Dear Josh the Trainer

by Kelby Dressler

Q: Dear Josh the Trainer,

My boyfriend and I like to ride our bicycles together on the local trails. Sometimes he says I am too slow to ride on longer rides with his cycling buddies and it really hurts my feelings. He says I’m too fat to keep up! I am 16 and weigh 110 lbs. How many miles should I be riding a day?

A: Dear Cycling Expectations and Reality Check,
Most importantly, I need to point out to you that your significant other must have realistic expectations of your body. According to the Body Mass Index Scale (BMI Scale) in order for you to be considered “obese” if you are 110 lbs., at age 16 you would have to be 4’4″ tall. So as you can tell, you are well within the normal range of weight for your age and height and this scale doesn’t even account for how much of your mass is lean muscle! Tell your significant other if he feels that way about you he should probably date a pencil instead.

As for your question about miles you should be cycling per day, you should be gradually increasing your miles over time to prevent overuse injuries and severe muscle soreness. I would start with no more than 3-4 miles a day and then work your way up. Do not feel pressured to complete long rides right away, but instead give yourself time to work into this activity and get your body used to the strain it places on your muscles and bones. Over time your speed and distance will come together and you will be able to complete those trails quickly and without hurting your body!

In the meantime, I would tell your boyfriend to “get real” or consider finding yourself someone who wants you to be a part of their activity instead of leaving you in the dust or insulting you.

If you have any questions for Josh to answer, please contact me by email at 19kdressler@eudoraschools.org. I would love to hear what you think about this feature and be sure to include any questions that may have popped into your head while reading it.