went out this morning and walked on Spring Lake Boardwalk... remember how i said i was setting the alarm for 7:45am? yeah, well, i didn't hear it. wound up waking up at 8:30 and then checked the pedometer --- i thought it was charging because last night when i had it hooked up to the laptop, it had power.
alas, when I unplugged it this A.M. it was dead. so i went to cvs and bought an eyeglass screwdriver and a lithium battery. it did the trick.
sooooo, off i went to SL Boards and because of still moving a little gingerly because of my back, i didn't want to overdo it.
I walked from the south end up to the Essex & Sussex Hotel (it's no longer a hotel, but, i grew up knowing it as one.) and that's 0.5 miles the one way... so i turned around and made it the half mile back and then did a bunch of stretches and all that.
felt good. didn't go crazy. the body wasn't saying "what the eff?" but i still got a workout. did the mile in 18 minutes --- not bad for having a uncooperative lower torso.
here are the stats:
STEPS : 2490
AEROBIC STEPS : 2082
AEROBIC WALKING TIME : 18 MINUTES
CALORIES BURNED : 123
DISTANCE : 1.10 MILES
FAT BURNED : 7.2
Welcome to the YapFest (4 yapped)
You should also get something to measure your heart rate during workouts to help determine your target heart rate and maintain that rate during your walks.
Interesting reading:
http://ellipticaltrainers.com/info/heart_monitor.htm
www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html
thanks - yeah i've had the HR monitors on my Amazon wish list for a while.
You can pick up a cheap Blood Pressure monitor and any drug store. I bought one at WalMart for like 30 bucks that also measures your pulse.
If you're starting a new exercise routine, you should measure your heart rate before you start (resting HR) and after you finish (recovery HR). Keep track of these numbers for about a month. I used to have a worksheet that I would record all of my heart rates on.
When I played soccer in college, I was introduced to the Fartlek training method. Funny name - yes - but it's a great workout.
During the course of a soccer match, you are not running at one constant speed. You're either walking, jogging, running or sprinting in small bursts. And that's exactly what the Fartlek method entails. I used to wake up at 6AM, head down to the track at the park and do about 5 miles. Studies have shown that soccer players run anywhere from 3-6 miles during a 90-minute match (unless you're a goalie). I used to divide the track into quarters and start off walking the first 1/4 lap, then picked it up to a jog for the next 1/4 lap, sped up to a run for the next 1/4 lap and then sprinted the last 1/4 lap to the starting line where I would start the cycle all over again. Over a period of about 3 months, I was down to 4% body fat. A change in diet also helped.
I'm not suggesting you try the Fartlek method just yet. In your case, you have to determine your maximum heart rate, find your target heart rate and maintain that rate for the entire duration of your walking session. Before you know it, you build up your endurance and graduate to a brisk walk and even a slow jog.
If you're serious about getting in shape, the key to your exercise program is this: no stopping at Dunkin' Donuts afterwards. You'll also have to cut out the takeout foods for dinner like the sandwiches from Domino's Pizza...
thanks nick. i'm walking and doing ww.
thanks for the input though