Today's walk is for my little friend Jack. Today is his 5th birthday. Jack's momma has been a constant source of stability and inspiration to me since our college days. Jack is lucky to have a wonderful family, and I wish him a great birthday!
This morning I am sore. When I rolled out of bed, I felt sore all over, but after some coffee and moving around, the soreness concentrated in my gluts ("my seat cushion"). I took the doggie for a nice 32 minute walk this morning. Nice, haha. More like "not nice."
Once we left the house, it didn't take long to realize that I should have worn shorts instead of track pants and a big ol' t-shirt (it hides the rolls). I was anticipating crisp fall air, but WRONGO! It is already a hot one today, and that made for a miserable walk.
Hence the word of this morning: numbness. Just walk and forget how hot it is, girl. Just be numb and MOVE. Who are these crazy skinny aerobics instructors who say, "Go for a walk and enjoy your surroundings and you'll be happier and more fit!" SHOOOOOOOT, not today, you fruit loops. I ignored my surroundings, I was not grateful for the beautiful day and my happy happy life. I saw where I was going, but I didn't LOOK. Phooey. It was just hot and I was yucky sweaty. But I did it. And it's over.
Good grief, some little rolls of fat have crept up on my back and I can feel them spilling over and sticking to the underside. And my arms have expanded up near the shoulder and they rub my sides. I'm remembering what it was like to be super fat (235 lbs at 5'2) and I don't like it. The good news for me is that I also remember loosing it all and how astonishing it was to not have body parts rubbing together...I want that again.
Personal tragedy seems to be hanging around me lately. Life has been tough, and when it rains, it pours. Everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong. I am struggling to be a good wife and support my husband in good times and bad. Marriage is not always easy and I want to comfort discord with sugary goodness. Bring on the ice cream!!!!! Another reason to just be numb.
On to the technical stuff. Since I am feeling D.O.M.S. (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), I will not do resistance training today (exercise with weights). When you train with resistance (weights), you create tiny little tears in the muscles. After a period of time (24 - 48 hours), the muscle begins the tasks of rebuilding itself to be stronger for the next time they will be stressed. In this process, the muscle excretes chemicals that cause that burning and/or sore feeling. This is completely normal. I must now allow my muscles to have time to completely rebuild and heal themselves before I go gnashing my teeth at the dumbbell rack again. WELL, THERE'S A HAPPY THOUGHT!!! REST!!!!
For my cardio this morning, I pushed myself harder today. My heart rate moniter indicated that I was anywhere between 145 and 155 bpm (beats per minute). That's not in my fat burning zone, that's in my endurance training zone. Since it's a "cardio-only day," I'll work harder during my walks. On a day I train with weights, I take it easy during my cardio training, or skip it altogether.
Here's the formula to figure my "training zone:"
(Fat Burning Zone = 60% - 70%)
FORMULA:
220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate
So for me...220 - 34 (age) = 186
FORMULA:
Maximum Heart Rate x 60% - 70% Fat Burning Zone
So the fat burning zone for me is 111 - 130 BPM. Here's how I found that.
- 220 - 34 (Age) = 186
186 x .60 = 111 BPM and 186 x .70 = 130 BPM
Keep in mind that this formula is not set in stone, doctors and professionals will debate it, and some folks will tell you something different. That's OK, but this works for me. You gotta find the thing that works for you!!
You might ask: "Carmen, I don't have a fancy-dancy heart rate moniter! Now what?" Great question, I'm glad you asked.
There are several ways to go here. For the fat burning zone, use the "Talk Test." Can you walk and talk without a problem? Bump up the intensity level, you're not working hard enough. Is it slightly difficult to walk and talk now? ON TARGET. Next, is it extremely difficult to carry on a conversation while walking? Take it down a notch if you want to melt fat. If you are Michael Phelps training for the Olympics, you are reading the wrong paragraph.
2nd option: Find your pulse with 2 fingers (not your thumb) on your wrist or neck. If you feel 2 beats every time the second hand ticks on your watch, that's about 120 beats per minute. Your resting heart rate (while sitting down relaxing) will be closer to 1 beat per second.
3rd option: Find your pulse with 2 fingers (not your thumb) on your wrist or neck. With a second hand on a watch, count how many beats you feel for 10 seconds. Now multiply that number by 6 (there are 60 seconds in a minute). For example, if you feel 20 beats in 10 seconds, your heart rate is 120 (20 beats x 6 = 120).
I need to be in this zone for 30 minutes at a time.
Well, that's it for this morning. Time for feeding. :) My favorite!
No comments:
Post a Comment