Long time away

5th July 2017 - A date that has changed my life.

 This is the date my Dad died.

I never knew how hard it would hit me and how it would affect me both emotionally and physically.

My weight has ballooned to 99Kg's and my motivation to do anything about it has hit rock bottom.

January 2018 - I know the new year new me thing is getting tired now but i am going to do it, January 8th i am going to get myself back on track, I am going to regain my fitness, lost by sitting at a hospital bed, and lose the weight I have piled on.  I am setting my self some goals including a repeat of the Velothon 140 this time in memory of my father, by setting this goal i have something to concentrate on and a path to follow, now i just need to find the start of the path and away I go.

There are new bikes (road and MTB) and there is a long journey ahead but I will get there !!

time for a new bike?

I have decided that its time for a new bike, it's nothing to do with the old one wearing out, it's still like new in every way bar the tyre's, it's due to the fact that my cycle to work scheme has finished and with the price of carbon framed road bikes falling below £1000 i have decided that a nice new bike might provide me with some additional motivation for the Velothon,
i have decided on the Eastway Emmitter R3 a full carbon road bike with Shimano 105 groupset and Ritchley Comp finishing kit, i will of course write a review once it arrives and i start ridding.
Lets hope the cycle scheme process is a bit quicker than last time.

why i'm doing this

The Man stood next to me in the picture is my father,
he is my strength , my rock and quite simply my hero.
He has always been there when i have needed him and the thought of him not being there rips my heart out.

Last year he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.

i am doing this charity bike ride to raise funds to aid in the research of finding a cure, whilst it may be to late to find a cure for my father, it may help find a cure for countless others. 

Only men have a prostate gland. The prostate is usually the size and shape of a walnut and grows bigger as you get older. It sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra – the tube men urinate and ejaculate through.

Its main job is to help make semen – the fluid that carries sperm.

Prostate cancer can develop when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. Prostate cancer often grows slowly to start with and may never cause any problems. But some men have prostate cancer that is more likely to spread. This needs treatment to stop it spreading outside the prostate.

Prostate cancer that’s contained inside the prostate (called localised prostate cancer or early prostate cancer) doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. But some men might have some urinary problems. These can be mild and happen over many years and may be a sign of a benign prostate problem, rather than prostate cancer.

Changes to look out for include

• needing to urinate more often than usual, including at night – for example if you often need to go again two hours
• difficulty starting to urinate
• straining or taking a long time to finish urinating
• a weak flow when you urinate
• a feeling that you’re not emptying your bladder fully
• needing to rush to the toilet – sometimes leaking before you get there
• dribbling urine after you finish.

Less common symptoms include

• pain when urinating
• pain when ejaculating
• blood in your urine or semen*
• problems getting or keeping an erection – this isn’t a common symptom of a prostate problem and is more often linked to other health conditions such as diabetes or heart problems.

*Blood in your urine or semen can be caused by other health problems. Talk to your doctor if you see any blood in your urine or semen.

For some men the first symptoms of prostate cancer might be new pain in the back, hips or pelvis. This can be caused by cancer that’s spread to the bones (advanced prostate cancer). These symptoms are often caused by other problems such as general aches or arthritis. But it’s still a good idea to get them checked out by your GP.

Most men with early prostate cancer don't have any symptoms. If you're worried about your risk or are experiencing any symptoms, visit your GP.

The mental challange

Training is going well, the core exercises are hard, the time in the saddle harder. The biggest challenge i have to combat however is the mental one.
As a driver i regularly cover 100 miles in the car, to think about doing this on a bike seems impossible, yet doing a cycle ride of 10 miles is easy and doing that 10 times back to back doesn't seem daunting at all, yet my mind soon goes back to the 100 miles - impossible,  i need to overcome this and just think about the 10 mile journey, once i can do that i think i might be in with a chance.

If anyone has any suggestions - i'm listening.

Training underway

A few weeks in and the training is going well, i can't wait to get out on the bike as the turbo trainer is not the same.
The good news is the legs and cardio fitness are returning quite quickly and i have 15 weeks until the big ride.
The fundraising is slowly getting there as well and i have cleared the £100 mark bringing me up to 20% of my target, if anyone would like to sponsor me just follow the just giving link on my blog.
Many thanks in advance.

Training

Day 1 of the training started, it's amazing how much fitness I've lost being off the bike for a few months

I'm going to do this.

I am going to do this ride even if it kills me.

I have signed up for the ride and started my fund raising I have raised £60 in 3 days so I'm off to a great start.
My training needs to start as soon as possible and since the British weather is so poor and unpredictable at the moment I have invested in a Turbo trainer for the stage one training program. I have also decided that a weight check is in order to see how bad I have been recently so new scales purchased and I was pleasantly surprised to see I am only 13st 5lbs and 25% Body fat, I will admit I was expecting much worse.
The training starts with a vengeance on Monday ! I can't wait.

If any of you would like to help me reach my sponsorship target please click on the just giving button on the sidebar. Many thanks in advance.

Velothon 140

Now the Christmas period is over I have signed up to take part in a 140KM cycle ride, I will be taking part in the Velothon 140 which takes place in South Wales on May 22nd  in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, this charity means a lot to me and my family as my father was diagnosed with advanced terminal prostate cancer early last year, so although things are too late for my father the money will go towards research into finding a cure and advanced treatments for anyone suffering from this disease, if I can help one person the hard work will be worth every second.

 I want to raise as much as I can to help support this great charity.

I know that in the these tough times everyone is not always in a position to be able to, but if any of you can sponsor me no matter how small the donation it would mean a great deal to me. I would really like to achieve the target I have set myself and help make a difference.  

Please help me raise money for this great cause by donating directly to my fundraising page -

http://www.justgiving.com/Gary-Warriner1

Just Giving sends your donation straight to Prostate Cancer UK and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more.
Thank you for your support!

Now the training begins.

After a long break and a change in my personal circumstances i am going to start re-blogging.
In February of this year, i found out that my father has prostate cancer, which is quite advanced, i also separated from my wife, who i had been with for 18 years, I have moved into a new house and started my life again.
As a side effect of all this happening, my fitness routine has taken a back seat.

I am now with a new partner and we are very happy settling into our new home, I have started loving life and will be kicking myself into gear soon, My new partner has expressed an interest in joining me on my quest for health and fitness, so we will be undertaking the journey hand in hand every step of the way. My father has started living as if every day is his last and is fighting every step of the way.

I will be logging every step of the journey so thanks for viewing my page and on wards and upwards.

Ache and pains

It's finally happened,
on Thursday during my commute home fate conspired against me my first hold up was a puncture, a quick tube change at the side of the road and I was good to go.
2 miles later and a car overtook so close that they clipped my handlebars as they passed, this resulted in me being flipped over the handle bars as they were spun through 90 degrees at 25 mph.
As I was flying through the air my only thought was " this is going to hurt " it did.
I came down on my head and shoulder with so much force my helmet cracked through and a muscle tore in my shoulder, along with a few other minor injuries such as a bruised hip and knuckles.
Luckily the car stopped and the driver was so apologetic and upset I didn't even lo
se my temper, all it took was a brief lapse of judgement (she thought there was enough room) and I am off the bike for a few weeks until the shoulder is ok again, at the moment I feel constantly winded.
On the plus side at least I am still alive, if that sounds a bit dramatic, I don't think it is, looking at the crack in the helmet that could have quite easily been my head.
I have also found out that the older you get the more it hurts, in my teens a tumble like that would have resulted in a few obscenities being uttered and shaking it off, now it resulted in a few more obscenities (I have learnt a few new ones in the last 20 years) and lots of pain for a week or two. I don't bounce like I used to!!

I urge all cyclist's to wear a helmet and all car drivers to have a little more respect for us, you are in a 2 tonne missile we are on 9Kg's of aluminium.
Stay safe out there people.

Trek 1.5 T H2

Trek 1.5 T H2
£680 
buy it here


The Rider.
Since changing my job in march I have been commuting by bike, having borrowed a hybrid bike for a few days I was surprised at how much easier it is to ride a bike specifically designed for the road.
After a discussion with my lovely wife, it was decided that a road bike would be a good investment. The company I work for operates the cyclescheme, this is where the company buy's the bike and you pay for the bike directly from your wages, before Tax so the bike works out even cheaper.
A trip to the cycle shop and a very informed chat with the salesman and the list was narrowed, a few test rides and the final decision was made -
A Trek 1.5 T H2 was ordered, and the paperwork started. six weeks later and I picked the bike up and started to ride.

The Bike.

How do trek describe themselves?  Trek are the #1 performance bike brand in the world. Our R&D department packs more engineering horsepower than any other bike company, and they're committed to making every one of our road bikes, from hand-built carbon race machines to refined aluminium models, the absolute best in its class. You'll feel the difference, from the first ride all the way to the podium.

The 1.5 is the top of the one series range and light, my example weighing in at 8.7 kg's

The Frame.

Made of Treks Alpha Aluminium the tubes are manipulated to balance  strength with light weight (1540g), the tube shapes are formed to match the high end  race bikes and the quality of welding and paint finish are excellent.

There are cage mounts for two bottles and mounting point for mudguards and even a rack.
The frame is also UCI approved in case you want to go racing.

The Fork.

The rigid fork is a high point being made of Carbon fibre, they are stiff and light (540g), the carbon doing a fantastic job of dampening road buzz. The FSA Intellaset semi cartridge headset bearings are smooth and should be easy to maintain.

Wheels.
The Bontrager branded wheels are made with 6061-t6 rims attached to cup and cone aluminium hubs attached by 22 flat bladed spokes in a radial pattern at the front and by 24 flat bladed spokes in a cross 2 pattern at the rear are very smooth and offer easy maintenance, they spin up quickly and are quite light at 1182g for the front and 1840g for the rear including tyres and skewers. The excellent Bontrager R1 hard case lite 700x23mm tyres grip incredibly well inspiring confidence to push harder and feature a built in puncture protection system, which so far seems to be working.








Drivetrain.

The drivetrain is Shimano's midrange Tiagra with an FSA Vero chainset, The T in the name indicates that the bike is fitted with a triple chain wheel, I chose this since the area I live in has hills that are 1000 ft at 20%, so I thought the lower gears would come in handy. The rear cassette offers a good spread of ratios ranging from 12 to 30 over 10 speeds. The shift action is amazingly light partly thanks to the Jagwire cables. Unlike mountain bike shifters the combined shifters and brake levers offer a tuning feature that allows you to use a wider spread of the gears without the annoying chain rub.
the chain is also a bonus, being a KMC  X10.93 which in my experience are much more durable than Shimano chains.
The bottom bracket is a square taper which is a little outdated, although it feels ridged enough.

Brakes.
With Dual pivot aluminium brakes acting on the rim the brakes are adequate, getting more powerful as the pads bed in. the brakes are long drop to allow clearance for mudguards. The leaver shape is excellent and the action is light even when riding on the hoods.


Components.
Treks in house component arm Bontrager supplies the rest of the equipment.
The bars are 420mm Race VR-C with an oversize 31.8 centre to increase stiffness, the stem is 105mm SSR putting the weight over the front wheel.
The saddle is an Affinity 1 attached to the bike via a race lite alloy seat post and is a very comfortable place to be.

The Ride.
Moving from a mountain bike to a road bike is a shock to the system everything is different. Due to Treks H2 geometry the front end is higher than a lot of road bikes and gives a comfort orientated riding position especially on the hoods. The bike feels so lively and light making light work of the hills.  From the first ride my speeds were up from the mountain bike, my average speed was in the low 20mph and a few times I hit a peek speed of 31mph.
The ride is comfortable but a lot harder than the mountain bike (skinny tires and no suspension)
The steering is a lot more twitchy due to the narrow bars and long stem. But the biggest shock was the brakes which offer about a 10th of the power of the hydraulic discs on the mountain bike.
overall I love the bike, I think it looks fantastic and rides like a dream, I have made the addition of some lights and mudguards for the winter and hopefully I can commute right through.

Road Bike update

Hi Guys, sorry I haven't been posting recently between home, work and family I haven't had time to think.
the good news is the road bike is only a few days away, the cyclescheme paperwork has been sorted and the bike has been ordered. hopefully this time next week the bike will be sat waiting for me to ride it.
I will endeavour to post more regular updates, as I try and get my never ending quest for fitness, back on track, which is always harder in the winter.

Road bike

Due to the nature of my commute,  I have been tempted by the dark side -
I have been out today testing road bikes, it's as much of a minefield as mountain bikes and although all of the tech is similar a lot of things are different,  the fit is alot more complicated, and the brakes are truly abysmal compared to the hydraulic discs I'm used to,  I have decided on a Trek which I should have in about 6 weeks once the cycle scheme paperwork is sorted out, there will of course be a review once I am riding it.

materialistic - not me!

A couple of weeks ago a work colleague of my wife's held a BBQ, there were a mixture of work mates friends and family all enjoying themselves.
The host did his usual trick of handing the cooking over to me, I don't mind as it means I can decide who gets the best cuts of meat and who deserves the smallest portions.
One particular driver who also happens to be the sales manager, is a well spoken gent who can hold an intelligent conversation. Before long the conversation had turned to technology, he boldly stated I have an iPhone 5 and my name is down for the 6 because I am very successful, my response to this was what a load of crap. I don't judge people on their possessions, he then went on to say that he drives a nice new car again making him a success, to prove my point I asked what car he thought I drove, he looked me up and down and then replied, I think you drive a BMW of a Mercedes, he was quite shocked that I actually drive a people carrier, and an old one at that, Why the hell do you drive one of them?, well I replied because I don't need to drive a flash car to fortify my status,
Why not? he asked, I explained that life is far more primal than being materialistic.
Think of us as a wolf pack and things make more sense, at the top there is the Alpha, this is the top dog the leader of the pack, he's there because he is the strongest, the best hunter, or the most sociable  just below him is the Beta, this is the second in command, he follows the Alphas orders but gives the orders to the Omegas, these are the rest of the pack.
Translate this to the human world and this translates to the Alpha this is the business owner, the Beta is his manager and the Omega's the workers.
Which one are you he asked, None of them I answered, to every pack there is the lone wolf, the wolf that is every bit as strong as the alpha, will follows orders when he needs to will lead when he needs to and isn't afraid to get his hands (paws) dirty, this is me I said, I don't care what you drive, I don't care if you have an iPhone, I don't care if you wear a suit to the beach, I will make my own mind up usually within a few minutes.
I will take control of a situation, I will guide those who are lost, I will teach people.
I will help people in need, I will help the old lady across the road when others walk by, I will change the tyre of a stranger, i will give a cup of coffee to  homeless person, I will give up my jacket to a cold friend.
And what is your reward he asked
I don't do it for praise or reward the act itself is reward enough because that is just the who I am.
That just makes you a do gooder he laughed.
not at all I replied it's not all goodness, I will fight, argue, and defend myself my friends and family when the need arises. That is why I have been banned from parents evenings, for educating the teachers lol, why I broke a bone in my hand, defending friend.
I guess that makes you a true alpha then, one that has earned his position, have you made up your mind about me yet? - yes I have, you are a Beta at best.
Quite deep for a BBQ but it made for an interesting evening.

Different roads, same destination

Finding someone to share and help you on your journey is a wonderful thing but what if the road is different even if the destination is the same?

Both my wife and I are on our weight loss and get fit journey, even though the destination is the same our approach is quite different.
My wife's approach is following the weightwatchers program. For her this works, for me it doesn't, My approach is totally different, my diet is far more primal, a high fat, high protein, low carb approach with cheat days.
For her  weight watchers works, for me it doesn't, for those of you that don't know what weightwatchers is, here's a brief summary.

Each type of food is worth a certain number of points – you have a daily point allotment and as long as you stay within your point total, you should lose weight.
Now, Weight Watchers has both an online component and an in-person component, where you go to weigh in on a regular basis and have a group of people to help keep you accountable.

There are parts of the program that I like, the accountability part of Weight Watchers, and honestly I believe this to be the reason that it is successful for a lot of people.  When you constantly surround yourself with people who are trying to better themselves and be healthy, it’s amazing what you’re capable of.  I think accountability is such a strong factor when it comes to health and wellness, and Weight Watchers provides that in spades.
I’m also a fan of the fact that they make the entire eating process simple.  I don’t necessarily agree with how that point system works, but I like that it simplifies the entire process

I do however have a few issues with the program.
Their point system, although recently updated, is still firmly planted in the old conventional wisdom “Whole grains are good. Fats are bad.”  Some of their point values are very questionable.  Pizza costs points, while toppings each certain points, too…regardless of whether or not it’s fresh chicken, broccoli, or processed sausage.
The point system factors in very little when it comes to the quality of the food.  They’d rather you eat a bunch of whole wheat pasta or low calorie processed snacks than real food. I’m talking about stuff like steak and veggies, or eggs and bacon. Worst of all, they ALSO happen to sell boxes of heavily processed, low-fat “health” food (packed with sugar and/or preservatives) that many people gobble up because they’re convinced the point value will help keep them healthy.

My biggest issue with the program however is the  focus is weight loss.  Under the program, your body composition and overall health just isn’t valued as much as the scale, which is a dangerous mentality.
This is the main reason that I couldn't follow the program, i did at the start follow the points system, however it became apparent within a week that the program wasn't for me. The program was starving my body of what it needed to feed the muscles for the level of exercise i was doing.

The Primal approach is based upon the idea of eating the foods our bodies were designed for through thousands of years of evolution.  These foods were available to early people through hunting and gathering [meat and fish, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables].  During modern times, advances in technology have made other forms of food available for consumption [grains, dairy, and processed foods], which are not as easy for our bodies to digest. The foods recommended in the primal diet generally provide our bodies with more efficient, long-lasting energy that also aid in burning fat


so how does it work in our kitchen, Quite well actually, certain foods are common, lots of veggies and fruit, but different approaches on meat, and fish.
I would be eating hundred's of Weight watchers points every week, for example.
A mackerel fillet is 17 points even though it's packed with good fats and omega oils
A slice of bread is 3 points, so for one fish fillet you could have 5 slices of bread.
Which one would you rather eat?
Diet soda is my biggest bone of contention, on the WW system it is free of points, it has been proved that it offers no benefits to weight loss and in many cases can be linked to weight gain.

Since my wife and i have different tastes in food there is very little in the way of conflict, i think it is more from her as i often get the response, " i didn't buy you any food at the supermarket since i don't know what you are eating at the moment"
If anything it can be complimentary for example when we have pork - i trim the meat very lean for her which gives me the nicer cuts - ie the ones with a layer of fat.

It doesn't matter what diet you follow, as long as it works for you, the most important thing is that we are there to support each other and hold each others hands when there is a little wobble.

Sony Lifelog and SWR10 Smart Band

One of the hardest things to do when you change your lifestyle is keeping track of what you are doing, the usual questions,
how much activity have I done? how many calories have I burned? am I eating too much? am I eating enough? how did I sleep last night?
Sony has come up with a solution with its Lifelog app and smart band.
The band cost £39.00 which was a half price offer when I got my Z2, this is a lot less than bands from Samsung and other fitness monitoring bands.

The Band.
The smart band consists of a silicon band and a core, its the core that's the clever bit, it is full of sensors and monitors what you are doing 24//7.
The band comes in two sizes so everyone should be able to find one that fits, it also comes in a rainbow of colours for the more fashion conscious amongst you. I use the fluorescent yellow, this is because if  I catch the band whilst mountain biking and drop it, if its yellow I stand a very good chance of finding it again.
The core fits inside the band and operation is simplicity itself, once activated and paired with the phone, either via Bluetooth or NFC the band is active and starts recording, there is one button which switches between day and night mode, there is also the option of auto switch over at set times if you follow a set routine.
There is also a neat little function with the band, it can control other apps, either your music player or camera or many others, I use the music option, a short press of the button and a combination of taps on the band and the music can be played/ stopped, next or previous track selected.
The band also has a vibrate mode which can be set for various notifications. Since using the band I haven't missed a single call.
There is a smart alarm mode, which you set the latest time for an alarm and the band will monitor your sleep pattern and wake you when you are at the lightest sleep within your selected window, leaving you feeling more refreshed than if woken from deep sleep.
The band is also ip58 rated which means it will cope with the rain, swimming, showering or a bath, or a dirty, dusty environment, I work as an engineer at a factory producing furniture which as you can imagine is a hostile environment, lots of dust, heat, and greasy machines, the band copes with it all and when it gets dirty I just wash it under the nearest tap.
Core is charged via the standard micro usb lead, a full charge takes about 20 minutes and lasts 5 days.
I usually charge mine whilst driving the car, this way I don't miss out on any monitoring.

The App.
The Lifelog app takes all the information from the band and makes sense of it all.
When you first use the app an account is set up which has information such as your D.O.B. your height and your weight, this information is used to determine your stride length's and calorie burn.
It's worth measuring you stride length since the automatic mode guessed my stride length at over 3ft.

There are 14 aspects of your day to day life recorded.
These are shown below.

The overall screen show's a summery of the day,
the longer you watch videos the bigger the circle.


Sleep Logging,
once in night mode the app records your sleep cycle and the time spent in deep sleep and light sleep. and any waking time.
Since I do shift work and my body clock is in early mode I tend to wake up around 4-5am and go back to sleep if I don't have to get up.
On nights where I wake up feeling like I have had a bad nights sleep my deep sleep tends to be very short.


Calorie burn.
Everybody has a base rate of calorie burn, this is the energy used by your body just to stay alive.
the additional calories are burned by exercise that you do.
I have noticed that my biggest problem is I don't eat enough, this causes my body to go into starvation mode
 and makes weight loss more difficult.

 the steps are a good indication of the amount of activity you do. you should aim for around 7500 steps a day, Due to my job I spend a lot of time on my feet and easily beat this everyday.










I would recommend the band and app to everyone whether they are dieting, keeping fit or just living day to day.
the insights I have gained from the app have helped all aspects of my journey, I am sleeping better, eating better, exercising more, my wife also has a band and we regularly compare results, turning it into a mini competition as to who can do the most steps or walk the longest.
The alert function make it worth wearing alone, I haven't missed a single call since wearing the band, before I was always calling people back sometimes hours later.

The only draw back of the band is also one of its strengths - I wish the band had a display, even just a watch, on the other hand if it did I would be taking it off whenever it looked like I was going to get my hands dirty.


The Tech Stuff.

Compatible

• SmartBand SWR10 and Lifelog Android app support devices running Android 4.4 and later. Devices must support Bluetooth® 4 Low Energy.

Requirements

• Android 4.4
• Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy (BLE)
• Lifelog app
• Smart Connect app
• SmartBand host app

Indicators

• 3 LED

Optional accessories

• Wrist straps in 9 colours (sold separately)

  Colours

  • Black

  Waterproof

  • IP58 rated

  Controls

  • Life Bookmark key
  • Media remote (tap function)

  Connectors

  • Bluetooth® 4.0 Low Energy (BLE)
  • NFC pairing/connecting
  • Micro USB (charging) only, no data transfer

Myth busting

After a spot of web surfing there seems to be several snippets of information repeated continuously, this really annoys me, so here goes my attempt at busting the top 5 fitness myths.

Myth #1:
the most common advice seems to be Take diet pills to boost your effort.
It's so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don't fall for it. The 'magic pill' has yet to be discovered. Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your cash than to burn your calories. 

Tip: Don't pop a pill-instead burn calories with exercise.

Myth #2:
Starve the pounds away. 

Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous.
It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you'll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results. 

Tip: restrict your input to about 500 calories below your output, Don't starve yourself  -  instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day. 

Myth #3:
Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.

Everyone wants their midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren't the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you'll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.

Tip: Don't obsess about crunches-instead focus on fat burning.

Myth #4:
Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.
I find it amazing the foods that are packaged as diet foods, zero fat, low calorie foods that contain lots of refined sugar and artificial ingredients that your body doesn't need.  Diet soda's are the worst.

Tip: Don't eat packaged diet foods-instead stick with nutritious whole foods.

Myth #5:
Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.

Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars. 

Tip: Don't stop eating  all carbohydrates - just reduce them and stick with wholesome carbs.


So to sum up

Cut out the junk.

Start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don't buy any more of it.

Eat whole foods.

Replace the junk food with the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and fish and dairy. Clean eating really is that simple. 

Give it a go, what do you have to lose?

Key Lime Pie

The problem with dieting is sometime you just want to cheat, I have a cheat day once a week and this weeks cheat was a Key Lime Pie, this is how I made it.

Ingredients
55g (2oz) of butter
140g (5oz) of digestive biscuits
3 eggs, separated
405g (14oz) of condensed milk
Zest and juice of 3 limes
85g(3oz) Caster sugar

How it do it.

melting the butter and biscuit mix

crushing the biscuit

Start by crushing the biscuits, melt the butter and add this to the biscuits, place the biscuit mixture into a 7" tin to form and even base, chill for 15 minutes.

Ready for the mix

preheat the oven to 180C 160C for fan ovens or gas mark 4.


Separate the eggs, mix the egg yolks with the condensed milk and mix together for 1 minute


separated eggs

then stir in the lime zest and juice, pour the mixture over the biscuit base and transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until set. remove from the oven and allow to cool.










With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks form then fold in the caster sugar,
pour the meringue onto the pie and spread out making peaks as you go, return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes until browned.
leave to cool and enjoy.

Simple and delicious

Why Mountain Bike?

I don't know what cycling is like in the rest of the world but here in the UK cycling is a nightmare.
I commute by cycle, my daily commute is 4.8 miles each way, this takes me between 15 and 25 minutes depending on the weather (I always seem to have a headwind only the intensity changes).
I regularly track my ride, and use a heart monitor to check calorie burn, this works out between 350 - 400 calories which I think is pretty good for something I have to do anyway.

So why mountain bike? in basic terms road riding sucks!
 The road I use is a country lane, a typical British B road, and Car drivers are rude and impatient, in the 5 months I have been commuting I have been clipped by several cars and had so many close calls it doesn't bear thinking about. My bike is 800mm wide with the 500 - 1000mm clearance to the gutter and trees makes me 1300 - 1800mm wide, since the road is 5m wide when a vehicle is coming towards me there is not enough room to overtake - do the maths!!!
I regularly get overtaken on blind corners, on the crest of a hill or on a roundabout, I have been overtaken whilst indicating that I am turning right, and regularly have people pull out in front of me. why?
I average 17mph with peak speeds of 30mph+ this means in most cases waiting 10 seconds would be enough to complete the move after the corner/over the hill and in the clear, in a nice safe manor.
Road riding is far more dangerous than throwing myself down a hill inches from trees at speeds of 40mph+
I am not for one moment insinuating that all car drivers are like this, I get overtaken by hundreds of cars and its just a few that ruin it for everyone, Cyclist have a bad image since like cars a select few ruin it for everyone, jumping red lights, overtaking on the inside and generally poor riding.
maybe all we need is a touch more tolerance for each other and the world would be a better place.

My next issue with road riding is, it's boring, the road is the road, the weather changes, and the gradient varies but that's it, I know that the road tomorrow will be the same as it is today and the same as it was yesterday. The trails I ride vary considerably, dry and dusty today, wet and sticky tomorrow or slippery the day after, mountain biking is a dynamic sport, a total body workout every time, and the skills constantly evolve. If you are a road cyclist I urge you to take a turn off road and see what you think. If you cycle in a gym, my advice - get a bike and hit the woods that way you get fresh air as well, or maybe cycle to the gym, that way your warm up and cardio are done by the time you get there.
I wish my commute could follow the less beaten track, it might introduce an element of fun then.

Enough moaning, I am going out for a ride.

Forest of Dean - Verderers Trail

A beautiful sunrise, clear blue sky's a day off work and the kids at school, the scene is set.
I had taken the day off work since my wife and eldest son were going on a trip to watch a concert so it was down to me to pick the younger children up, but that left the day - so I did what anyone would have done, packed the bike in the car and headed over to the forest.
Located between Coleford and Cinderford the
 pedalaway bike centre  marks the start of the trails.
Car parking is ample and very reasonable at £3.50 for the day.
With the bike reassembled and myself adorned with gloves, helmet, sun glasses, hydro pack and tools I was ready to go, a good clear map marks the start of the trail, the first section through the trees is easy going and then the trail leaves the trees and heads uphill the first stop was to let the tyres down, the bike had been in commuting mode and the tyres were well pumped, the trail is very well thought out with each climb rewarded with a little gift of a tight twisty singletrack or short downhill blast, then the next climb, but as you climb I just reminded myself, what goes up ! As you reach the top there are some of the most amazing views, stop a take a picture, the get ready for the downhill, the Dragons Tail as it is called is amazing very fast with the berms in all the right places and just the right number of jumps, It did amaze me how much my bike just wanted to be in the air, I emerged from the tail with a massive grin on my face and just one thought AGAIN!
Although the trail is 7 miles long there are fireroads linking the sections, so if you want to do the DH section again just a short climb and your ready to go.
The trail is graded as a blue route and the freeminers as a red, although apart from a few roots I couldn't see the difference between the two, There are also DH sections but since my bike is a hard tail I avoided these.
The centre itself has a very warm and welcoming feel, everyone we spoke to on the day were chatty and friendly, and the bikes didn't define the status, at some centres the 5K boys won't even acknowledge that the sub 1K boy's exist.

Overall the trail, the facility's, and the people are fantastic. my only question is why haven't I been before?

Before I go again I think an upgrade to a shadow rear mech is on the cards to reduce some of the chain slap! Although the chain never derailed I'm sure it must have been close a few times.







Pedalabikeaway
Cycle Centre
Cannop Valley
Nr Coleford
Gloucestershire
GL16 7EH
United Kingdom

http://www.pedalabikeaway.co.uk/