Many people don't like unsolicited advice. I do. My assumption is that most people know more than me, and even if they don't know more than me, I still enjoy hearing what people think. Strange, I know. I think it may be that when people give me advice they are paying attention to me (or so I believe) and I like attention.
anyway.
Here are the arenas in which I would like advice:
the belly
the scale
gearing
sports drink spillage
jobs
Let's start with the belly. I will begin by saying that I am not a psycho chick who feels she must be absolutely perfect in every way in order to be worthy. I like my body. It's a good body. That said, I am having a little issue with my belly. It won't get smaller. My whole body is small, but not my belly. My belly is bigger than my ass, and definitely bigger than my chest. I am an inverted hour glass. What is UP WITH THAT?
So, I need advice on how to get rid of the belly. I realize it has to do, in part, with genetics, and with the fact that I had bore three children close together and there is extra skin there now. However, I also know that there are PLENTY of women out there who don't have perfect genes in terms of bellies and who had at least three children and they are sporting beautiful, toned, athletic looking joes. I realize the answer to this is probably just GO ON A DIET, fool. Still, all advice is welcome, even that advice. I may just need a kick in the pants.
Scale. Perhaps one of the problems pertaining to problem number 1 is that I don't own a scale. I used to belong to a gym, which I left awhile back, and it is there I weighed myself. This worked out well because I only weighed myself like twice a month, and so was therefore able to track my weight without getting all neurotic and weighing myself 20 times a day. After thinking about it, I believe I am ready to purchase a scale and coexist with it. I think. Any advice as to which scale I should get? I'm curious to hear how you people with those FANCY body fat/hydration etc scales fare.
Gearing.
This is connected to my last post. I went through a cassette in three months by riding with a worn out chain and by cross-chaining. I think that's what it's called, anyway. I'm curious to hear how other people live without spending tons of times in the baby gears of the big ring. How do I correct this bad habit? That is my question. I am especially interested in book recommendations/classes on the topic of biking technique and maintenance in general, as I learn best by reading about things and in a school atmosphere.
Sports Drink Spillage:
All the people who have worked on my bike have commented that I have a lot (as in more than other people) of sports drink guck on the front of my bike. I try to clean my bike of said guck after every ride, but apparently I suck at it, because it is everywhere, all the time. I want to know 1) how do people keep their aerobottles from spraying sports drink everywhere? When my aerobottle is full it sprays in the wind, even with the cap on. When I go over a bump in the road, it spills over me and the bike. How do people prevent this? And when it happens, with what do I clean it to get it off?
Jobs:
Here's what I want to know. Is it a common, normal, everyday thing to be bored with your work? How many people out there feel satisfied with their job, and how many pine for something better/more meaningful/more SOMETHING? I want to know because I think I may just be a brat who wants to be engaged all of the time, and gets impatient and grumpy when a job turns out to be--well, a job. I figure if everyone is bored, and they just deal with it, I should probably just suck it up and deal with too.
Please advise away.
16 comments:
Ok, here goes nothing.
1. The belly. You eat a lot of sugar I bet. It turns straight to fat. Stop eating the sugar now, purchase a yoga ball, and start doing crunches on the ball every morning. If you can't stop the sugar totally, stop it for 6 days a week and have it once a week and do not gorge on it. I eat a ton of "no sugar added" type foods. Look for those at the grocery. And keep on doing lots of crunches, like 300-500 a day. :)
2. Scales. I do not use them. I weight myself at the Y if need be, and we now have a scale at work that is actually correct, so I check it once a month or so to make sure I am doing ok. I do not trust the $$$$ body fat scales at all either. The only body fat tests I would do are the ones at the gym with calipers. Or if you can affford it, an underwater test.
3. For gears, I just make sure to pedal harder and NOT use the small ring when I am in the big ring up front. Play with your gears. See what feels comfy. I wish I knew of a book, I am sorry I don't. I bet Claire has more on this.
4. The aero bottle. What a pain in the ass. I only used it once, in my last race, and the sponge thingie flipped out and spilled water all over me in mile 14 of a 58 mile ride, and I got so pissed, I pulled over, took the bottle off, and threw it out. When you find an answer, let me know, and I'll buy a new one.
5. Job. I hate it, but it could be a hell of a lot worse. I could be without a job. I say suck it up Mary and be grateful you have an income (or two). Some people have nothing.
xxoo-
judi
Belly - I think you're exaggerating. And you already pointed out that it's skin, etc. Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.
Scale - I have a Myweigh Phoenix. The BF% and water% functions are a joke. As a scale, it seems reasonably accurate and repeatable, but sometimes it still wigs out. You work in a school right? Do they still have nurse's offices with a doctor's scale? Those are probably the best.
Gearing - Simple subject, but I could write about it all day. It is 4th grade arithmetic. Chainring teeth/cog teeth = your ratio. If you have a "normal" crankset then your chainrings are 39/53. If you have a compact crank it might be 34/50. What did you buy for a cassette? You probably want a 12/27. With that your second largest cog would be a 24. 53/24=2.2083. 39/2.3083=17.6. Therefore, this is almost the same gear as your 39/17 (slightly easier). But you get the idea, right? In short, don't be afraid to use the little ring if it's the right gear. If you go to your second smallest cog, 39x13=3. At 90 rpm cadence, this works out to 21.3 mph. At 100 rpm it's 23.6 mph. Faster than that and you probably need to be in the big ring, unless you're very proficient at spinning. Go to analyticcycling.com and play with the gearing calculators if that's not too dorky for you.
Shifting back and forth from the big ring to the small ring is a pain and can cost you time, so you may want to consider buying a smaller big ring.
Sports Drink - Notice in your profile pic how much cooler you look without that stupid bottle.
But you can wash your bike with a bucket, sponge, and hose. It won't melt. Just don't get carried away with the water pressure.
Job - Why do you think they call it "work?"
And get the deep dish wheels. You'll go faster, big time. Good luck!
Two typos in the arithmetic...
I don't have anything really insightful for most of your topics, except the job one:
After working as a news producer and writer for MSNBC and a public relations account executive for Ambien, I decided f&*% the rat race, and followed through with something I've always wanted to do and that was move to Maine and become a school teacher. The grass was indeed greener on the other side. In fact, much greener than I thought it would be. I LOVE my job and I obsess about it almost as much as my running. It is incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun... what more could one want? Sure, I'm not making as much, but I honestly could give a rat's ass. If your job sucks, get a new one, pure and simple. No ifs, ands, or buts. Life is too short.
The belly. Dude you have an amazing buttocks with absolutely no cellulite. and looking at your mom you probably never will. Be happy with the great bod you have and move on!
The job. You need something more to fulfill you. You are smart, ingenious and innovative. This job (career?) is no longer a good match for you. Other people might be "bored" but there is absolutely no reason you have to satisfice for that. Now that doesn't mean you get to sit home either (Andy are you reading this?)-- besides you would be bored as hell if you did that. I take that back, you would find lots to do but become completely neurotic.
See you Sunday....Love you!
Hey girlfriend-
time to add my 2 cents:
The belly-you are strong and sexy. You have 3 beautiful amazing children and yes, you carried them all in that tiny little body of yours. I know you're not psycho about it, like you said, but try to ignore your one area that bothers you. no one else sees it. I need to listen to myself-I feel the same way about parts of my body and with 15 hrs of training/week I feel like it shoudl be perfect. Alas, no one is perfect.
Gearing-NO CLUE! I just know the guys at the shop taught me not to ride in the big ring-easiest ring etc etc. I can't speak intelligently about this one. I just ride!
Aero bottle-Ahh!!! Drives me nuts. Did you see mine at L'man? I had it covered with electrical tape to keep the HEED/water mix from spilling all over me. I hear there's a better one out there...I forgot the name. will tell you when I find out.
Job-I'm with Alina here. You have been strugglign with this for a while. You need to step out of the comfort zone and go for something that intrigues you. You can do anything you want...you are amazing. Please...write us a book!
good luck Sunday girl.
Let me put on my bullshitting hat. Okay, ready.
1. The Belly: Alcohol generally causes that problem, but I don't think that's your damage. Having a big belly leads to diabetes, but I don't think your belly's that big. Scratching around for anything else... Nope, I got nothing. Just go on a diet already! (And Judi might be right about the sugar, although I think we all know that spot conditioning doesn't work, e.g. the crunches).
2. Scale: For what? What do you care what you weigh? Knowing the number doesn't change how you look. And can it possibly do anything GOOD for your body image? I have a fancy one, but I refuse to get on it unless I haven't eaten yet and I've recently had a bowel movement, which is like, never and it has like a 5 lb margin of error on any given day.
3. Gearing: You know what I think.
4. Sports Drink: Does your bottle still have the black rubber stuff over the hole or is it just a gaping, opening the size of an Oreo? Michelle's old one didn't have the rubber stuff over it and she used to make a mess all over the place. Or maybe other people just don't use that stupid bottle in training, thus less splash, thus cleaner bikes???
5. Job: If it were fun, they wouldn't have to pay you to show up. I don't feel comfortable giving advice here, since I have so many fewer years' experience in the workforce, but a friend of mine (who is older) once told me when I was unhappy and inconsolable about my employment situation, "Just think of your job as a something that allows you to do what you REALLY want to do outside of work." At the time I was training for a race in Portugal, and she was telling me to simply think of working as earning my way to Portugal. Only she said it much better. Well, it made ME feel better anyway.
I hope other people have better advice than I do. Good luck!
Belly-I saw a picture of you on your blog in a bikini and I seriously have no idea what you are talking about. I was totally in awe that you had 3 children and your stomach looks as amazing as it does. I have had one child and now have a good amount of saggy skin. Consider yourself lucky that you fared pregnancy so well. I have seen much worse.
Scale- The body fat % on scales is a waste of money in my opinion.
I will not how off my belly, so I am sure yours is better than mine.
I will comment on your job. I think most of us get bored with our job. I know that I have a good job and I enjoy where I work, but I don't love it. I don't get up in the morning looking forward to it. It is called WORK for a reason.
what they all said. :)
Sports Drinks:
A) Assuming your bottle DOES have a cover on it (no, the sponge doesn't count), then...
B) I use degreaser (cheap from Performance in a spray bottle for $5), and spray it on everything. Magical, even the most hosed up gel stickyness just easily wipes right off with one pass.
Belly & Scales - I think this is something that all of us ladies think about. I'm 26 and have a little belly and no children, but I really like ice cream and I'm convinced if I didn't eat so much I would have this little belly and my scale would be nicer to me, but I REALLY love ice cream. I just have a regular scale because I've read the body fat ones aren't very accurante.
Bike related stuff - I just run and am no help here. :)
Job - THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!! My boyfriend and I have this conversation once a week. I'm in teh same boat as you. He thinks that jobs are jobs and aren't suppose to be fulfilling, but I disagree. I think he and I just haven't found one that is. I'm actually considering quitting my job and going back to school full time for two years to be a physician assistant. This is scary stuff! Good luck!
I got so tired of the spillage from my aero bottle, I just got rid of it! The little yellow spongy thing kept flyin off, too - ugh!!
Maybe I'm not the best person to give advice ;-)
First -- I thought of you during my 10k race this weekend b/c i puked and then i remembered you puked at mooseman and kept at it...so it made me start running again -- thanks for your puking ;)
1. Scales: I have a tanika or something like that -- i never use it anymore - the bodyfat and water thing is a joke. every once in a while i think i should step on it and when i do i look at the number and say okay, what am i supposed to do with this information - it's not telling me how i feel: skinny, bloated, fat, musclely - that is what i go by somedays i feel svelte and sinewy other days i feel lanky & weaky...and you must be looking in a clown mirror if you think you have a belly.
gears & aero bottles: i am no help here: whenever i bring my bike into the bike shop they ask me why i insist on covering it in lipstick - the red fruit punch from my accelerade. i have no idea how this happens -- and i don't even have real aeros & an aero bottle. but i will say i think someone is telling you tall tales about your maintenance.
job: okay, i hope no one spams me for saying this but i simply LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my job. I LOVE going to work. I do not even think of it as work - it is something fun that i get to do. I seriously do not have bad days...at least with work. i know this is not the norm, i know i am a rare bird about this but it is possible. life is too short and most of us have to "work" so find something you enjoy, whatever it is or recognize that you have a job and affords you the flexibility to do other things in your life and shift your focus elsewhere and be happy with that aspect of it. but I do...I love my job - every job at every company i've ever had...because i recognize it's about the work not necessarily the place...i am officially a dork.
1. belly. um what belly? youre crazy talking.
2. scale. i hate scales, and i hate that i have to email my weight to jesse every monday. i have a crappy rinky dink CVS digital scale.
3. i know nothing about gears, etc.
4. um i forget what else we were talking about.
5. aerobottle. i unravel the shit out of that mesh thing and it seems to work. i dont fill it the entire way, and had no problem with spillage during IMLP.
6. um i miss you.
7. im not even gonna get into the job thing with all this crazy stock market hoopla!
Belly: Let me know when you find the answer.
Scales: Nothing to offer there either
Gearing: I have a compact double on my road bike (34/50) and I really like it although I don't know if that answers your question. Pay attention and do not use your little cog with your big ring and vice versa to save the lives of your chains and cassettes. Also buying that stuff on ebay can be economical.
aero drink:I only put water in mine for the reasons you said
job: I have grown increasingly bored with mine and am doing contract piecemeal stuff until I find a better one that is challenging and am growing poorer and poorer in the process but hoping it will be worth it. We spend a lot of time working. The most money I ever made was at my most boring job and I found it wasn't worth it. Good luck deciding what to do.
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