Mountain biking and blood pressure
Yes, both are really interesting subjects. Since I have a tendency for both. I found out that I have "high" blood pressure according to a national standard for all people. Go figure. I'm going to put in a little hit here. I hike more, camp more, exert myself more than many people who claim to be "healthier" than I am. I do not believe that a standard can apply to all people. I found that my family has a history of high blood pressure. OK. No worries. But when I go to the doctor and they tell me that I CANNOT perform strenuous activity without worries of complications, (ie, heart attack, stroke, etc.) I get a little unglued.
The other weekend, I helped my Uncle split GREEN wood using a hydraulic splitter. Ok, easy enough right? NO. These rounds, being green, weighed in at over 100+ lbs. I lifted these for four hours straight. We got through about four cords. I had bruises on the insides of my arms and on my quads just from the PRESSURE these thing exerted on me! Not impact; pressure!
I recently bought a brand-spanking-new mountain bike. Within 10 days of ownership, I have ridden myself to a pulp. Yesterday, I rode 11.5 miles, most of which was uphill. Today, I did 1700 feet of elevation gain in about 5 miles. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes, but I did it. The only problem was that my ass hurt from the narrow "saddle" I have to work with. On the way down, my top speed was 30 mph (I have a GPS; computers are neat.) Now honestly tell me that a guy that has high blood pressure who CANNOT perform "arduous duty firefighting" could come close to bruising his body with simple pressure for four hours or could ride uphill on a mountain bike for 5.5 miles. Give me a break!
But, I have relented to the fact that it IS a problem in my family. So. I bought a monitor for myself, made notes, and even graphed it! (I'm a nerd for sure.) I have done research and figured out what may be causing my "unusually" high blood pressure...for my age. It has a lot to do with stress during the day, lack of consistent exercise, and improper nutrition...I am convinced. Since I sit at a computer all day and claim to be a "weekend warrior" I wasn't getting all the exercise I needed. I ate one meal a day; dinner. I drank too much coffee. I have changed all this, and now am noticing the difference. Now that I have something to MEASURE, I can do something about it. Concrete hard facts. A baseline.
So after that 11.5 mile ride....I slept like I haven't slept in a long time. I woke up to my lowest reading yet, 124/86. Today, I went on a long ride again, my average for the day is 137/88. Yea, it's "high" for other people's standards, but it's low for me. I am like everything else in the world. I wake up with low blood pressure. I come home and it's higher. I work out, then eat, then relax...and it goes down down down. Since I made a graph, I can easily SEE this. Bell curve.
So. I'm good to go. All I need is a doctor who is reasonable who can sign their name to a document that says I'm fine to do the pack test. And that I'm fine to be working hard. I'd like to see some doctors do what I do on a regular basis and see how THEY come out.
(Update: 03/30/07 at 0700 my reading was 105/70....tried to go to a doctor this morning to get signed off. I had to set up an APPOINTMENT for later this afternoon. Geez, could this BE more of a pain?)
The other weekend, I helped my Uncle split GREEN wood using a hydraulic splitter. Ok, easy enough right? NO. These rounds, being green, weighed in at over 100+ lbs. I lifted these for four hours straight. We got through about four cords. I had bruises on the insides of my arms and on my quads just from the PRESSURE these thing exerted on me! Not impact; pressure!
I recently bought a brand-spanking-new mountain bike. Within 10 days of ownership, I have ridden myself to a pulp. Yesterday, I rode 11.5 miles, most of which was uphill. Today, I did 1700 feet of elevation gain in about 5 miles. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes, but I did it. The only problem was that my ass hurt from the narrow "saddle" I have to work with. On the way down, my top speed was 30 mph (I have a GPS; computers are neat.) Now honestly tell me that a guy that has high blood pressure who CANNOT perform "arduous duty firefighting" could come close to bruising his body with simple pressure for four hours or could ride uphill on a mountain bike for 5.5 miles. Give me a break!
But, I have relented to the fact that it IS a problem in my family. So. I bought a monitor for myself, made notes, and even graphed it! (I'm a nerd for sure.) I have done research and figured out what may be causing my "unusually" high blood pressure...for my age. It has a lot to do with stress during the day, lack of consistent exercise, and improper nutrition...I am convinced. Since I sit at a computer all day and claim to be a "weekend warrior" I wasn't getting all the exercise I needed. I ate one meal a day; dinner. I drank too much coffee. I have changed all this, and now am noticing the difference. Now that I have something to MEASURE, I can do something about it. Concrete hard facts. A baseline.
So after that 11.5 mile ride....I slept like I haven't slept in a long time. I woke up to my lowest reading yet, 124/86. Today, I went on a long ride again, my average for the day is 137/88. Yea, it's "high" for other people's standards, but it's low for me. I am like everything else in the world. I wake up with low blood pressure. I come home and it's higher. I work out, then eat, then relax...and it goes down down down. Since I made a graph, I can easily SEE this. Bell curve.
So. I'm good to go. All I need is a doctor who is reasonable who can sign their name to a document that says I'm fine to do the pack test. And that I'm fine to be working hard. I'd like to see some doctors do what I do on a regular basis and see how THEY come out.
(Update: 03/30/07 at 0700 my reading was 105/70....tried to go to a doctor this morning to get signed off. I had to set up an APPOINTMENT for later this afternoon. Geez, could this BE more of a pain?)
posted by geotracker12 at 10:25 PM
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