LGBTQ Breaking News Service

There are so many reasons to love cycling. You can do it indoors or outdoors, at home or at the gym. It’s also low-impact, making it easier on achy joints, and of course, it burns calories! But if you’re someone who uses cycling as your go-to workout — or you’re considering adding it to your workout regimen — you may be wondering if cycling can really lead to better overall health, especially if you have little time to spare. POPSUGAR spoke with experts to find out if cycling for even 30 minutes a day is enough to lose weight and put you on the path to feeling stronger and healthier.

Can You Lose Weight by Cycling For 30 Minutes a Day?

“It is possible to lose weight from cycling 30 minutes a day,” Jennifer Chew, MPT, MSc, an NASM-certified personal trainer and weight loss specialist, told POPSUGAR. Thirty minutes of cycling burns 200 calories on average, although that number depends on a few factors, including your weight, the intensity of your workout, and the resistance, Chew explained.

If you’re looking to burn the maximum number of calories you can in those 30 minutes, there are a couple of ways to make that happen:

• Up your resistance. “The easiest way is definitely to increase resistance,” Chew said. “Cardio is like resistance training. You need to use progressive overload principles to get better and to avoid plateaus.” June Sayer, an ACE-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor agreed, adding that there are benefits to even slowing down your pace but upping your resistance during your 30-minute workout.
• Add in short, high-intensity intervals. “As your body gets stronger, you are able to increase the intensity, with a mixture of short spin intervals,” Sayer explained. Try adding short bursts of sprints to your workout, or even intervals of low-cadence, high-resistance cycling.

While weight loss is possible while cycling 30 minutes a day, Sayer and Chew stressed the importance of incorporating strength training and making other lifestyle changes in order to ensure you make progress on your goals.

“When you’re pairing a strength training regimen with cardiovascular activity, [like cycling], your body composition will change significantly by increasing calorie burn and muscle mass,” Krystal Goodman, an NCSF-certified personal trainer and coach at Orangetheory, told POPSUGAR. Goodman explained that the combination of elevating your heart rate through cycling and adding in that strength-training component will “give you the real bang for your buck” when it comes to fat burn and weight loss. Chew agreed, noting that increased muscle mass “promotes better metabolism,” which ultimately allows your body to lose weight more sustainably.

A combination of cardio and strength training, paired with a healthy diet, should help you get results. But the diet is key: “At the end of the day, the most important point to losing weight is daily caloric intake versus daily caloric expenditure,” Chew said. “If you are constantly eating less calories than you are burning, you will lose weight.”

Trainer Tips For Sustaining Your Cycling Routine

So, now that you’ve committed to cycling 30 minutes a day, you may be wondering how you can sustain that moving forward! Here are some effective, easy-to-apply suggestions from the experts.

• Add healthier foods to your diet. By eating healthier and incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your meals, you’ll have more energy to put towards your workouts, Goodman explained. Why does this matter? When you’re better fueled, you’ll be able to sustain working out daily, and cycle at a higher intensity with more resistance.
• Mix up indoor and outdoor cycling. Although Sayer doesn’t feel there’s a significant difference between cycling indoors or biking outside, rotating between indoor and outdoor workouts at least seasonally is an easy way to add variety to your routine.
• Find a cycling buddy. Sayer suggests cycling with a friend, to keep one another accountable and to “support each other, which will make it more fun.” And if your friend isn’t close in proximity, no worries — you can also hop on a call as you cycle together, keeping each other virtual company during each session!

On one of her many days in the hospital in 2017, Cathy asked her partner not to tell the nursing staff they were married. She’d been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, and Cathy feared the care she got would suffer if the staff knew she was a lesbian.

“She says, ‘Don’t tell the nurses that we’re married,’” said Cathy’s wife, Esther Lucero. “And I said, ‘Why?’ And she says, ‘Because they’re treating you differently. They’re treating me differently.’”

According to a study recently published in The Gerontologist, older people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer often face discrimination during end-of-life care. They’re also more likely to have their health care wishes ignored or disregarded.

Many LGBTQ seniors go back into the closet because of a lack of family or social support in health care, assisted living and hospice facilities.

In the hospitals, Lucero initially told health care staff that Cathy was her wife. She said some responded well, while others seemed off-put. And that bothered Cathy. Looking back, Lucero said she thought they were treated differently at times because they were gay. One nurse seemed to avoid Cathy’s room. And sometimes others would wait for Lucero to leave before telling Cathy details about her condition.

“I was hurt,” Lucero said. “We had waited so long to be married. And to me, it was like, ‘Hey, I’m married to her.’ And it just hurt. I don’t even know how to say it. I know I cried that night.”

Lucero met Cathy in 1980 while they worked together in Denver. At first, they were friends.

“It was nothing at the beginning,” Lucero said. “But she told me, ‘The first day I met you, I said I want to spend the rest of my life with that girl.’”

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

After a few years, they started dating. Then they moved in together and bought a house. In 2015, they got married. But a couple years later, they both got sick with what seemed like bad colds. Lucero improved, but Cathy got sicker. After a few trips to the hospital, a doctor finally discovered Cathy had T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. She died six months later at age 63.

The loss devastated Lucero, who had few places to turn for support. CPR News agreed not to use Cathy’s last name because Lucero said she was very private about being a lesbian. Lucero said they never held hands or kissed in public. Their families knew they lived together, but some thought it was just as roommates. Other relatives refused to discuss or accept that they were in love. They’d also kept their relationship a secret from a lot of colleagues and neighbors.

That’s common for older LGBTQ adults, said Carey Candrian, an assistant professor and researcher at the University of Colorado. And many feel isolated, she added.

“And I just get chills when I say that, because I think for people who don’t identify as LGBT, I think it’s so easy to forget the work that hiding requires,” Candrian said.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — KCBS reporter Liam Mayclem will be providing KPIX 5 users with a weekly tip list on how best to survive the current coronavirus outbreak.

MUSIC: A FAREWELL SONG TO TRUMP
Rap artist Macklemore says farewell to POTUS 45 with a high-octane, in your face, free-flowing rap. The song digs at the last POTUS and those on the left and right of him, so there is some unity here with equal treatment for supporters and not. It’s Macklemore at his poetic & political best. The song has been streamed more than 8 million times. Find the video and one take song on YouTube.
youtu.be/oq39hsXuG94

READ MORE: Asian American Attacks: San Francisco DA Boudin to Represent Prosecution at Stabbing Case Arraignment

MOVIE: BLACK PANTHER DRAMA
Coming Soon
“Judas The Black Messiah” is the story of an FBI informant and his relationship with Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. It’s an intense film set during intense times in late 60s Chicago. A solid cast under the direction of Shaka King has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. The film premieres at Sundance on Feb 1st and hits theaters in the Bay soon after. The movie trailer has just been released.
youtu.be/sSjtGqRXQ9

FOOD: CRAB FEAST IN TOMALES
The historic William Tell House in Tomales Bay in Marin County is inviting one-and-all to a Dungeness crab season tailgate. Join Chef Austin Perkins for a meal to remember. $80 per person gets you fresh, local Dungeness crab (out of the water less than 24 hours), garlic noodles, cheesy sourdough, seasonal green salad with brownies for dessert – YUM YUM CRABBY YUM!
eventbrite.com/e/crab-tailgate-on-jan-23rd-tickets-13720691457

EAT: SUNDAY SUPPER TO GO
Ritu Indian restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District is serving up meal kits for you to enjoy at home. With Chef Rupam at the helm, the cuisine is the best of authentic Indian and the seasonality (Ritu) of California produce. The meal kits give you the chance to assemble your own plates and it’s a better bet too as not all food to go travels well. Chef’s Sunday Supper is a must to enjoy and a bonus sous chef, Rupam’s Mom so you know the Sunday feast is cooked with a little extra love. Order a day ahead.
rituhome.square.site

FUNDRAISER: JEFFERSON AWARDS
Wednesday 5:30pm
Join me for a lively discussion with special guests for the Jefferson Awards Pre-show. Among the guests, San Francisco Giants Manager Gabe Kapler. The local Jefferson Awards are in partnership in the Bay Area with KCBS & KPIX.
Instagram @BayArea4Good
multiplyinggood.org

NETFLIX AND CHILL: NARCOS MEXICO
Season 3 of Narcos Mexico is now streaming on Netflix. A spinoff of Narcos, which focused on Pablo Escobar’s reign as Colombia’s now-infamous drug lord, Narcos Mexico recounts the origin of the modern war on drugs in the country. Many of the early stars (Diego Luna, Michael Pena) have departed but the compelling story and solid acting makes this a must-watch show. Binge-worthy for sure.
netflix.com/title/80997085

READ MORE: COVID: In California, Vaccinations Are Priority But Testing Matters

FESTIVAL: BAY AREA BOOK FEST
SAVE THE DATE May 1st – 9th
The long-running Bay Area Book Festival usually held at this time has been pushed to May. The website just relaunched features past authors Alice Waters, Michael Pollen, R.O. Kwon and many more.
baybookfest.org

DONATE: FOOD BANKS
In a world turned upside down the need for our Food Banks is a great as its ever been. Please consider donations of non perishable goods, cash or sign up to be a volunteer. Every little bit helps.
sfmfoodbank.org

Have a great weekend.

Please email ideas to: liamsf@aol.com

Follow me on socials @liammayclem

MORE NEWS: Firefighters Knock Down 2-Alarm Fire at Walnut Creek Senior Facility; Explosions Reported

Stay home. Stay Safe. Wear a mask.

It’s A Sin starts like so many other coming-of-age TV shows and films: young people escaping their homes, in search of a dazzling future in the big city. But for this gang of friends, who find each other in London’s gay community in the early Eighties, a shadow is looming.

Insidiously, the Aids epidemic creeps into their lives, first through radio and TV news reports, then scurrilous tabloid rumours and hushed talk in bars, until suddenly the mystery illness reaches people they know.

Though the plot and characters are fictional, creator Russell T Davies drew on his own experiences as a young, gay man growing up during the Eighties for It’s a Sin. As such, the stories that emerge from the series are a true depiction of how British society ostracised and pilloried those living with – and dying from – this horrifying new disease.

In episode one, when Colin (Callum Scott Howells), the gentle apprentice tailor, goes to visit his friend Henry (Neil Patrick Harris) in hospital, he finds him locked up, alone in a ward, with his meals dumped outside the door. When another character is diagnosed with Aids, he’s also put under lock and key in hospital, this time legally, under a Public Health Act. Meanwhile, funeral homes refuse to bury the bodies of those with Aids-related illnesses, while families burn the belongings of the deceased.

Ben BlackallChannel 4

These shameful cases haven’t been embellished for dramatic purposes, says Ian Green, CEO of the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT). The producers of the show consulted with THT – the charity’s former director of policy acted as an advisor on the series – to help develop storylines that reflected situations gay men actually found themselves in during the Eighties. “The story of the main character locked up under the Public Health Act,” says Green, “this was a real life case that the Trust were involved with and did a lot of campaigning work on. With legal help – who you can also see in the series – we fought really hard to have that person released.”

Green – who was 18 at the beginning of the Aids epidemic – adds: “There was so much misinformation around, because people didn’t know what the virus was. From politicians to the medical community, many people didn’t want to know about it, and there was a real lack of understanding how the virus was contracted, and that perpetuated the fear and led to the stigma that still remains today.

“There was a sense of doom in that we didn’t know how it was going to pan out.”

Channel 4

The beginning of the Aids and HIV crisis

The first cases of the new disease were recorded in America in 1981, among the gay community, which led to it originally being labelled Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). Shortly after, the UK saw its first deaths, including Terry Higgins, who died in 1982 aged 37.

The Conservative government of the day, led by Margaret Thatcher, failed to address the crisis until it had spiralled into an epidemic. From the first deaths, it took a staggering four years for the government to even put together a committee and public health messaging campaign.

In that time, it wasn’t just the virus that was getting a stronghold, but the rumours and conspiracy theories around the disease.

As the naive skeptic Ritchie (Olly Alexander) repeats in It’s A Sin: “They say it was set up in a laboratory to kill us…it’s the Russians…it’s from the jungle.” He also latches on to early messaging, which identified the groups most at risk as homosexuals, Haitians, haemophiliacs and heroin users. He jokes: “Like there’s a disease which just targets the letter ‘h’. Who’s it going to get next? People from Hartlepool?”

At the time, tabloids gleefully ran inhumane headlines like ‘Britain threatened by gay virus plague’ (Mail on Sunday) and ‘I’d shoot my son if he had Aids, says vicar!’ (News Of The World). Meanwhile, those living with the virus were demonised by establishment figures like the chief constable of Greater Manchester, James Anderton – a former minister who believed he had a direct line to God – who referred to patients as “swirling in a human cesspit of their own making”. For many on the religious right, who took issue with homosexuality on supposedly ‘moral’ grounds, the disease now ravaging the gay community was considered some sort of divine retribution.

Channel 4

“There was a huge focus on homophobia as this was affecting a marginalised group,” Green says. “This was a sense of pervading immorality and gay people were seen as immoral. Many people said, ‘well they deserved it, didn’t they?’ It took an awful long time for politicians and clinicians to take action.

“The worst misstep in the handling of the crisis was the delay, not taking it seriously. It was people who set up the THT and activists, who needed to fight to make it happen. Without the heroic willingness of these people and their protests, I worry the government would have taken much longer to take action and many more thousands of people would have died.”

‘Don’t Die of Ignorance’

As the virus continued to spread, misinformation proved equally transmissible. In 1987, a full five years after the first Aids deaths, the Football Association started the season by warning its players not to use communal baths or swap shirts at the end of matches. A campaign that accurately explained Aids and the virus that caused it, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was desperately needed.

That came in the form of a hard-hitting advert, known as the tombstone campaign. According to Norman Fowler, the health secretary at the time who was instrumental in its creation, it was “the biggest public health campaign there’s ever been in this country”.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The 40-second advert – directed by Nicolas Roeg – features explosions, dark metal chimes and an ominous tombstone with the word ‘Aids’ carved into it. The advert was groundbreaking because it targeted the disease, rather than the people who were infected. For the first time, it made clear to the public that the virus could be passed on by sexual intercourse, and that “anyone could get it, man or woman”. The spot finished with an enduring strapline: “Don’t die of ignorance”. Leaflets with the same title went through the letterbox of every household in the UK.

There are now mixed feelings about this campaign among the community, Green explains.

“I want to give a huge amount of credit to Norman Fowler, who was one of the first politicians who took HIV seriously. He really had to persuade Margaret Thatcher to allow this national awareness campaign to take place. I’m certain it saved lives.

“However, with hindsight, it was so raw, even today many people’s beliefs about HIV are based on what we knew in the Nineties. It did an awful lot to perpetuate stigma. We now know that HIV is a manageable condition, that people on treatment can now have a normal life expectancy. Things have changed massively, but people’s opinions haven’t. But it was right for the time and was absolutely vital.”

Steve EasonGetty Images

Section 28

Sadly, information became even harder for young people to come by with the introduction of Section 28, the 1988 law that stated a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. In other words, the discussion of same-sex relationships was functionally banned in classrooms. In It’s a Sin, Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) is shown being forced to remove books from the school library that might “promote a homosexual lifestyle”.

It was another blatant display of the homophobia that ran through the heart of government. In 1987, Thatcher said: “Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay. All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life.” This knee-jerk reaction is still being felt in classrooms today, and even though it was repealed in 2003 (and David Cameron called it a ‘mistake’ in 2009) LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall says just 13 per cent of students say they have been taught about same-sex relationships in the classroom.

By the start of the Nineties, high profile celebrities and royalty began to use their platforms to raise awareness for the disease. Elton John set up his Aids foundation in 1993, and Princess Diana began visiting patients in hospital, where she reiterated it was safe to shake hands. “Colleagues tell me she used to visit privately as well,” says Green. “She used to go in late at night and would sit with the young men to comfort them. Many of them were ostracised by their families, so many of them were dying on their own. To have somebody like the Princess who would spend time with them was so important.”

Tim GrahamGetty Images

While there has been a vast progress in the treatment of Aids and HIV in this country – it’s no longer a death sentence, and with the right treatment, it’s impossible for those living with HIV to pass it on – It’s A Sin will take many people back to a time of fear and confusion in the UK.

“I think it’s really important that the generation today understands the real impact of HIV on the community, and the pain that people still feel,” says Green. “I think it’s going to trigger a lot in people of my generation. In my group of close friends, we lost four friends to HIV, and this is going to be a time we will remember them. But it will bring back tough memories.

“The fact that Russell T Davies is doing it – he’s an amazing writer and producer – there’s no one better, because of his own personal experiences of being a gay man at that time. I think it’s a story that’s been waiting to be told.”

It’s A Sin starts on Channel 4 on Friday 22 January at 9pm.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact the Terrence Higgins Trust on 0808 802 1221 or by emailing info@tht.org.uk

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Denver Ambassador Brian, friend of LGBT Outdoors Sarah, founder Justin Yoder and creative director Patrick Thompson hiking in Colorado.

Getting back to nature, the LGBTQ way

You don’t have to go to a gym to get the exercise you need to stay fit and healthy. In fact, sometimes you can get more exercise — and have more fun — if you head outdoors. That’s the idea behind LGBT Outdoors, a group founded by Dallasite Justin Yoder to give LGBTQ people an outlet that combines outdoor adventures and camaraderie.

It began about a year-and-a-half ago when Yoder started an Instagram account featuring LGBTQ people who love the outdoors. It grew quickly and now has six chapters around the country. While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the organization’s gatherings, Yoder said he hopes things will be ramping up again soon with the group’s first national gathering planned for September.

Yoder took a few minutes recently to answer some questions for Dallas Voice and introduce his organization to the broader community,

— Tammye Nash

Dallas Voice: How did LGBT Outdoors get started, and how long has it been around? Justin Yoder: The outdoors has always played a big role in my life. I grew up on a farm in Missouri and have always loved what the outdoors had to offer. After coming out in 2010, I wondered if there was still a place for me in the outdoors. For a long time, I didn’t see one. So I started an Instagram account to feature members of the LGBTQ community who also loved the outdoors. I wanted to show the world that the outdoor space isn’t just for straight white guys — and that the LGBTQ+ community was equally capable of exploring, enjoying, and tackling the rugged wilderness.

Nearly immediately, the response from LGBTQ+ people was through the roof. About a year-and-a-half later, we still get messages saying, “I thought I was the only one!” Or “I’ve finally found my tribe!”

This over-the-top response clearly told us that the outdoor world was a place that many LGBTQ+ people long for — and that a way to help facilitate connection was needed.

Fort Worth Ambassador Kenneth fishing at Rainbow Ranch

Is this a local organization? Or is it statewide or national with local chapters? While we are homegrown and based here in the DFW Metroplex, we currently have six chapters across the U.S. DFW, Houston, New York, Chicago, Denver and Orange, Calif. Each chapter is led by a vetted LGBT+ Outdoors ambassador. Our ambassadors are incredibly passionate about the outdoors and have diverse backgrounds from IT, the U.S. military, police — there’s even a neuroscience student. We give our ambassadors a decent level of freedom to choose and host event activities, as the terrain, outdoors culture and local natural offerings vary from chapter to chapter.

How does one become a member? Are there rules or dues involved? We currently don’t have a “membership.” We curate a lively family/community in our private Facebook groups. We have a main group and local groups for each of our chapters.

In order to protect those who are not “out,” we keep our groups private and screen each person who wants to join. Our main Facebook group currently has more than 3,200 “family members,” which is thrilling since we only recently created it in April of last year. We ask that those who join our Facebook groups simply respect each other and our community culture. You can find the group at Facebook.com/groups/LGBTOutdoors.

What do you think are the main advantages of participating in the group? The chance to socialize; opportunities for physical fitness activities….something else? Nearly any doctor will tell you that physical activity of any sort is good for you, even better in the fresh air of a wild landscape. Most doctors will also tell you that having a sense of community — a sense of belonging — is vitally important as well, especially in a pandemic.

Even if most interaction is virtual at the moment (Facebook groups, virtual happy hours, etc.), we’ve been overjoyed to see the conversations and connections taking place. Our primary mission is to connect the LGBTQ+ community with the outdoors — and to each other. We want to be a safe place for people to genuinely feel a part of something, away from the chaos and noise of the bars and clubs.

Kayaking at White Rock Lake

Do you offer a variety of events to accommodate people of varying levels of ability/physical fitness? Do you guys mainly do activities in the warmer months, or do you have winter activities, too? Do you have a schedule of upcoming events? I’ll answer these all together, as the answers sort of blur together. While getting started last year, we did successfully have a small handful of in-person events — all with Covid-compliant social distancing, extremely limited capacity, masks, etc. We’ve hosted varied events — from hiking and kayaking in DFW, fishing in Houston, national park visits in Colorado and Wyoming, hiking in New York and even a volunteer trash clean up in California.

The pandemic has obviously slowed things down as we can’t do what we want to do safely.

Orange County Ambassador Riley snorkeling

That being said, we do like hiking as a frequent event. Hiking has a very low barrier of entry. Nearly anyone can do it with tennis shoes and a water bottle in hand. Amateur hiking doesn’t require any costly gear or months of training.
As we continue to grow (and create a larger support base), we intend to offer many more in-person events to satisfy the needs of all ability levels to the best of our capability. But we always want everyone to feel welcome, no matter their experience level.

And once Covid is safely pushed back, we are open to nearly all outdoor activities. While we have our core structure, LGBT+ Outdoors is very much a community-driven machine. Feedback and input from “the fam” is both wanted AND needed. When the community says, “Hey! Let’s do THIS!” then our ambassadors will take that input and try to put it into action. This is important because popular activities in Texas might not be received well in California or New York — and vice versa.

New York Ambassador Craig and his boyfriend hiking in Utah

New York and Illinois have snowy mountains for skiing and snowboarding. California has its famous beaches, which are great year-round for surfing, camping, or just beach-bumming. Nature is 24/7/365, and there’s no reason why we can’t be as well. You can hike the same trail in the middle of winter AND the middle of summer, and it will be two completely different experiences.

As I’ve said, COVID — especially recently with the tragic jump in cases — has gotten to a point where we choose not to continue with our in-person events. So they’re on hold for the moment. We hope to be able to restart them in the spring, pending COVID numbers and local guidelines and regulations.

Amber and Katie exploring some trails around Dallas

We are, however, in the early stages of planning our first nationwide weekend event, LGBT+ OutdoorFEST Sept. 24-26, at one of Texas’ favorite LGBT+-owned campgrounds, Rainbow Ranch, LGBT+ Outdoorfest will welcome “family” from across the nation for a gathering of camping, kayaking, hiking, education, community and much more! This will be a campout open to our entire LGBT+ Outdoors family and will include workshops, community experiences and some epic social time that can only be created outdoors.

What else do you think people need to know about the LGBT Outdoors? We want all LGBTQ+ people to know that there is a place for them in nature! Sure, the bars and clubs can be fun, but when it comes to feeding your spirit, what can be better that getting outdoors? We have a number of resources on our website, and, as soon as it is safe to host events again, we will be ramping back up with a variety of events around DFW such as kayaking, hiking and camping. So stay tuned and watch our website, LGBTOutdoors.com, for information.