By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Almost anyone can get rid of plaques in their arteries, even if they have already had a heart attack or already have severe narrowing in the arteries leading to your heart (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, Feb 2016;36(2):226-35). However, you have to do far more than just take drugs. The formation of plaques in arteries that eventually leads to heart … [Read more...] about Plaques in Arteries Are Reversible
Weight Loss
Still Pedaling Off The Pounds
By Coach David Ertl, Ph.D. Season 5 of the Des Moines Cycle Club’s (DMCC) Pedal Off the Pounds Program is in the record books. For the past five years, since I wrote the eBook Pedal Off The Pounds for RBR, my local bike club has been conducting a program by the same name to help get people back on their bikes, eating right, and losing weight. Based along the same lines as … [Read more...] about Still Pedaling Off The Pounds
Don’t Count Calories
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D. Contestants on the television program The Biggest Loser dropped an average of 129 pounds, yet six years later, most have regained more than 70 percent of their lost weight, largely because dieting decreased their ability to burn calories. They now burn about 500 fewer calories each day than would be expected for a person of the same age and weight … [Read more...] about Don’t Count Calories
How Can I Lose Weight and Get Faster?
Question: I'm overweight (6-foot, 230 pounds) and I'm slow. How can I lose weight and get fast enough to hold my own on fast group rides? — Davis K. Coach Fred Matheny Replies: You would see a big improvement in your speed, especially on climbs, if you were lighter. This is assuming that your extra weight is fat rather than muscle. If you are 230 and 10 percent body fat, … [Read more...] about How Can I Lose Weight and Get Faster?
Is Indoor Training Effective in the Spring?
Question: We've had terrible weather this spring! I can't get on the road often, so I've been on the trainer. Will it help me get ready for competition in a month? -- Harry P. Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Indoor trainer workouts can't teach pack-riding skills, bike handling or tactics, so that's a problem for racing. But they work fine for building strength and power. In … [Read more...] about Is Indoor Training Effective in the Spring?