Longevity for dirt bike riders

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swazi_matt

Active member
I intend to be riding dirt bikes with my grandchildren (my children are 2 and 6 so still a while for that) and to do that I know I will need to keep my body healthy so the idea behind this thread is to find out what things to look out for, what regular excercises are required to keep your body balanced and what sort of vitamins/supplements we should be taking. I am talking preventative measures rather than rehab. Things that are easy to make into a lifestyle not talking about becoming a fitness freak and spending 3hrs in the gym - if I do not have time for cardio fitness I will just ride easier

To kick this off the one thing I am seriously considering are the twisted eng/flexx bars to reduce stresses on my wrists I will also be taking up yoga again (but this is general conditioning and not bike specific)
 
I commute by bicycle, 4-5 days weekly. Lots of hiking & backpacking in late summer/fall(hunting season). I love to swim(don't do so often enough). My diet is questionable. My doc says I'm way healthier than most men half my age...so far so good.'
 
Having almost died from heart disease with a 100% blocked left main artery (aka the widow maker) I can pass along the following...

1. Diet
2. Regular Exercise
3. Reduced Stress
4. Get "Quality Rest" - make sure you are sleeping well. 7.5 hours a night minimum for me... If you snore - get a sleep study done to ensure you don't have sleep apnea - this is very hard on the heart.
5. If you have any depression get it treated and look at root causes to minimize them. e.g. limit alcohol, caffeine, make changes to reduce stress.
6. If you have high cholesterol or it's borderline - take a cholesterol lowering drug now versus later... Once the arteries build up with plaque - there is no easy fix...

Getting #2 will help greatly with #3 and will help with #4 as well. And the saying "stress kills" is very, very true... A happy life with friends/family will add many years on to your life.

For #1, Diet, pick meals w/ low saturated fats and limit red meat. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Both add fiber and are a natural and effective source of the vitamins and minerals your body needs - focus on this versus supplements/magic pills.

You may not feel you can do cardio regularly - but getting your heart pumping at a good rate for 45 minutes at least 3 times a week is *needed*. Burns calories to keep body fat low and increases good cholesterol (hdl) to ward off heart disease. My father is 82 and hits the gym 3 times a week and is doing great... You said you may not have time for cardio - but you need to make time as there is *no* replacement. Working out with a friend makes it easier for me - he will hassle you if you don't show up! :)

A regular routine doing something that is easy on the joints will take you a *long* ways. I prefer a recumbent bike and a high quality rowing machine - mix up the workout routine so that you don't stress one part of your body too much. For example, after my bypass surgery I solely used a treadmill and it strained my back... I have a concept 2 rowing machine and I think gasgasman has one as well... It is a smooth movement, is easy on the joints and can be performed well as a "senior".

www.concept2.com


Most supplements will only deal with a shortfall elsewhere in your life and some can cause more harm than good in the long run - nothing magic here and it's better to get your vitamins in your daily meals. The only thing I would look at is doing fish oil pills if you don't have a source of fish that contains good fatty acids. This will ward off heart disease which is your main enemy to fight to meet your goal... As you get older - start taking an aspirin a day...

jeff
Age 53 years and still here... ;)
 
Minimize carbs. and starches. Will contribute to inflammation. Think muscle tone and balance. Not so much gym created strength. Three things usually create heart issues; heredity, diet, lifestyle. Eat wiser, exercise, yoga, massage and blame your parents.
 
In all of this, Stress is the hidden killer that most people over look. Ditch your stress or whatever stresses you out.

One supplement that work well to lower my cholesterol is Metamucil. It's just not for the elderly. It cleans you out and keeps the toxins in your bowels low.

I agree with the above post, keep the carbs down. It was AZRickD that said on here, "take a look at the starting line at the next race and check out all the carbo loaded bellies".

No late night trips to the pantry or fridge helps to(this one was hard for me)
 
I haven't bought a pair yet but I think knee braces would go a long way to protecting the knees. You might as well get them before you jack up your knees.
 
Just eat healthy food, do not stress and off course ride enough to keep ya in good physcal condition... Many people stress too much about their health that they get sick....
 
All of the above + wear decent padded body armor, protect - shoulders, knees, fore arms, thighs , the major impact points. Boots , helmet , maybe neck brace are a given.
Cycling is the way to go, can you bike to work ?
When out riding your moto you should be using your legs a lot , if your not its time to start, cycling helps .
Diet . eat healthy, no carbs after 2pm , only protein and greens, drink water . The exceptions are if you are vigorously exercising , the body needs a wee top up then.
 
I am with Pappa J, I wish I would have used good quality knee braces in the past. I use them now but the damage is done.
 
It's funny that we say once we get into it we will buy better gear but the truth is I don't. Need the gear as much as I did in the beginning My knees show it also
 
Riding when you're old

All great advice,the only thing I would add is if you get injured have it looked at.
For too many years I would ignore going to the doc for minor injuries because my body would always heal itself. Guess what ? At 57 that doesn't work anymore. I still feel fit and strong but I don't recover anywhere near as fast as I used to. Now if I get an injury,sprain or tweak I will go see my doc,physio, or book a nice deep massage. Works for me.
Dave
 
Some nice pointers here. I guess I knew that cardio would come into it!

The one thing I have often thought about is arthritis, especially in the hands. Anyone know if this is one of the perks of DB riding? What can be done to prevent it?
I remember seeing a hand exerciser that worked in the opposite way to a stress ball, it worked the muscles used to open your hand and apparently this balances the muscles in your hand ... or would an injection of snake oil do the job just as well???
 
swazi_matt said:
The one thing I have often thought about is arthritis, especially in the hands. Anyone know if this is one of the perks of DB riding? What can be done to prevent it?
?
Click to expand...

I just turned 60 and have had problems with my wrists and arm pump since I was 19 when I broke my left wrist badly in a fall. All rides since then would induce some pain at some point and reduce my overall enjoyment of this sport I love. Two years ago I installed a Rekulse clutch and went from having a lot of problems with my left wrist to only some. In fact I went from always having more problems with left wrist (than my right) to having noticeably less than the right as soon as the clutch was installed. Another thing that was well worth the money for me was to get a flexible handlebar. I had tried the Flexx bars on a friends bike and liked them but went with the Twisted Engineer bars to save that extra 2 pounds of weight up high. Mine are the 3x (most flexible) and while they are not quite as flexible as the Flexx bars I tried there is no vague or odd feeling to get used to. They do work however, when you hit the rocks the difference is substantial.
 
I am now 62 years young....I started racing when I was 19, any kind of MC racing in the dirt...MX, HS, enduro, short track, any racing I could find. Really liked MX. That was in 1970, right at the beginning of the dirt bike craze. I raced until 73 and went in the USAF, but I continued to race and it really helped my racing speed as I was traveling to new areas of competition mostly around Texas and Oklahoma. I took about a year and a half off while stationed overseas. Got back and out of the USAF and realized I was no longer competitive in MX and soon decided to move out to AZ. Got into the desert racing series out there and did pretty well up till 89 when my job moved to Bham. I have raced enduro and HS here in the southeast ever since.
Don't race as much now but I still get out there and mix it up with the old farts and I can hold my own just fine.

Any how, I have had my share of broken bones mostly lower leg, ankle, feet breaks and dislocated both shoulders and I probably have more reoccurring trouble of my shoulders all from racing. But I work with a bunch of young guys in their 30's and it is interesting to see that I am in better shape than most all of them.

Racing has kept me in shape throughout my life, I have not had any heart problems(knocking on wood) but I do take blood pressure and cholesterol meds. Although racing is dangerous, overall, I have been very fortunate to have had so much fun and have so many great memories and met so many neat people. The only thing I would have done different would maybe found a race on the weekends I was not racing....;)
 
Well, not a single person is going to agree and most will call me names but that is ok. First, 57 and slender. Live on beer and as little food as possible. Fully recovered from injuries in the summer. I can run and go over a chain link fence like it's not there. Can still pull off at least 5 one arm push ups, either arm....used to be 15 in my 40's and early 50 ish. I will not waste energy doing things I do not enjoy nor will I do things thinking "it will help". I will not eat things I do not like thinking it is "good for me". I don't like wearing a helmet or armor for casual riding on the dirt roads. I always wear boots, gloves and safety glasses however every single time. I believe you can suffer a debilitating injury just going about your normal business at 7 or 70, I know because I've seen it happen. I do not think there is an awful lot we can do to insure our longevity or good heath. It's in the genes, is my belief. If I was worried about extending my life and my healthy years I'd not be riding in the first place.

Now, 2 examples of why I feel this way...........my buddy Don, was the absolute strongest person pound for pound of anyone I have ever seen or met. In HS he could clean jerk 160 pounds over his head. He weighed 140. Oh, btw, that was with one arm. He did not get weaker with age. He woke up a few weeks ago with a numb left arm. By the end of the day he could not lift it. Went to ER. 2 days later he was getting operation to relieve a pinched nerve caused by a bone spur in his neck. He's only got 5% of his strength in his left arm now and his right is down about 80%. My skinny daughter can beat him arm wrestling. Nothing he could have done would have saved him from this.

Second example, my Dad recently discovered he has an abdominal aneurysm on his aorta. Had this not been discovered because he had an operation for a problem on his intestines he would probably just drop dead at some point. Just like his twin sister last year. They will operate on him very soon.

My point is that nothing those two could have done would have affected their ability to go on as usual. I simply refuse to live my life like what I do now will save me later when there simply is no guarantee. I won't spend a second worrying about the things I can't change.

I do not wear seat belts. I know, I know. Here is the problem, I have been in a car that flipped and crushed the roof, had I been strapped in I would have died for sure. I was hit in the side by an Impala at 45 mph (what he told cops) in my VW Rabbit. I ended up on top of Helen and the front of the Impala was resting in my seat. I would have been killed for sure had I been wearing a seat belt.

So, there you go, you all will think me irresponsible and that is OK. I am living, not just existing and I know I only have so long. I'll ride until I can't and in the meant time I'll live without worrying about the future.....it could be over before I even hit "submit re
 
Thats another way of looking at it Houndog. Your destiny is already determined and what will be will be. Nothing you perceive to do will extend or inhibit the final outcome. So my question is.. Why are boots more important than a helmet? Brain is what keeps it all happening. If your fate is sealed.. then you can't say that by wearing a seatbelt you would be dead.. catch 22!
 
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