Missed a day of posting but I'll catch up. I've been quite busy cooking meals, crunching Mars data, and teaching spin class.
Speaking of which, let's talk about exercise. I tend to do much better when I am "all in." Meaning, I need to be following an exercise plan as well as a plan of healthy eating to really stick with it. I just FEEL better when I exercise. Plus, when trying to stick to my calorie allotment for the day, I really need to burn those extra calories, so I can eat them!
One tough part about coming back to exercise after being gone for awhile is that feeling that you should be able to do more, run longer and stronger, lift heavier. Its hard to start small and build back up, but I've made the mistake in the past of going all out for a week and then being in too much pain to continue, or just too tired, or burned out.
So my original plan was to start slow, 3-4 days a week of 45 min of cardio, plus following the 90 day squat and pushup challenge on lift, which gives you a daily mini-workout. Click this link for all the plans available. They start slow and build. Come on, you can do 1 set of 5 squats and 1 set of 5 pushups. I'm up to 3 sets of 6 squats and pushups.
My week was going to be:
Mon - teach spin, 45 min
Tues - teach spin, 45 min
Weds - rest
Thurs - run/walk 45 min
Fri - rest
Sat or Sun - Swim 45 min
However, I got a text from someone wanting me to sub for their Weds. night spin class, so I did. The thermostat has been broken in the spin room, so Monday AM it was 58 degrees. Tues. AM it was 48 degrees! And tonight? 80 degrees???? My heart rate was way up. I do realize that when I teach, sometimes I slack. But I've been monitoring my heart rate to make sure I'm really working.
When estimating calories burned, we often overestimate. Which can lead to overeating, if we put these values into an app like myfitnesspal and assume we've burned more than we have. So I'm very conservative when estimating my calorie burn. I know there are lots of things like fit bits etc., but even simply monitoring your heart rate through a 6 second count (and multiplying by 10) can give you a lot of information. Review the heart rate zones, and how to calculate your target heart rates for these zones. Remember, for weight loss and cardiovascular health, most of your workouts should be performed in the Aerobic zone.
Uh I guess I'm in Anerobic most of the time I'm running and cycling I'm back and forth, though I rarely wear my hrm for cycling. Maybe I will tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIts ok to be in anaerobic for brief periods of high intensity, like for intervals. But you are supposed to come back down after an interval into a more moderate heart rate zone. Also, there are a whole bunch of different ways to calculate your maximum heart rate, which affects the zones. Some calculations require you to include your resting heart rate, which gives some information about how efficiently your heart is working/how in shape you are. Also, some people's heart rates run higher than others, and things like any medications you take can affect your heart rate. If you ran in the aerobic zone, I bet you'd be able to build more endurance and run for longer.
DeleteThanks for the link to Lift...it looks like a good tool!! I use fitbit and myfitnesspal to track my exercise, but try not to "eat back" all of the cals in case it's overestimated :)
ReplyDeleteLift is great! Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew, but its still inspiring, and it can be good for more than just fitness/diet. Its really good for trying to develop new habits.
DeleteI think I need a fitbit!