Tag Archives: mason county

Recumbent Trikes and Good Health Hand in Hand

The recumbent trike is God’s gift to the physically challenged.

The 3-day Trek Tri Island bike trip with the American Lung Association of Washington a few years ago was the first time I had left the house overnight in 7 years. Not since COPD and then Other Stuff began to hit.  Pedaling around the bay from the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry toward Oak Harbor was the first time in 7 years I felt normal again. The recumbent trike set me free.

The Mason county couple in the “What is COPD” tee, ride for good health,  fun and exercise. 

Hey, Trikes are Fun!


He doesn’t let Hip Dysplasia in both hips stop him from moving but at a much slower pace than his wife. His wife is a fast walker challenging herself to move even faster.

Until he began riding the recumbent trike delta, (two wheels in back), she had to move slowly, at her husband’s pace or he quickly was left behind.

I was told the recumbent trike gives him the edges to not only keep up with her; he challenges her to move those hips even faster. The recumbent trike lets them exercise together for good health in fun and harmony.

I took a video of them…unedited…so you can see how they ride.

A family affair… the gentleman on the delta is only 92.

Following are more photos. My mother’s first time on a bike in about 75 years when she learned to ride the delta at 88 years old.

Ask your doctor about riding the recumbent trike for exercise and fun adding to living a quality life and follow her/his recommendations. Check with the local bike shops and bike clubs for further information or ask here on COPD and Other Stuff.

For COPDers – muscle utilizes oxygen better than flab and the legs are the largest muscles in the body. The bike is a great form of exercise and the recumbent trike can be a kinder, gentler form of cycling…the comfort mode…or not.

The West Sound Bike Club may have two recumbent trikes to show on the 18th. One trike is a delta with an electric assist. The other is a tadpole. Swing by the booth and check them out.

WEST SOUND CYCLING CLUB AUG, 2010
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT Lee Derror 360 271-4838
lderror2@yahoo.com
VICE PRESIDENT Don Czeczok 360 405-1834
dczeczok@wavecable.com
TREASURER Laurie Clayton
SECRETARY Roberta Berry 360 638-1685
beeryra@centurytel.net
RIDE COORDINATOR Tim Baker 360 340-5944
rides@westsoundcycling.com
bakertj@hotmail.com
Freewheeler: Frank Lane 253 857-6044
editor@westsoundcycling.com

Tour de Kitsap: tdk@westsoundcycling.com
WSCC website: www.westsoundcycling.com

Wed. 8/18 11:00am – 6:00pm – Thurs. 8/19/2010 0800 – 2:00pm

West Sound Safety and Health Expo 2010 Free!

Kitsap Conference Center & Bremerton Boardwalk
100 Washington Avenue
Bremerton, WA 98337
Contact: Linda Fulton 360.473.5918

LOCAL BIKE SHOPS

More than one of the following bike shops may sell and service trikes.

BI Cycle Shop 206-842-6413
Classic Cycle 206-842-9191
Kitsap Key and Bike Shop 360-373-6133
Olympic Bike and Skate 360-895-2127
One Way Down Biking 360-633-6649
Rainier Cycle Sports 253-756-2117
Silverdale Cyclery 360-692-5508 (Sells and services trikes)

Gregg’s Greenlake Cycle
The free clinic will start at 6:30pm and go until around 7:30pm. There will be light refreshments provided.
info@greggscycles.com or call (206) 523-1822 ext. 119

The following URL contains the most cycling URL information of any blog I’ve seen.

http://www.recumbentblog.com/ Scroll down on the right until you find Dealers.

More later…. Sharon O’Hara

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The Ugly Psoriasis Picture

Psoriasis is many things – what it is not is just a skin disease. Some is painful – some is disfiguring – worst of all – it primarily hits our kids.

It is not enough for the kids to work their way thru puberty – many live with, most try to hide, the attention getting scales and crust of psoriasis.

Psoriasis is one of the early diseases I acquired after the initial COPD diagnosis when I was about 56. I was beyond the usual psoriasis age but COPD seems to be a trigger leading to Other Stuff. Psoriasis is one of mine.

I had it on my hands, elbows and the top of both feet. I cut off the top off my slippers so nothing touched the crusty, splitting, sometimes bleeding, scales. I had it a couple of years before the worst of it disappeared.

Dr. Barnes, University of Washington, Dermatology Department, diagnosed my psoriasis and he has the distinction of being the first and only medical doctor to recommend an on-line support group.

He called my psoriasis “a textbook case” and prescribed Clobetasol Propionate Ointment…probably outdated now.
He was the most outspoken, frank and informative doctor I had known up to that point. I felt like a student, exactly how we should be treated -he was an educator.

The online support group taught me about the kids out there with this ugly disease and how it affected them – many tragically, but right there, right then, they connected, shared experiences and their lives with each other.

• Psoriasis often appears between the ages of 15 and 25, but can develop at any age.
• Psoriatic arthritis usually develops between the ages of 30 and 50, but can develop at any age.

We have a girl right here in Kitsap County who is one of the exceptions. She does not cover up and hide. Psoriasis covers her…but it doesn’t run her life. She lives life to the fullest, plays sports in school and wears a ‘Here I Am’ folk’s hat. She is active in school and out of school.

Psoriasis does not have a physical support group anywhere in Washington – too bad. The shy kids with psoriasis should meet this student. A girl, a peer, with an attitude.
We need a combined support group filled with inspirational people to learn from – this girl for one.

Another, a woman I met from Mason County who has had five different arthritis operations – more importantly, has a terrific, upbeat attitude about them and many practical experiences to share including ideas she tried that didn’t work… If anyone is interested in being part of such a support group, let’s talk.

“Psoriasis appears to be associated with higher levels of a hormone that may contribute to obesity and metabolic abnormalities, according to findings by researchers in Taiwan (Chen YJ et al. Arch Dermatol. 2008;144[12]:1571-1575). “
Found in January 2009 Jama

“The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act (H.R. 930/S. 571) … need additional co-sponsors – Contact the Psoriasis Foundation … action@psoriasis.org or 800.723.9166,
ext. 407.

I wonder how many of us in Kitsap County have psoriasis?

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