Tag: 60

birthday · cycling · fitness · Guest Post

Lessons from my 60th Challenge

lona556f4de12e01 Comment

A few weeks ago I posted about my upcoming cycling challenge to commemorate my 60th year. In June 2024 I began a 1600km bike ride from Lands End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in the UK. I’m happy to report that I successfully completed the adventure without illness, injury or punctures! We rode an average of 115km per day for each of the 14 days on the trip. There were no rest days. There were MANY hills with significant elevation gains. It was an amazing adventure and I’m still a bit surprised I made it.

Group photo of the beginning of our trip from Lands End

Preparation – I began getting ready for this trip about a year out. The company who supported our group was Peak Tours (https://www.peak-tours.com/)and they were excellent about sending information to help us prepare. I tried to find videos and first hand accounts from people who had done the ride recently. I put together a training plan, independent at first and later on with HumanGo (https://humango.ai/). Training in earnest began in January with most of the kms being ridden inside on a bike attached to my smart trainer linked to Zwift (https://www.zwift.com/). When the weather improved I tried to ride very consistently and added in as much elevation as I could. By the time we started on the ride I had put in about 3500km since January. I also made sure I had the right kit and equipment for the ride. This meant purchasing a bar bag in addition to my seat post bag. This ensured I had extra clothing, food, tools, sunscreen, chamois cream whenever I needed them. In hindsight I could have started training earlier and done more elevation. The ride was really tough and additional fitness would have allowed me to enjoy it a bit more.

Photo of the tour van with our guide Julie on the top of Dartmoor.  With a wild pony who wanted treats!

Imposter Syndrome – No matter how old or accomplished we are I personally suffer from Imposter Syndrome. When I arrived at our hotel for the first dinner pre-ride I felt the nerves kick in. The group of 23 riders only included 4 women. I’ve ridden with men before and they are mostly stronger and faster. I started the first day very anxious and was worried about being the last rider in for the day. This prediction was not unfounded and on most of the days my partner Emma and I were among the last to roll in. We soon realized that it didn’t really matter as everyone rode at their own pace and little groups began to support each other. Being the first to a rest stop or lunch didn’t come with any prizes! We never rode with the “fast boys” but sometimes they slowed their pace and rode with us for a segment. Once I let go of the competitive streak in me the ride became more enjoyable, however I was still quite happy to occasionally climb a bit better than a few of the boys.

Photo of myself and Emma (two cyclists) on Day 5 of the trip

Support – This was the biggest factor that allowed me to complete this ride. I had been telling many people about LEJOG and why I was doing it for months before the ride began. This meant that I would have to report back to them post-ride. I didn’t want to say “I couldn’t do it” or “it was too hard”. So even when times were tough I just kept going. This was not something Emma had personally envisioned doing, but being a good sport she also threw herself into the training and prep. We also had family/friends meet us along the route for dinners which provided welcomed encouragement. Writing the earlier blog post also ensured accountability. The riding group was amazing and super engaged. Everyone struggled and wobbled at times, even the “fast boys”. As the days wore on the old injuries appeared and fatigue began to wear people down. Sometimes the riders became stronger as more kms were ridden and endurance improved. This was particularly the case of all of the female riders. The support crew (Simon, Julie and Dave) from Peak Tours were amazing. Always there with a word of encouragement, a cup of tea and a smile.

I’m so glad I decided to embark on this epic adventure. I learned I can do very hard things. Even in my own mind I don’t feel like an endurance athlete….but riding LEJOG is the proof otherwise. Women remain under represented within all aspects of cycling. It saddens me that more women aren’t riding as they may be intimidated by the gear, the safety elements or just that niggling thought that says “I couldn’t do it”. Women are perfectly capable of building their endurance and riding whatever distance motivates them. I’m now looking for other cycling adventures that can be physically challenge, provide a wonderful way to see new places, and meet like-minded individuals.

Lona lives with her partner Emma and their 2 dogs in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  Originally trained as a social worker she transitioned to nursing, graduating when she was 40 years old from UBC. She worked in health care for 20 years in a variety of roles and areas including palliative, surgical services, and urban health.  She now works as the executive director for Resident Doctors of BC, the union supporting resident physicians.  She lives by the motto that life is short and therefore it is good to challenge yourself. 

aging · fitness · nutrition · sports nutrition

Changing protein needs with age

Sam B1 Comment

A few weeks ago Elan blogged about the challenge of getting enough protein.

I’ve been thinking about it lately in the context of aging and strength training. I know protein needs go up as we age, partly because our bodies are less efficient at using protein. We need more of it.

I also know that for most women, the opposite happens. Protein consumption goes down. That’s part of the story about aging and the loss of muscle mass.

And then I ran across this story in the New York Times.

How Your Protein Needs Change as You Age

“Protein recommendations for older adults are currently the same as those for younger adults, but some evidence suggests that those 65 and older may benefit from consuming more — at least 0.45 to 0.54 grams per pound, said Denise K. Houston, a professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

For a 185-pound adult, this higher recommendation translates to 84 to 101 grams of protein per day. You can get about that much if you eat one cup of cottage cheese, a cup of tuna salad on whole wheat bread, and a six-ounce chicken breast in one day. As with younger adults, regularly lifting weights, running or doing other vigorous activities will further increase the protein needs for older adults. You’ll also require more if you’re recovering from an infection, hospitalization, surgery or a period of bed rest, Dr. Phillips said.

Once you reach your 50s and beyond, you start to lose muscle mass, Dr. Phillips said, which can increase your risk of falling, bone fractures, hospitalization and earlier death.

A lack of physical activity is the biggest cause of muscle loss, but studies have also shown that aging muscles are less efficient at using protein to make new muscle fibers, Dr. Phillips said. And among those aged 71 and older, about 50 percent of women and 30 percent of men aren’t meeting even the lower federal recommendations for protein.”

I might start tracking protein consumption again, aiming for 125 grams daily. I’m doing more strength training these days. I want to build muscle.

It’s part of my gearing up for turning 60 (in 244 days–why yes, I’m counting!).

Do you have a strategy or plan for eating enough protein?

aging · fitness

“If your goal is to be a kick-ass 90-year-old, you can’t settle for being an ‘average’ 50-year-old”

Sam B

How fit do you need to be?

I’m wondering, not about 50, but 60, of course. 9 months to go!

Back in the blog’s early days when it was a Sam and Tracy blog that focused on our fittest by fifty challenge, we spent a fair bit of time thinking and writing about what fitness meant. See here and here and here. It was inevitable. We’re philosophers and analyzing concepts is a big part of what we do professionally.

These days, as we and many of the bloggers here hover around 60, we’re definitely thinking in terms of fitness as successful aging. We want to be able to do things as we get older. For some of us, that’s bike traveling. For others, it’s canoe camping. But we all lead pretty active lives and want to keep on moving.

That’s why the Twitter thread above (I know it’s X, I know, but I just can’t) caught my eye.

Dr. Paddy Barrett writes, “I base my goals on lifespan and healthspan: to be an active and capable 90-year-old. I want to win at the ‘game of life’. If I have the extreme good fortune of living to 90 years of age, I do not expect to be exercising at my current level. Still, I do hope that I will be able to pick up my grandchildren or put my travel bag in the overhead compartment of an aircraft unassisted.”

Being in the top percentile for V02 max and strength matter more than just about anything else when it comes to longevity, he writes.

“Think of it as the height needed for a plane to glide to the runway if it lost its engines. It will continually lose height, just as you will likely continue to lose athletic performance over time, even with the best exercise regime. Most people are in an aircraft with minimal altitude and are likely to land well short of the runway they are aiming for.”

“If your goal is to be a kick-ass 90-year-old, you can’t settle for being an ‘average’ 50-year-old.”

Here’s the full thing on Substack, Exercise like your life depends on it.

I’m still wondering about my 60 goals. It’s definitely all about setting myself up for success in the (I hope) decades ahead.

I know what the pieces are. I want to be able to walk and bike long distances. I want to be able to go on back-country canoe trips with long portages! I want to be strong. And I want to have good mobility and balance. I’m thinking of setting some swimming goals, too.

“Setting myself up for successful aging at sixty ” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “fittest by fifty” but in reality, the idea is the same. Start from a higher peak so that to the extent that fitness decline with aging is inevitable, you land at a place where you’re happy to be.

For me, I’m mixing all of this aspirational thinking with the realization in light of knee replacement surgery that we don’t have as much control as we might think over health outcomes.

So, it’s this balance between aspiration and acceptance that I’m interested in attaining. I don’t want to acceptance to stop me striking out for new future fitness goals and plans. But I don’t want the striving to get in the way of acceptance where that’s the thing I need to do.

A woman in a pink sweater and pink sneakers and black tights in a standing yoga pose. Scopio.