The
Road to Fitness
Well,
we've all been there - riding all day, trying to squeeze
in one more mile, and then we realize we're hungry.
Now aside from the fact that we're extremely ugly at this
point, what we've just done to our bodies would be unbelievable,
if we were able to crawl inside and see. The absolute
worst thing we could do to our bodies is go long periods
at a time without food. When we do this consistently over
time, the body begins to panic, therefore it holds onto
every calorie it gets, and thus we begin to pack on weight,
instead of maintaining it. Every bodybuilder knows that
we should be eating every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. This keeps our
insulin levels regulated, and also importantly it keeps
us from reaching for the wrong foods. But, (myself included)
we've all been guilty of scarfing down that grease-burger,
loaded full of calories and (ugh!) FAT. Yep, 850 calories
or so, give or take a few. Now ain't that attractive?
Want the biker look real fast? One two-week vacation on
burgers and fries will get you lookin' like you need a midwife,
not a bike mechanic. Real hard...real sexy!
Now,
let's get down to business. There will be some of
you, no doubt, out there who are going to groan and not
give a shit about this page of my web site. Then there
are those guys (and gals) who do
lead a healthy lifestyle yet fail at maintaining their fitness
program while on the road. This page is for you...
Let's
talk food. Now when I travel, I do treat myself once
in a awhile to the odd restaurant meal. Setting up
camp does get tiresome at times, and there are those inevitable
nights when we pull in late, and are lucky enough to just
set our tents up, let alone start cooking over a fire.
But most times, I eat out of a cooler. Years ago I
purchased a soft-sided cooler by Thermos™. They still
make some styles, but mine is an upright model, with a shell
bottom, but soft sides. It compresses easily, making
it easy to tie down. I shop in grocery stores. I pack
all kinds of things on my bike. I have what I call
a "kitchen bag", which contains cooking utensils
(a flipper, large spoon, can opener, and a multi-compartmented
spice shaker). These can be found at an outdoor store,
and I believe I spotted them at Canadian Tire. I carry
the staples - salt, pepper, curry powder (great on chicken
breast) and garlic salt (gotta ward off that evil...). Another
staple is a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.
When all else fails, a peanut butter sandwich does the trick.
And with lots of protein too. I've carried a Coleman™
stove before, and with a two burner one can cook up quite
a meal. Dainty rice (already cooked, and in cans)
makes a nice compliment to chicken breast, with bagged salad
from a grocery store, and walla - a well balanced meal one
doesn't have to feel guilty of eating!
Amongst
these things, I always carry snacks. There are so
many healthy snack ideas out there nowadays that carrying
something on your bike to keep the hunger edge off is made
easy. Oceans™ makes many different combinations of
snacks ranging from tuna and salmon spreads in small compact
cans, to what they actually call "Snackits".
These Snackits are my favorite. They come ready to
eat, complete with a small can of tuna already mixed with
low fat mayo, a package of crackers, a napkin and a small
spatula for spreading the tuna mixture onto your crackers.
They're quite tasty, travel unrefridgerated , and you don't
need a can opener to get them open. And they're filling
too. Small as they look, they pack a mighty punch!
They also come in salmon.
Another
staple of my "traveling snack bar" is fresh
fruit. I've learned on this one though - bananas,
peaches and grapes travel better where they won't be squished
- inside the cooler, and where the bungees don't compress
the cooler. Apples, peel able fruits, and trail mix
are excellent travelers. Apples need to be where they
don't vibrate (I've actually had apple sauce in the bottom
of the saddlebags of my Harley). Want apple sauce
for that pork chop dinner at the end of your day?
Put a few apples in a ziplock in the corner of a saddlebag
(Harley riders only - others need not apply) and pack
the other stuff (loosely) around it. It'll bounce
around for you just fine - if you like apple sauce that
is!
I
make it a goal each trip to maintain my fitness - after
all, it does become a lifestyle. Those of us who body
build know that rest between workouts is good - sometimes
two days rest. You should see people look when I get
into my campfire routine. I set up camp, then go for
a 30 minute walk, or hike, whichever the landscape affords,
and when I get back, I do what I call my "campfire
workout" - variations of dumbbell exercises, only using
the rocks from the fire pits...
