diet unrestricted by superstition &/or lifestyle choices.
If you need to supplement, look for calcium citrate not carbonate and don't exceed about 1500-1800mg/day or you risk guts ache
I think unless you crash big time its generally positive, I took it up aged thirty when I stopped canoeing [ that gives you the shits on a regular basis due to what goes into rivers ], I'm sixty and still out at least twice a week , I've only ever had bruises/scratches/loss of dignity dangly form a bush type accidents whereas playing five a side I've had black eyes, sore ankles and six stitches in me eyebrow.Even the numb nob syndrome is sorted with the improvements in saddle design -win win
Where does it say it needs to be weight bearing for it to be any good?
Weight bearing exercise strengthens bones - this is well known.
calcium's something people overlook in diet.
Really? Milk and cheese seem popular..?
I recently read somewhere that most post recovery drinks are no better than a pint of milk.
The ratio of protein/carbs is similar in milk, but you need to drink some ridiculous amount of milk (like three pints or something) to get the amount of carbs suggested for recovery. Plus (decent) recovery drinks contain more things than just protein and carbs - whether or not they work is also under debate. However I recommend anyone sceptical of recovery drinks to at least try Torq (specifically this one, not the others) after a big ride - it's very effective. You can get it in single sachets for £1.50 or something, worth a punt on a couple of them.
molgrips - MemberReally? Milk and cheese seem popular..?
Yes, really- people tend to eat dairy or not based on whether they like it but most healthy people won't go "Better drink some milk because I've not eaten enough calcium today". A typical western diet will usually supply enough for most people without worrying about it but that's exactly why it gets overlooked- and not everyone eats typically. And cyclists need more than most, because we waste so much of it.
As someone who can't stand milk it's a moot (sorry) point. I'm fine with cheese BTW.
If you think you are low in calcium then the list here http://nof.org/articles/886 shows that it's surprisingly common in foodstuffs.
Posted on first page about waterworks problems that may of may not be linked to cycling. Overall it keeps me healthy and sane. I rode from early thirties to mid 40's with no major injuries, then had 2 ambulance crashes in a 3 month period, which changed my outlook (and face) significantly. Now a lot more cautious but probably a better rider after doing a skills season to sort my head post crashes. First one was a horrid otb, second a high speed wipeout in velodrome. I haven't ridden on the track since....
Resistance work, is beneficial to bone health, via the body's reaction of adaptation.
Question: What is the effect on the body's net acidity, after consuming dairy?
And didn't I read somewhere that there is no correlation between dairy consumption and a reduced incidence of osteoporosis?
The bone Dr.I'm seeing at the moment says yogurt is good. Too much cheese,bad, due to fat content.Also at least half to full pint of milk a day.
Solo - MemberQuestion: What is the effect on the body's net acidity, after consuming dairy?
None, except in the urine.
Solo - MemberAnd didn't I read somewhere that there is no correlation between dairy consumption and a reduced incidence of osteoporosis?
Quite likely, people write all sorts of bollocks and diary seems to attract pseudomedicine and quackery.
Northwind - Member....cyclists need more than most, because we waste so much of it
why do cyclists "waste" more calcium then any anyone carrying out other strenuous activity??
@molgrips
I'd question the thinking that it has to be weight bearing for it to improve bone strength. Tennis players for example have greater upper limb strength due to repeatedly striking a ball. There are studies that confirm this.
Potentially MTB confers similar benefits due to having to absorb vibrations/impacts with your limbs?
Either way, I think we all agree that exercise>no exercise. Where it gets tricky is deciding if MTB is the best exercise for us!
hilldodger - Memberwhy do cyclists "waste" more calcium then any anyone carrying out other strenuous activity??
We don't. Well, not for a given amount of sweat, anyway.
dragon - MemberI have exercise induced asthma which the mountain biking doesn't helpMy asthma is much better controlled if I do exercise. All I can think of is you aren't fit enough to get a noticeable improvement.
Yeah, that must be it. Thanks for your expert diagnosis!
I'd question the thinking that it has to be weight bearing for it to improve bone strength. Tennis players for example have greater upper limb strength due to repeatedly striking a ball. There are studies that confirm this.
Well limb strength isn't the same as bone density, is it? And there is a fair amount of shock going through the arms and shoulders.. but I dunno - I'm not a doctor anyway.
why do cyclists "waste" more calcium then any anyone carrying out other strenuous activity??
Perhaps because we can easily be out for four or five hours - this is probably longer than any other sport apart from walking, and we're working at a higher rate. Well, some of us are at least 😉 2 hours is a long run but a short bike ride.
this is probably longer than any other sport apart from walking
and a lot of golf rounds...
Mentally it's done me no good whatsoever, I've gone from being more or less normally adjusted to semi-permanently staring at the sky looking for weather, staring at maps looking for singletrack, staring at internet bike shops at the bits I can't afford.
physically I'm either mostly knackered or stinging, or having to explain why my arms look like I've been fighting cats, or why I'm limping, or why my fingernails are black
Financially I'm ruined, my food shopping bill is massive, all my spare cash goes on bike bits, and a good deal of "not spare" cash, my car's filthy, and has too many miles on it, and smells..."funny" All my clothes are stained with oil, or hydro fluid, all my tees are product release freebies.I don't have many non biking friends, I can't look at FB on DH day or the next couple of weeks at all in case I see results
Yeah, mountain biking....it's great
In that linked article there is only one reference to mtbers :
Warner SE, Shaw JM, Dalsky GP. 2002. Bone mineral density of competitive male mountain and road cyclists. Bone 30(1):281-6.STUDY CONCLUSION: “Higher BMD in the mountain cyclists suggests that mountain cycling may provide an osteogenic stimulus that is not inherent to road cycling.”
COMMENTS: Three groups were studied: 16 competitive mountain bikers, 14 competitive road cyclists and 15 recreationally active men (control group). BMD was significantly higher at all sites in the mountain cyclists compared with the road cyclists and controls. Mountain biking may not have as deleterious an effect on BMD as road cycling. The study also suggests that it may be more beneficial than being “recreationally active.” This may be due to the need to dismount and run with, and perhaps even carry, the bike over challenging sections on the course.
which implies that mtbing is better than road and also normally active men.
So it probably best to ride an XC-class bike over terrain that is a mix of XC (distance, climbs => interval work) and descents, where the reduced travel on the XC bike means that you get knocked about more and so get more load-bearing effect. This is assuming that the reduced travel and steeper angles on the XC don't result in an off that undoes the other benefits!
CHRIS BOARDMAN: I had to give up cycling at 32 because I had the bones of an old woman.
Read more: http://www.****/health/diets/article-1227777/CHRIS-BOARDMAN-I-cycling-32-I-bones-old-woman.html
So for bone density we should all be riding rigid singlespeeds.
I'm sure it works - many people have commented on the density of my skull.
I've been doing most of my riding lately on a fully rigid bike, after years of FS. Given the beating I seem to be getting I'm sure my bone density is higher than ever.. maybe that's why I'm still so [s]fat[/s] [s]heavy[/s] dense. Wait, that's no better..
With strenuous exercise (under non-tropical conditions) you lose typically 20mg of calcium an hour via sweating and a 200mL of milk contains about 250mg.
Calcium loss from 10 hours sweaty action replensihed in a few gulps, really not an issue......
My shins look like a welders bench, I'm scarred in various other places from all sorts of minor calamities and I can no longer feel three of my toes due to nerve damage.
Otherwise I think MTB has had very positive health benefits, mostly mental.
Calcium loss from 10 hours sweaty action replensihed in a few gulps, really not an issue
Assuming all the calcium in the milk gets absorbed and ends up in your bones...
EDIT: from the internet
individuals usually absorb only about 30 percent of the dietary calcium they consume
If anyone else is Dairy Free, or like me Anti-Diary (I hate milk, not a fan of butter or cheese) and wants to up their intake I recommend Hovis Best of Both bread, it's good, if not amazing to taste, but it has 239mg of calcium per slice.
A dietician recommended it for our daughter, she's diary free due to allergies.
Assuming all the calcium in the milk gets absorbed and ends up in your bones...
...also assuminmg all the calcium lost in sweat is leached from your bones
let's face it though, everyday sportpersons are pretty much unaffected by any of the nutritional disfunction or foibles of the pro level performers.
Just eat what would be taken as a healthy average diet, drink a few glasses of water extra in hot weather, a milky drink after exercise and lay off the booze'n'fags - sorted.
hilldodger - Memberlet's face it though, everyday sportpersons are pretty much unaffected by any of the nutritional disfunction or foibles of the pro level performers.
Nothing to do with pro level performers, there's a well established link here between cycling and osteoperosis and not just at elite level. But what would my consultant know?
hilldodger - Member...also assuminmg all the calcium lost in sweat is leached from your bones
Nope. You're potentially reducing your bones' calcium supply, you're not leeching anything from them.