After over a week of no exercise, the longest break this year, I’m back on the treadmill, to see if my feet can take it. Moderate workout, but at least I’m doing something.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 3:17 PM CDT
June 23rd, 2005
Back on the Track
June 9th, 2005
Double Trouble
A very busy day. Did a full workout at home with half an hour on the treadmill, and the usual stretches and strength training. Followed that later with at least an hour working and digging in the garden. Managed to injure my toe by dropping some garden tools on it.
Then my trainer invited my down to his gym, for a late night strength session. My toe hurts badly, but I can do the strength stuff, since I don’t have to run around.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 10:58 PM CDT
June 6th, 2005
Maybe I’m Trying Too Hard
I just found this BBC Report - Keeping fit may only take minutes
Keeping fit and healthy may not require hours of physical exercise every week, research suggests.
Are they kidding? You mean I don’t have to work out at least an hour a day. Well on further reading I guess I have to keep to it, since it seems it may only apply to those who are fit. Maybe some day.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 11:17 PM CDT
June 5th, 2005
Payoff
It’s been a week since my decision to change the eating. So from the five meals a day routine I’ve pretty much switched to eat when I’m hungry. Other than that, I do make sure to eat breakfast, and I try to eat something after I workout. The result is that I’m eating two to four meals a day. So over the last week I lost 2-3 pounds. Now I know this goes against all the advice, but if it works - good. Current weight 295 - the goal from February was 250 by September, that means I now have to lose four pounds per week - not good.
My leg muscles have now much better control, I can sit down in a chair slowly with control, without falling into it, that’s taken two months of slow buildup, but a clear measure of improvement.
On a negative note, my general stamina and energy is low, probably from lack of sleep. And my back is causing problems again, sometimes it stabs as I get out of a chair, so I’ve cut back on the ball exercises for the week.
May 23rd, 2005
Hiking
I woke up without too much pain from yesterday, so while I was on a roll, I went on a hike. One of my goals for this summer, is a fairly hard hike to a place with a good view for photos. I’ve done parts of it before, but never got to the end. My guess is that it’s a four to six hour round trip and I need to build up some stamina. Today I decided to hit a part of it that has a hard up and down hill section that’s full of rocks. So it’s not just hard to do, but requires a lot of balancing and jumping around rocks. When I’ve done this sort of trek before I always had a walking stick, but forgot to take it. The nice thing was that my trainer has build up my ability, and I didn’t need the stick, my balance and uphill capability is vastly improved.
But I think I overdid it - around two hours total including up and down the hill with the rocks, and up and down another one. Six hours later, I’m beginning to feel the pain.
Bottom of the first hill about to cross the swamp and up the second hill
In the middle of the swamp
No good pictures of the second hill. This is coming back up to the top of the first rocky hill.
Looking back down
May 22nd, 2005
Outside Finally
Despite my ambitions of fixing the bike a month ago. I never made it out of the driveway till now. So my first ride, in I think, three years. Today I got free access to a gym.
Half an hour ride to the gym, so much for thinking I’m in condition, six months of treadmill does not get the legs ready for pumping the pedals. I made it, but my legs were wiped. My trainer counted that as a warmup, very kind of him.
Over an hour doing strength workups, on very strange looking devices. The last time I was in a gym was about 25 years ago, and I don’t recognize most of what was there. One thing I see, is that despite all the clever things that can be done at home with no equipment, some muscles are hard to work out that way. Those muscles, I think, will be in great pain tomorrow morning. I got a nice mini-massage and stretch at the end, he said I might need it to get home.
Made it home in 25 minutes - barely. After putting the bike away, I started walking down some steps and almost fell over, one of my legs was totally gellified, guess it burnt up all the fuel.
Tomorrow I was planning on going hiking…. we’ll see what happens.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 4:06 PM CDT
May 17th, 2005
A New Treadmill Workout
Tried something new today suggested by my trainer.
- Warm up for 10 minutes at a medium fast walk
- Run for a minute - medium fast
- Slow to down to a fast walk for 30 seconds
- Repeat the walk/run alternation for 20 minutes
- Taper off for 5 minutes
Earlier this week I’d been playing with one minute walk - one minute runs and could do that ok, so this seemed simple, but it was very hard. Really pushed me to my limit, and was soaked by the time I finished. He claimed this will help push the weight down, since I seem to be stuck again.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 3:25 PM CDT
April 29th, 2005
Double Time
With my changed schedule, and eating out, my week has been messed up. Skipped a couple of days workout, took it too easy on the other days and could not see my trainer till today. So he decided to do make up on me.
First a double time on the treadmill, alternating walking with bursts of running and getting faster each time. So my 15 minute warmup was harder then a half hour regular session. Then he followed that by stretches and some stair pushups. Dropped my down to the second step, for the last few weeks I’ve been on the third step and trying to increase my reps.
Barely able to catch my breath I then did three stair walk-ups two at a time. My kids think - what’s the big deal about going up two steps at a time, and I ask them to do it carrying a hundred pounds on their back. Anyway, I was able to do it - easier than I thought. But he must have seen my smirk, so after two minutes to catch my breath, he made me go up another three times.
Followed all that by another half hour of stretching and crunches and knee bends and ball work. At the end of which I could barely stand up.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 4:56 PM CDT
April 20th, 2005
Sickness - When to Exercise
My trainer showed up and insisted I exercise despite still feeling sick. Left on my own, I would have waited at least another day. So I did a full intensive hour of workout and felt much better. It almost seemed that it burnt out the remnants of the sickness, in retrospect I think I should have started yesterday.
It’s difficult trying to balance this - I think when I’m really sick that doing intensive workouts is too stressful on the body, so how does one decide that the body is now well enough to get back on the track?
I’ve been looking for links - and have not found much - just this one so far.
Rest or Exercise When Sick? Here are some exercise guidelines to follow if an athlete is sick. Remember to always consult a physician if there is any doubt about an athlete’s safety:
If the symptoms are from the neck up (e.g., nasal congestion from the common cold), moderate, supervised exercise should be acceptable.
When symptoms are spread throughout the body, such as a fever, chills or muscle aches associated with the flu, the safest approach is to avoid all exercise until the symptoms are completely gone. At that point, a slow return to a normal exercise routine should be followed.
Never attempt to “sweat out” a feverish illness with intense exercise. In some athletes, exercising when sick can lead to a severely debilitating condition known as post-viral fatigue syndrome. Symptoms include weakness, increased fatigue, frequent infections and depression and can persist for several months or even years.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 3:35 PM CDT
April 13th, 2005
Time to Cycle
With a weather getting warmer it’s time to consider cycling outside again. I have a stationary bike that my wife uses sometimes, but I have not been on for years.
With all the workouts over the last few weeks I figured it would be a breeze. Well the breahing and lung capacity wer good, but the different motion in the legs shows what the tradmeill does not work on.
I started with a ten minute warm up on the treadmill then switched to the bike.
My quadriceps started to burn after 12 minutes. By the time I got to fifteen minutes, the pain was agonizing, I pushed to complete 20 minutes which had been my goal, but I could hardly stand after, legs like jelly and my arms shaking. I followed with 30 minutes of stretching and floow work.
The good thing was that the next day - no aches and pains.
Posted by Administrator as Training at 1:16 PM CDT