The Cyclist Dilemma...

Salaam and hello again,
This time my post is in English. Please forgive me, just trying to brush up my English writing skills. Been quite some time since I posted something in English. :P

Back in the late 80's and 90's, me, my brother and our neighborhood friends, would cycle for kilometres at a stretch without a glitch. We would look forward to every opportunity we had in the afternoon, to cycle across several neighbouring housing areas for the sake of exploring and fill our free time (This was way before some smart Alec coined the term urban explorer). Oh yes, time and energy seems likes an infinite commodity back then. How time flies...

Taman Keramat & neighboring areas. Back then, this is our big playground for sub-urban adventure on two wheels!
(photo taken from panoramio, credits to asanov)

Yes, the title sounds corny, but it's true. That is exactly what I felt a few years ago when I started cycling again since my high school years.

So what's the dilemma? When I started cycling back a few years ago, I found out that I could not cycle with an empty stomach, or else I would not have the energy to push forward and sometimes I'll be flat out during a riding session. So I started taking early breakfast before I ride.

I thought my problem was solved, but boy, was I wrong. Situation got worse because when my stomach was busy digesting the food, here I am, directing the energy elsewhere, to the legs and arms to be exact. So what's wrong with that? nothing actually, just that 45 minutes later, I threw up in the middle of the climb section of the trail(pun intended :P).

Another issue I have is to maintain my energy level during each riding session. So my solution? pick up a bottle of 100 plus from the petrol station mart before riding. But wait...isn't carbonated drink bad for you? So, being health conscious( yeah right) I turned to Gatorade but the drawback is that, the content is mostly sugar. You can say the same thing about 100 plus. Just check the label and you'll see what I mean. I also found out that with commercial Isotonic drinks, my muscle still aches after each ride, especially if i push it too much. Not to mentioned the extreme fatigue that comes after a rigorous workout.

Detox, repair, energize. A complete workout partner

Not until recently(about 1 year ago), I started a slightly different regime. Early In the morning, I would take 7 - 10 tablets of alfalfa with warm water (Now, I take alfalfa at night before bed, even better:) ). Roughly 15 minutes after that, I would take a glass of Energising Soy Protein (Shaklee's ESP) with vita C plus. About 30 - 60 minutes after that, I will ride my bike happily, traversing the trails without worries and fear of throwing up and what not.

Natural performance enhancer

What alfalfa did was to help with my bowel movement and detox them to a point that i have no problem emptying my bowels every morning.Next, we know that protein is the basic building block of any organism(google it!). ESP allows me to jump start my muscles without my stomach need to do too much work to convert solid food into fuel burning energy for the muscles. Top this up with vitamin C, it will help in supplying energy to the muscles and helps in repairing damaged cells and replenishes them( no i'm not a doctor, but google is my friend :) ).

But wait...do i still rely on gatorade or now we have the 'gasless' 100 plus during the trail riding? of course not. I found a better alternative in the form of Performance drink, also by Shaklee. I find that it gives a better overall experience for me during and after each riding session. I can now maintain a constant energy level during each ride, and my muscle would not ache too much after each riding session. Maybe due to the fact that it contains a full spectrum of electrolytes as it claims. Ions from vital minerals(electrolytes) helps your body to recover better. Why? because we lose a lot of ions and minerals when we sweat heavily during a workout or rigorous outdoor activity.

Alam Budiman trail. Gotta love it!

Alhamdulillah, Now I am one happy cyclist. Don't take my word for it. Try it out and see if it works for you too.


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Live healthy, Live well, Live happy!
-azmin-