This post is going to read like a list of New Year’s resolutions. It’s not. It’s an intersection of obligation and opportunity. It’s an action plan that straddles January 1 only because it contains items that depend on medical and dental insurance plans which, of course, reset with the new year.
I have known for a long time that my blood pressure is too high. In 2016, I got on medication to address that issue. Medication was working for me. I was happy. My doctor was happy. Then the COVID-19 pandemic came along and I almost completely stopped interacting with the world outside of my own home. I stopped seeing my doctor, so my doctor stopped renewing my prescription. On Tuesday morning, I had my first physical examination since September 2019. I am back on hydrochlorothiazide. I think I will be from now on. And I have resumed tracking my blood pressure at home. I had not been doing that regularly since 2016, and I was foolish to stop.
It’s probably true that my high blood pressure and my high cholesterol, which also requires medication, have a genetic component. I will never know. I was adopted as an infant and I have no information about the medical histories of my biological parents. But I should be controlling what I can control. I never touch tobacco and almost never touch alcohol. Exercise isn’t a problem, as this blog should make obvious. Diet is the problem, carbohydrates in particular. My doctor is urging me to cut out carbs as much as I can. She understands their value to me as a cyclist who trains and races, but she wants me to find other sources of calories off the bike. Bread, pasta, and cereal have been huge components of my diet. I already have begun to reduce my consumption. Soda, which I love so well, has to go away completely. Starting on January 1, I will track my water intake via Garmin Connect. If I drink as much as my doctor recommends, then I won’t have room for soda anyway!
On January 4, I will get up to date with my vaccinations. On January 26, I will have a carotid artery ultrasound to determine whether arterial plaque is contributing to my high blood pressure. If it is, then there’s a simple surgical fix. Left untreated, carotid artery plaque is a serious stroke risk. On January 30, I will have my first dental appointment of the new year, and at that time my dentist and I will decide how to complete the process that began late this summer. Sometime in the next 3 months, I will have the colonoscopy that I should have had by the time I was 50 years old. I’m 58 now.
This is all really important, foundational stuff. What will it matter if I’m working to improve my fitness on the bike but simultaneously leaving myself open to preventable disease?
I don’t expect big changes in my approach to cycling in the new year, however I will change my approach to walking. On January 6, I will take delivery of a new treadmill for my home gym. (I ordered it back on December 21 before my doctor even had a chance to tell me what a disgusting tub of lard I am.) I expect to use it a lot. On days when I do not plan to ride the bike—whether that means riding outdoors or on the smart trainer—I can take an extended walk with intervals governed by the treadmill’s preset workouts and its automatic incline adjustment. On days when I will be riding the bike later, I can do a short walk in a fasted state soon after I get out of bed. Those 30-60 minutes in prime fat-burning mode should pay dividends. A smarter and more consistent approach to walking will add to my overall health and fitness without adding significantly to my training stress and fatigue.
So, you can see that these are not New Year’s resolutions. They are not vague hopes and fleeting commitments. This is a time-bound list with very specific and achievable objectives. Progressing through this list will make me stronger on the bike and off.
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