Like most my age, I have let my once sub-three-hour marathon body (1978) slide a bit. OK -- slide a lot. OK -- it was looking like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

And so, I was exhibiting all the markers for "Metabolic Syndrome"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546

The Type 2 Diabetes Markers were the last straw (last nail in the coffin). And too, I was having "symptoms" -- dizzy, light headed, generally not feeling well.

So, I started walking, October 26. At first I was unable to walk 20 min. without having my back seize up stiff. (It's because my fat belly hangs over the front and stresses the lower lumbar.)

Some 13 weeks into it now, and I'm down 20 lbs. My fat % is down from about 49% to 40%. Monday I hiked about 5.5 miles over steep wooded terrain. Yesterday (Wednesday) 7.1 miles over flat, paved bike path. We've been doing some weight work, but the walking seems key, weight work secondary.

I have a blog:

"Allison Wunderland's Walk Your Butt Off Blogzilla"

http://allisonwunderlandblog.blogspot.com/

I like "Alice In Wonderland" ("Through The Looking Glass"). Lewis Carroll does some serious stuff here. I don't provide personal info online. FaceBook page is the same name.

I like the "Allison" avatar -- woman w/ a Desert Eagle. These are the "excuses" for the choice in online persona. No excuses about getting fit, feeling better. (And I feel ten times better than three months ago!)

So, fitness. Anyone else working on fitness? Promising to "someday work on fitness?" Need motivation or direction for working on fitness?

Here's your big opportunity. Heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes is the current American plague.

I'm sold on this stuff! Ready to sell it to others!

We're running a blog here. I make entries nearly every day. We just hauled off the beach, 8 miles. Here's the rundown:

http://allisonwunderlandblog.blogspot.com/

I have started preparing for a two week backpacking trip this July at Philmont Scout Ranch. I was there in 07 but since I have gained 15lbs. I remember huffing and puffing on the climbs and I don't want to be like that again. So far I have been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill covering 1.5 miles 3x a week. Hopefully when the weather breaks I will start walking outside with 30- 35lbs in my backpack.

I've been walking about 6-8 miles a day here for the past two weeks and it's starting to work!! Belly is flattening a bit and my legs aren't tired and jumpy at night.

Funny what a little excercise can do isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Whitmoyer:
I have started preparing for a two week backpacking trip this July at Philmont Scout Ranch. I was there in 07 but since I have gained 15lbs. I remember huffing and puffing on the climbs and I don't want to be like that again. So far I have been doing 30 minutes on the treadmill covering 1.5 miles 3x a week. Hopefully when the weather breaks I will start walking outside with 30- 35lbs in my backpack.

3 mph walking is a good pace, but what you want to "target" is your pulse rate. You want to get it running about 75% max.

Google: Max Heart Rate / Aerobic / Target Heart Rate.

3x / Week is good. I try for 5x / week, but have to closely monitor recovery. I'm 62 and don't recover like I did when I was 25 and running marathons.

Not sure where you are or what "the weather" entails, but I HATE exercise machines. I have an expensive spin bike w/ a heart rate monitor and can manage only 15 min. (And I used to race bikes! It's about boredom, not getting fatigued.)

And so I can do 4 hours in the rain easy. I figured out the gear for the weather here. But we just get wet and windy, no ice, no freezing.

When I started out in October, I could barely manage walking 20 min. Saturday I did 8 miles on the beach in the sand. 3 hours, more or less. 23 miles this week, walking.

Endurance is much improved! But mostly I just plain FEEL GOOD. Sleeping better, eating better, happier!

Exercise is the best medicine.

Actually, I have been hitting my target heart rate of 120. I live in PA and we have had snow and ice cover for nearly 6 weeks. I dislike using the treadmill but without it I wouldn't get any walking in. I have a video of the scenery of Philmont that I put on TV while I am walking to remind me why I am doing this. This week the temps are supposed to remain in the upper 40's to mid 50's so the snow and ice should melt.

You can also track your progress at www.myfitnesspage.com You can track your running, walking, lifting, swimming, diet, etc.
Diet and supplements are important too.
"The Warrior Diet" and "Fats that kill, Fats that heal" are a couple of good books. Adequate intake of Omega3 and Omega6 Fats is important, as well a very limited intake of other fats.
Those of us at age 60 (or even much younger) need to not jar our joints any more than necessary--ie, no running on hard surfaces.
Whey protein, Resveratrol, Krill Oil, and Udo's oil capsules are some of my favorites.
Interval training is good.

Good resources and support here! Let's keep this up, for all of our benefits and good health.

Cabin in the Royal National Park 2.5km remote from vehicular access with a 1200Ft escarpment.
40kg loads down .
15Kg+ loads up.
average twice every 3 weeks
The walk out , up the escarpment is the fitness marker, when I'm stiff after the 1Hr drive back home its time for some mid-week exercise.

I just did some "terrain" -- 6.65 mi. in two hours, 600 ft. elevation gain, according to the tourist info.

We started at the foot of the bridge in the distance. To the Column where this photo is taken, and return.



Yesterday a shorter walk over the same terrain, 5.2 mi. This is urban walking with Nordic poles, accessed from the parking where I get coffee and WiFi. Walking objective this week is 30 miles. I have 12 and it's only Monday!

http://allisonwunderlandblog.blogspot.com/

Bought a Harley, and realize that being fit makes me a better rider.

http://paradiseharleydaze.blogspot.com/

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rothke:

Bought a Harley, and realize that being fit makes me a better rider.

QUOTE]


Absolutely.

I was quite happy doing stair master (climbing stais machine, revolving steps treadmil) speed intervals set on level 14 for twenty minutes, yes really.

The intervals consisted of one minute 20 seconds of 110 steps per minute followed by 84 steps per minute followed by 110 steps etc.

Then I tried the fat burner exercise routine set on level 14 for twenty minutes.

You build up, at 20 second intervals, to level 14 slowly then you run down slowly, again at 20 s intervals, to the 'slow' speed. Basically, you spend longer, working out at the higher step rate (bell curve) and it is a lot more strenouous than the old fast - slow - fast routine I was doing before.

I guess your body become acclimatised to exercise patterns.

quote:

I guess your body become acclimatised to exercise patterns.

As you gain fitness your resting heart rate will be lower. Your heart rate for performance at a specific "load" (e.g. specific stair climb at a specific pace) will decrease AND your recovery heart rate will return faster.

In an interval training situation you'll be able to go faster and recover back to your beginning heart rate faster as you gain in aerobic fitness.

If you have a heart rate monitor you can track these loads and recoveries as an aspect of a specific training regimen.

I run 4 miles every other day. Takes me 33 minutes; not as fast as I once was, but I am almost 52.

A mere kid, you have lots of hunting ahead of you, yet! I am 65 at the end of June and just did a good brisk jaunt carrying my old Dana-Bozeman Astralplane loaded with 50 lbs. I use this pack exclusively for training as it is still among the finest heavy load haulers I have ever had and it keeps my various other Dana and Mystery Ranch packs clean and sweat free for serious hunting trips.

Old Wes Brown, who was the Guide-Outfitter on the Gatho Creek in some of northern BC's finest wilderness hunting territory shot his last Elk there at age 90, some years ago....I fully intend to emulate him in that respect and die in a bed full of, welllll, you know..... when I am post 100!

I try to train hard from now to mid-Sept. and go from my first packs of 40-50 lbs. on steep streets and trails to 100 lbs. for the final few weeks and it really helps. Carrying a pack conditions one for backpacking like no other training I know of and it also helps with your balance and core strength.

Training for the Tour de France --



We've been doing 22.5 mi. rolling flats a couple times a week at a 14.5 mph avg. pace. The weather is not cooperating. I should get out and hike -- where I don't much mind if it's raining.

I've been looking at this thread for a few weeks. I've been slowly stretching out my walking and can easily handle 7-8 miles on uneven ground. But, I'm ready to progress.
My daughter and I are planning on hiking together this weekend. No hunting, just hiking and taking in the miracle of life that God has given us. I'm going to try to post a picture of where we're going. I'm really psyched and excited to improve my overall health while having a chance to spend quality time with my daughter.
And I've enjoyed reading the allisonwunderland blog.

I have been running for 37 plus years. try to do it every other day.

Most of the time I get it done 4 to 5 miles.

I also ride bike weather permitting do push ups ans situps lift weights every day and work out on heavey bag every other day.

When I have a hiking trip planned I also work in some hikes with the pack.

I hope to keep it up for the rest of my life at 55 I hope to have a few more years left.

Keeping in shape is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

I am 51 and did biking, running and weight lifting on and off for the past 30+ years but have gotton off-track a few years ago and gained about 40 pounds. When I turned 51 last September and had high blood pressue that was the wake up call for me. Since September 2011 I lost 20 or so lbs of fat and added maybe 8 lbs of muscle and now that I am into it for just over 4 months the transformation is very noticeable and seeing that keeps me going. The mirror has to be 1 of the 7 wonders of the world. I want to lose another 20 lbs of the fat and add another 8 lbs of muscle this year so I am a very solid 180lbs at the end of 2012. I lift heavy and hit every body part 1x per week, mostly with York free weights and a few decent machines in a home gym. Of course, I take the usual protein powder drinks fortified with whatever they put in there to provide the energy to get you thru heavy workouts. I also take an array of proven vitamin and mineral supplements to help get in shape and stay there. I plan on shit-canning my blood pressure meds by March. Thats the plan in a nut shell.

I forgot to add in my current cardio w/o, which is 4mph x 30min then ramped to 5.5mph x 10min then into a 4mph x 5min cool down all at a 3% incline. I do this 3x per week on a treadmill for the past 2 weeks. Prior to this I was doing 4mph x 20-30min @ 2% incline 2x per week. I decided to add some intensity.

I'm really trying to concentrate on my health. I've gotten out of shape and overweight, but I'm turning that around. I'm already seeing results on my waist line. And I'm not stopping. I hope to be in much better shape by summer.

Subscribing to magazines like Muscle and Fitness gives you lots of advice and cutting edge methods/routines that can make a huge difference....plus they keep you motivated. When I am not feeling like I want to work out I grab a fitness mag and next thing you know I'm in the weight room or throwing on the running shoes for a bout on the treadmill. Cheap info and motivation when I consider what I spend on guns and reloading stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodrow S:
Subscribing to magazines like Muscle and Fitness gives you lots of advice and cutting edge methods/routines that can make a huge difference....plus they keep you motivated. When I am not feeling like I want to work out I grab a fitness mag and next thing you know I'm in the weight room or throwing on the running shoes for a bout on the treadmill. Cheap info and motivation when I consider what I spend on guns and reloading stuff.

I have to agree with the magazine theory. I randomly started receiving Outside magazine about 6 months ago (can't find myself paying for it anywhere in my statements!) and that's been a real motivation for me. I was 260lbs at 5'11" when I graduated nursing school almost three years ago. Lost about 50lbs within a year but didn't do any type of training or routine exercise since then. The past 6 months have found me in the gym every morning (usually work only 3 nights a week) after work for an hour on an exercise bike. I average around 16.5-17.0mph on the bike and have noticed very little gross weight loss, but a definite change in body composition. Haven't lost so much in my waistline, but have noticed a definite increase in tone in my legs and (surprisingly) arms. Shooting to get under 200lbs for the first time since I was 15!

Our packs are ready and we're fixin to go!!
I'm really excited. My daughter and I are ready to leave for our camping / hiking trip. We'll be hiking around 15 miles. She's got her bird book and will attempt to identify as many different species as we can.
My conditioning has been going so well. Last night at the gym I ran for two miles on the treadmill. I haven't been able to do that in years.
We've got everything in our packs, and though I've tried to keep them as light as possible, they're still heavy. But, I know we can handle it. We've worked our way up to this.
I've not been to west Texas in many years, but I'm hearing it's beautiful where we're going.

The weather was cold and wet! We hiked up steep rocky inclines and my legs are crying about it today. LOL.
We found some high ground to set up camp about two miles into our hike. The wood was wet, but we used vaseline/lint balls as firestarters and they worked beautifully. The fire got hot enough to dry out the wood so it would burn.
I'm glad I had a sleeping bag rated for below freezing temperatures. My daughter's was lighter and she got too cold during the night, so we put hers down on the floor of the tent and used mine to cover up with. Snuggled together, we stayed nice and warm under there. We didn't hike as long as we planned. Only got about 5 miles done, but the weather really slowed us down. The rocks were very slick from the cold rain.
We didn't see any owls, but we sure heard them all night. We did get to see a red tailed hawk and nest. That was cool.
Even though it was cold and wet, we had a great adventure and I think she's already planning our next one.

NavyVet what type of sleeping pads did you have they make a huge differants in staying warm.

I am just starting my annual exercise program for the upcoming scouting and hunting seasons. Mostly to benefit my knees.

I changed gyms about a year ago - getting home late from work, inconvenience etc, so I joined a gym right next to the railway station.

I now use the cross trainer - cross country skiing machine,set on the cross country program and 'adjusted' for age and weight. I work out on this for 45 minutes. I enjoy it.

My other two 'routines' are 25 minutes on the arc trainer, weight loss program, rating 10 / 10. I can only do the aerobic program at 5/10 for 15 minutes and I'm done. But doing the weight loss program at the highest level, I am getting a lower medium aerobic exercise.

Then there is my favourite, the rowing machine. It gets rid of all the days' little annoyances!

I do ten, 500m intervals with 20 or 15 second breaks between intervals depending upon how I feel on the night.

I am just as tired, sweaty as when I started trying these routines but I am getting quicker and burning more calories within the time interval.