I don't think walking is enough cardio for me. I don't think it gets my heart rate up high enough. I just took a mile walk here at work. There was a fair variety of terrain, but even so, I don't think my heart rate rose much above my resting rate. HOWEVER, and here is the rub, I know I need to work harder to get my heart rate up, but my BODY can barely manage the walk!! Seriously! I almost couldn't make the mile because my ankle muscles were KILLING me! I also have a blister on the back of my heel - but that has nothing to do with physical stamina.
So what do I do? Maybe my heart is getting up higher than I realize... but I don't think so. I know if I could run for part of it that would help - but I could barely WALK... Sigh.
Yesterday was crappy for food. I had a piece of fudge, junior mints, cheese curls (not in all one sitting) and sushi for dinner. All told, however, according to my arm noose (really hurts, I think I need a bigger arm band) I burned about 1000 calories more than I consumed. My average (for the three days I have worn it) is an 864 calorie daily deficit. So, if THAT is true, I should lose a pound and a half this week (if I keep up at this pace, which I see no reason why I shouldn't). I guess we will see...
5 comments:
Are you changing your shoes to walk at work? Be sure to wear decent support consistently. I switched over entirely to Dansko's around Christmas and my plantar fasciitis is so much better; not cured, but SO much better. I also have issues with my right ankle and I am not sure what the deal is there. I may have to break down and see a doctor. Blah.
Amy -- keep walking. Don't worry about your heart rate right now. By walking your are pushing your metabolic rate higher and it will remain elevated after you complete the walk.
Like Julie said, make sure you wear good shoes and socks and do what you can. If you're consistent you'll notice gradual, inspiring improvements.
A few years back I walked to build up to running again and that led to running races including a 10-miler.
So don't discount any bit of exercise you get. Just make sure you're feet are properly equipped.
Keep up the good work.
I did switch to my athletic shoes, but I kind of wish I left my work shoes on. They are Born sandals and so give good support even though they ARE sandals. However, those shoes are my secondary pair, and probably should be thrown away.
Amy, I agree with Vicki. It's not just your heart that needs to get into shape; your body will get there, too. Keep doing the walks, because your body needs the weight-bearing work. If you're *also* wanting to get your heart rate up, you could try something non-weight-bearing at the gym. There's always swimming -- a few laps and my heart rate skyrockets, when I haven't been swimming regularly! My gym doesn't have a pool, though, so I like to put the stationary bike on a moderate level of resistance (and random setting so I get some breaks and some tough work) and push the RPMs up to 70-90; at this time of year, I sweat buckets that way. My heart rate doesn't go up as high as on the elliptical (which is (obviously) weight-bearing), but it still gets up to the 150s at the peaks.
But I do not think you should replace the walking with the gym work -- the walking is something you can stick to, and your body needs a little weight-bearing work every day. I really think at this point the gym work should be supplemental on days when you feel like you need to sweat.
I agree with Vicki--keep up with the walking for now and don't worry about the heart rate. Remember that we seem to have high heart rates to begin with, and if I went by the "rate of perceived exertion" scale, I'd be working at way too high of a rate--I don't notice my heart rate affecting my breathing/speaking until it gets into the 170s and 180s (and for moderate cardio you want to be working in the 130s to 140s). So I'd work on the assumption that your heart rate is higher than you think it is, but also on the assumption that it doesn't really matter because you also want to make sure you don't injure yourself. Within a few weeks the activity will start to feel easier and then you can push yourself a bit more.
Did I mention the exercises for strengthening ankle muscles? I could show them to you--I didn't realize that I had sprained my ankle so much over the years that I had developed scar tissue. We have such skinny ankles compared to our bodies that we have to be careful.
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