Kim & Steve: Health

Apr 22, 11:09 PM by Kimberly | Halelujia!

There was a present for the bedroom waiting for me when we got back from Sea Otter. I wanted to use it right away, but we were too tired to set it up. We set it up and used it Sunday night. It was great! Monday night too! We’ll use it every night!

Yes folks, it is a Pure Sleep retainer.

Now I don’t need to kick Steve at night to get him to stop snoring. I don’t have to hold his jaw shut if I want to read a book in peace.

Ahhhh can you hear it? The sound of silence.

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Mar 27, 12:01 PM by Steve | Sick

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I’ve been really tired lately, not able to get enough sleep… woke up this morning after 12 hours of sleep still tired and sore, took my temp and over 100 :( I guess I pushed too hard over the weekend and caught whatever has been going around.

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Mar 18, 06:17 PM by Steve | VO2 Test Video

Posted in Health & Video | Comments

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Mar 15, 07:57 PM by Steve | VO2 Test Results

Posted in Health | Comments [1]

Kim and I went today to get VO₂ and RMR testing. The worst part of the whole proceedure was that we couldn’t exercise for 24 hours. Originally the test was scheduled for tomorrow, but it meant that I would miss the LA circuit race, and I wouldn’t be able to ride on Saturday. Basically blowing a whole weekend.

I tapered during the week, doing an easy 20 minute climb up OSM on wednesday while chatting the whole way with Bill. Thursday I did a 25 mile tempo ride in the morning and a very easy 22 minute spin up OSM. Friday early morning I did a recovery pace 15 mile loop around Goleta, making sure to finish well over 24 hours before the test.

Resting Metabolic Rate

The test itself was relatively straigtforward. First we sat for the RMR test, with a mask over our face to measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide. The test took 5 minutes, and then we had the results. It was interesting to note that for both of us, we had a small movement that caused a noticeable spike in the data! Also, although it wasn’t being recorded, my HR was between 38 and 47 for the duration of the test, and usually in the low 40s.

My VO₂ was 249, VCO₂ 238, for a respiratory quotient (RQ) of 0.96. Kim’s VO₂ was 239, VCO₂ 213, for an RQ of 0.89. An RQ of 1.0 represents the value expected for pure...

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Mar 5, 08:17 PM by Kimberly | Happy Carbs

Posted in Food & Health | Comments

I’ve had a pretty bad migraine for the last few days. It started on Saturday at Baker to Death Valley while Steve was finishing. It wasn’t very hot, but it was very dry. I think I didn’t drink enough water, bright sun, travel, fatigue, hormones, etc., and the stars were all aligned correctly to produce a migraine. I started to feel pretty bad on the drive back to Baker, but we stopped at a cafe in Shoshone and got Gardenburgers, and I felt a lot better after that.

I felt ok Sunday, but I started to feel bad again Monday morning. I got some new injections for my headaches, so I tried it out, and it worked quite well. It works by increasing serotonin levels, which is believed to either cause or otherwise be strongly related to migraines. I took it again last night after it came back with a vengance. I read my book in bed while the meds kicked in. Steve was sleeping, and woke up about an hour and a half after I took the meds. He asked how I was doing, and I enthusiastically said ‘Great!’

My migraine started to come back again this afternoon, so I picked up my perscription and hung out at Steve’s office while it kicked in. My stomach was still not feeling too good, and I told Steve I needed some carbs for my stomach. He said we had plenty of carbs at home, and I said we didn’t have...

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Feb 4, 10:53 PM by Kimberly | The Steve Diet

Posted in Health & Food | Comments

The Steve diet has been working pretty well for me. I’ve lost a lot of the weight I put on after I had my tumor out & I started getting bad migraines. (Not necessarily related, but who really knows.) I stopped exercising and ate a lot of crap food to appease my migraine stomach. (Did you know that the gut has brain tissue of it’s own?)

I’m taking meds to help prevent migraines, but I still get them pretty bad. I’m still not ‘race-ready’ as I haven’t been on the bike for weeks. So I didn’t do Mothballs. But I think I’ll do Cantua Creek when I go out with Steve.

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Nov 18, 09:41 PM by Kimberly | The Steve Diet

Posted in Health | Comments [1]

I’ve decided to go on a diet. It’s called the ‘Steve Diet’. Everything I read about nutrition for athletes points to eating like Steve does.
No red meat
Minimal dairy
Low saturated fat
No excess sugar
etc.
So, to make the diet simple, I just ask Steve ‘Is this ok?’

He was having some ‘Phish Food’' ice cream this evening. I asked, ‘Is that approved?’ He said, ‘Not for you ‘cause you didn’t just ride 80 miles.’ Humph! But I talked him into giving me a taste. He doesn’t like sleeping on the couch, so he knows when to give in.

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Nov 1, 07:16 PM by Kimberly | I shouldn't have had that pizza last night

Posted in Health | Comments [1]

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Oct 3, 01:20 PM by Steve | Pass the EPO...

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Hemogram

Test	Results	Out Of Range	Units	Reference Range
WBC	6.5	-	10E3/uL	4.0-10.0
RBC	4.01	L	10E6/uL	4.5-10.0
HGB¹	11.8	L	g/dL	13.0/17.5
HCT¹	35.7	L	%	39.0-52.0
MCV	89.1	-	fL	80.0-100.0
MCH	29.4	-	pg	26.0-34.0
MCHC	33.0	-	g/dL	32.0-36.0
RDW	14.1	-	%	11.0-15.5
PLATELETS	263	-	10E3/uL	150-450
MPV	8.7	-	fL	6.7-10.8

Metabolic Panel

Test	Results	Out Of Range	Units	Reference Range
SODIUM	142	-	mEq/L	135-147
POTASSIUM	4.6	-	mEq/L	3.5-5.2
CHLORIDE	107	-	mEq/L	98-110
CO2	27	-	mEq/L	21-29
ANION GAP	8	-	5-15
BUN²	30	H	mg/dL	8-25
CREATINE	0.97	-	mg/dL	0.10-1.40
GLUCOSE	76	-	mg/dL	< 100
CALCIUM	10.0	-	mg/dL	8.2-10.5
ALBUMIN	4.7	-	g/dL	3.4-4.8
PROTEIN, TOTAL	7.6	-	g/dL	6.7-8.7
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL	0.6	-	mg/dL	0.3-1.0
ALKALINE PHOSPHATE	72	-	IU/L	39-117
ALT (SGPT)	29	-	IU/L	3-42
AST (SGOT)	35	-	IU/L	0-43
PHOSPHORUS	3.1	-	md/dL	2.7-4.5
LDH³	358	H	IU/L	118-273
URIC ACID	4.8	-	mg/dL	3.4-7.0
CHOLESTEROL	160	-	mg/dL	< 200
TRIGLYCERIDES	119	-	mg/dL	< 150
FERRITIN	51	-	ng/mL	22-322
B12	671	-	pg/mL	211-911
FOLATE (SERUM)	24.0	H	ng/mL	> 2.8

Explanation of out of range values, from Amarillo Medical Specialists. I had my blood test taken shortly after climbing Old San Marcos last Thursday, which may explain the high values in the metabolic panel. As for the hemogram, its similar to last year when I started feeling rundown, and I have been suffering from a lack of power and energy lately…

¹ Hemoglobin (Hgb) and Hematocrit (Hct) : The hemoglobin is the amount of oxygen carrying protein contained within the red blood cells. The hematocrit is the percentage of the blood volume occupied by red blood cells. In most labs the Hgb is actually measured, while the Hct is computed using the RBC measurement and the MCV measurement. Thus purists prefer to use the Hgb measurement as more reliable. Low Hgb or Hct suggest an anemia. Anemia can be...

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Jun 19, 09:57 PM by Steve | My Kryptonite

Posted in Food & Health | Comments

I love this stuff. But I can’t buy it and have it last through the night. 4 servings of 210 calories and 4.5g of saturated fat… 22%. The whole container is just over 800 calories and nearly 100% of the daily value of saturated fat. And that’s for the light version. But its sooooooo good.

I just bought another one this evening after my ride and so far I’ve had about a serving and a half’s worth. When I buy it, I know that I’ll probably eat the whole thing in one night, but tonight I’m going to try to not have any more.

Update: the ice cream was a casualty of my midnight snacking… didn’t make it through the night.

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