Denver's Altitude

[Guest FourAces]

I am going to be spending time in Denver ... longer than I prefer. Anyway, I am a big guy as in overweight and not so young. Most of my life has been at sea level or slightly above like when I lived in Las Vegas.

I am wondering if the lack of oxygen (for lack of better words) will create problem for me. Does anybody know or have experience with living in a high altitude city?

[alanalt]

Obviously you'll want to be alert for symptoms such as headaches, dizzy spells or shortness of breath while you're there - but unless you're planning to live a very different lifestyle while you're in Denver as opposed to what you do at home, you should be fine. In other words, running 5 miles a day in Denver if you're a 'couch potato' at home might not be the wisest idea. Generally, for the first few days, you should give yourself a little extra time if you have to walk someplace very far and remember to pace yourself if there are lots of stairs involved. Of course, if you have some underlying medical conditions, you may want to check with your doctor, but, otherwise, I'm a 'big guy' who has bounced back and forth from sea-level to high-altitude locales and rarely notice a thing after the first day or so...

Alan

[Guest FourAces]

Alan thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

[lookin]

I am going to be spending time in Denver ... longer than I prefer. Anyway, I am a big guy as in overweight and not so young. Most of my life has been at sea level or slightly above like when I lived in Las Vegas.

You may want to pack some smaller sizes too. A recent German study showed that overweight men lost an average of three pounds after just a week at high altitudes. No excercise, no dieting, just being high made them lose weight.

Funny, it usually has the opposite effect on me.