Family Think I Am Over Doing Exercise

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chrisb1357

Über Member
Hi all,

Just some background information first.

I am 34 years old and I have been road cycling for around two years. I first started when I was over 18 stone and managed going from 6 mile rides which I struggle with big time to 50 miles in my first year covering around 1000 miles in total.

My second year of cycling this year I have gone down to around 16st 12 but this year I have covered around 2000 miles with my biggest ride being 75 miles. I have also joined a regular road club and In the last two years gone from being someone that never exercise and being on the sofa to now someone that enjoys exercise and getting out.

My general exercise over a week would be a 25 mile ride on a Wed evening and the odd 50 mile ride on a Sun morning both with my road club in hilly areas. Yes I struggle on hills and not the fastest but I enjoy it and do sometimes get tired from hilly rides.

I have also recently started to jog/walk 5km on a Sat morning at my local ParkRun. If I can't make this I sometimes do this on a Thursday. I do get tired from this and enjoy it.

I also have started to attend a coached swimming session for an hour on a Monday with member's from the cycling club.

Getting to the point but my family all seem to think I am over doing it to a point of certain family members speaking between themselves about me and one getting upset about the whole thing saying they think I am doing to much and they don't want me to become ill or have a sudden heart attack etc. They just think am doing to much and will become ill.

I try and have the odd rest days between exercise. I to get tired from exercise but I also feel refreshed after.

One concern from this is down to heart conditions running in the family. I lost my dad over a year ago who had cardiomyopathy of the heart. My sister has also just been diagnosed with the same condition.

Since the problems with my dad and sister I have visited my Dr for a ECG test which came back ok. They also referred me for an Echo Scan of the heart at the hospital cardiology unit to look for signs of cardiomyopathy and no signs of issues was found at present and said I was ok and nothing else was needed. It's not to say I will ever get the condition as it can show later on in life.

Blood pressure test by Dr also ok.

I have also been tested for asthma which I don't have as well as blood tests which came back fine.

From the above tests nothing came back and the Dr did not ask for me to return for anything else. Yes I am a little oversized and I know that but that's the only thing the Dr said.

What's peoples thoughts, should I cut back a little or carry on or stop all together
 
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I went through this 15+ years ago. To me it all felt good so I carried on and stuck 2 fingers up to those who had too much to say. Obviously everybody is different, but I`d say if it feels fine and your health is good then carry on. I`m no doctor though, this is just my 2p
 
As long as your doc gives you the all clear and you're still feeling great then carry on regardless. With all that cycling, running and swimming you need to book yourself in for a sprint triathlon next summer. Heck you're only 34, you could be able to double your workout schedule and still be fine, but keep checking with the doc on a regular basis.
 

lazyfatgit

Guest
Location
Lawrence, NSW
As far as the excercise goes if you feel fine and the doc has given the go ahead then thats really down to you.

Does your additional excercise now mean you're maybe neglecting other parts of family life? Maybe they are missing out on your time now that you are more active?

I often have to comprimise on time spent riding because theres other stuff needs doing. As you get fitter and can go further it's easy to get carried away.
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
My weekly exercise in winter is 120-180 miles cycling spread over 2-3 rides, one spin session, two 3-4 mile walks, one 8-10 mile walk per fortnight.

Cycling distance increases in spring/summer/autumn while walking may drop and spin stops.

I’m 63, no one worries about me** and my exercise pattern is not at all unusual.

Provided you are not using exercise to avoid family responsibilities don’t worry about it.

** my wife says I’m obsessive about HR but I did have a heart attack two years ago.
 
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cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
50 , well soon :smile:
cycle commute 10 miles each way with a manual job, club run on a sunday , home gym routine 2-3 times a week

I used to do a lot more , around 12-15 hours a week training but then the curse of marriage,kids etc too over :smile:
 
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alicat

Legendary Member
Location
Staffs
Sounds like there aren't enough boundaries between you and your family. If the doc says it's okay then it's their problem not yours.
 
My mother is aways telling me to be careful and not do too much, and go to the doctor all the time.
My life used to be shoot listening to all that crap.

You will have your own boundaries and your body will let you know when to dial it back.
Have fun!
 

Tin Pot

Guru
Hi all,

Just some background information first.

I am 34 years old and I have been road cycling for around two years. I first started when I was over 18 stone and managed going from 6 mile rides which I struggle with big time to 50 miles in my first year covering around 1000 miles in total.

My second year of cycling this year I have gone down to around 16st 12 but this year I have covered around 2000 miles with my biggest ride being 75 miles. I have also joined a regular road club and In the last two years gone from being someone that never exercise and being on the sofa to now someone that enjoys exercise and getting out.

My general exercise over a week would be a 25 mile ride on a Wed evening and the odd 50 mile ride on a Sun morning both with my road club in hilly areas. Yes I struggle on hills and not the fastest but I enjoy it and do sometimes get tired from hilly rides.

I have also recently started to jog/walk 5km on a Sat morning at my local ParkRun. If I can't make this I sometimes do this on a Thursday. I do get tired from this and enjoy it.

I also have started to attend a coached swimming session for an hour on a Monday with member's from the cycling club.

Getting to the point but my family all seem to think I am over doing it to a point of certain family members speaking between themselves about me and one getting upset about the whole thing saying they think I am doing to much and they don't want me to become ill or have a sudden heart attack etc. They just think am doing to much and will become ill.

I try and have the odd rest days between exercise. I to get tired from exercise but I also feel refreshed after.

One concern from this is down to heart conditions running in the family. I lost my dad over a year ago who had cardiomyopathy of the heart. My sister has also just been diagnosed with the same condition.

Since the problems with my dad and sister I have visited my Dr for a ECG test which came back ok. They also referred me for an Echo Scan of the heart at the hospital cardiology unit to look for signs of cardiomyopathy and no signs of issues was found at present and said I was ok and nothing else was needed. It's not to say I will ever get the condition as it can show later on in life.

Blood pressure test by Dr also ok.

I have also been tested for asthma which I don't have as well as blood tests which came back fine.

From the above tests nothing came back and the Dr did not ask for me to return for anything else. Yes I am a little oversized and I know that but that's the only thing the Dr said.

What's peoples thoughts, should I cut back a little or carry on or stop all together
What's this, 4 or 5 hours a week? That's nothing to be concerned about.

However, if you're family are concerned then it might indicate that you're going at it too hard, and crashing home purple faced, or simply that they're missing time with you that they once had.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
All sounds good to me. 2000 miles a year isn't a huge amount to be honest and as part of your other activities sounds like a sensible amount. I cover 3-4k a year almost by accident and never go out just to train. All my rides are commuting or social rides with the forum or family.
From what you say in your post your health has improved enormously and will continue to get better. Have you improved your diet to match your new active lifestyle? This doesn't have to be hell but be sensible about portion sizes and get some variety in there. If you are living off 14" pizzas and kebabs then your exercise driven improvements can only go so far and you might get stuck where you are now.
Don't give your family a hard time or alienate them for being concerned. They are bound to be worried about you given the family history. Just explain what your doctors have found and how your health improvements will help reduce your risk. Perhaps they are uncomfortable because if they accept you are doing the right thing then they are also admitting that their lifestyles need to change?
 
OP
OP
C

chrisb1357

Über Member
Thanks for all the replies,

It is family members that I don't live near apart from my mum. All others live distant away and visit me around twice a year I visit them more and try and make contact with them often but I think they keep seeing all my Strava posts on FB about my workouts, rides, runs and swimming. They have not in fact spoke to me direct but via my mum to voice there concerns as well as my mum voicing her concerns as she visits them a lot. My wife is very supportive and she keeps saying just do what best for you and carry on cycling etc.

I chop and change my riding days etc to work around family being with my wife etc as well and she is happy about that. I try and go out when my wife has plans so am not going out when she is stuck in home etc.

All the Dr's I have seen for the above problems and concerns have never said once to stop doing exercise. I told them on my last visit I was club riding a lot and they was ok with that and said its why my lung test was so good. My resting heart rate tends to be about 50 to 60 but again the Dr never said to stop doing anything and they are aware of my family history. I have not visited them since taking up swimming or jogging.

I must admit I do sometimes feel tired after a 30 to 50 mile ride but this just depends on the pace of the ride and the amount of hills we ride. I never monitor my heart rate during exercise and go by what my body is telling me.

The odd ride I have stopped more than once but that's due to me knowing I am pushing myself to much so I just ease off. Some days I will just do a slow ride other rides I may ride a chain gang or more easier route etc.

The pass week I have been full of cold as well so I have given all exercise a hit on the head for the last week and just rested as I know my body was telling me I need a rest.
 
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mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
I'd ask one of the doctors directly if this amount of exercise is OK, take good note of the answer and relay it to mum and I hope she'll spread it if relatives keep telling her their concerns.

I don't think it's ever occurred to me to worry about relatives doing too much exercise despite various illnesses running in bits of the family, not even the one who I think ran marathons or the one who's some sort of gym training adviser. It's the ones who do little that I fear for, but maybe that's just because I cycle most days.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Thanks for all the replies,

It is family members that I don't live near apart from my mum. All others live distant away and visit me around twice a year I visit them more and try and make contact with them often but I think they keep seeing all my Strava posts on FB about my workouts, rides, runs and swimming. They have not in fact spoke to me direct but via my mum to voice there concerns as well as my mum voicing her concerns as she visits them a lot. My wife is very supportive and she keeps saying just do what best for you and carry on cycling etc.

I chop and change my riding days etc to work around family being with my wife etc as well and she is happy about that. I try and go out when my wife has plans so am not going out when she is stuck in home etc.

All the Dr's I have seen for the above problems and concerns have never said once to stop doing exercise. I told them on my last visit I was club riding a lot and they was ok with that and said its why my lung test was so good. My resting heart rate tends to be about 50 to 60 but again the Dr never said to stop doing anything and they are aware of my family history. I have not visited them since taking up swimming or jogging.

I must admit I do sometimes feel tired after a 30 to 50 mile ride but this just depends on the pace of the ride and the amount of hills we ride. I never monitor my heart rate during exercise and go by what my body is telling me.

The odd ride I have stopped more than once but that's due to me knowing I am pushing myself to much so I just ease off. Some days I will just do a slow ride other rides I may ride a chain gang or more easier route etc.

The pass week I have been full of cold as well so I have given all exercise a hit on the head for the last week and just rested as I know my body was telling me I need a rest.

Drop strava or stop posting it on farcebook, as long as your wife is OK with what you're doing (and the Doctors too) carry on.
 
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