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By NCN, on October 25th, 2008%
I’m falling in love with interval training. In the past, when I would hop on the treadmill, I’d walk for 5 minutes at a warm up pace, walk for 20 to 30 minutes at a brisk pace, and then cool down for 5 minutes. I’d feel good, and I’d be sweating, but I never really felt like I had worked out. But now I have discovered interval training. And, man, it rocks!
Instead of walking at a steady pace, interval training requires you to change your pace, several times, during a treadmill (or eliptical or stair stepper) routine. When I get off of the treadmill, I feel exhausted – and exhilarated.
According to the Mayo Clinic -
Once the domain of elite athletes, interval training has become a powerful tool for the average exerciser, too.
* You’ll burn more calories. The more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you’ll burn – even if you increase intensity for just a few minutes at a time.
* You’ll improve your aerobic capacity. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, you’ll be able to exercise longer or with more intensity. Imagine finishing your 60-minute walk in 45 minutes – or the additional calories you’ll burn by keeping up the pace for the full 60 minutes.
* You’ll keep boredom at bay. Turning up your intensity in short intervals can add variety to your exercise routine.
* You don’t need special equipment. You can simply modify your current routine.
After a bit of searching, I found several interval training workouts, but my favorite is in mp3 audio form, over at the Get Fit Pod podcast. I downloaded the free mp3, put in on my mp3 player, and hit the treadmill. Skip, the creator of the Get Fit Pod, talked me through an awesome 34 minute treadmill interval training session. I strongly encourage you to download this particular episode – and consider subscribing to the Get Fit Pod podcast.
The routine from Get Fit Pod kicked my butt. I managed to do MOST of the routine, but the two longest sessions, where Skip asked us to run as fast as we could for a full 2 minutes, right in the middle of the routine, just killed me. I managed to go 1:45 for the first all out interval and 1:30 for the second. Other than that, I managed to keep up with him. And now, hours later, I can STILL feel the effects. Amazing.
One side note: If you decide to do interval training (or intervals training, as I’ve seen it labeled), be careful! It’s intense. Again, from the Mayo Clinic site -
If you have a chronic health condition or haven’t been exercising regularly, consult your doctor before trying any type of interval training.
Have any of you tried interval training? I’d love to read about your experiences.
By NCN, on October 25th, 2008%
Years ago – at least 6 – I signed up with Fitday, an online weight loss tracking site. Since then, I’ve used the site, intermittently, to track my various attempts at losing weight. Back on September 29, I once again created a weight loss goal, and I was impressed to see that Fitday has updated many of its features – all of which are free!
I’m 5 feet 8 inches tall. According to many sites, my ideal weight is between 130 and 164 pounds. Right now, I weigh 242.2 pounds, down 10 from my September 29 weight of 252.2 pounds. In high school, I weighed between 145 and 155, but that was 15 years ago! I simply cannot imagine weighing 164, much less 130! Seriously, I haven’t been 130 pounds since 8th grade.
With all these numbers to deal with, there’s no sense in selling myself short. So, I’ve created a very aggressive goal weight, of 162.2 pounds. Honestly, I’ll be ecstatic once I reach 199, and 162.2 seems like a fantasy, but, go big or go home, right?
Anyway, here’s my current chart, starting from September 29, 2008 and tracking my progress until my goal date, September 29, 2009.
The straight line represents the amount of weight I’ll need to lose to reach my goal by September 29, 2009. The jagged line indicates my actual weight. As you can see, I’m ahead of schedule – but we all know that it’s easier to lose weight in the first month.
Click here to see the full size chart -
It feels good to be making progress, especially when I feel like I’m doing everything “the right way”.
By NCN, on October 24th, 2008%
I’ve just returned home from the gym – and I feel great! My daughter has gymnastics four days a week, and when I take her to her gym, I then go to mine. There were only a few people in the gym (just like I like it), and I really focused on good form, breathing, and pushing myself.
I thought you might be interested in my weekly workout plan, now that I’m really getting into going to the gym.
Monday – Legs / Eliptical Machine
Tuesday – Treadmill At Home
Wednesday – Back / Biceps / Stair Machine
Thursday – Legs / Eliptical Machine
Friday – Chest / Triceps / Shoulders / Treadmill
Saturday – Treadmill At Home
Sunday – Rest
This is the first time – in my life – that I’ve had a workout routine. Sure, I’ve gone to the gym, but this is the first time that I’ve gone to the gym with PURPOSE. I actually look forward to going, and I’m a little bummed when I have to leave. Heck, today, I even walked for thirty minutes, at home, on the treadmill, BEFORE I went to the gym.
By NCN, on October 21st, 2008%
I’ve lost 8.2 pounds since September 29, 2008.
I started at 252.2 and am now at 244.
I feel much better.
I’ve managed to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, each week, this month. I haven’t eaten any bread, any sugary foods, any sodas, or any high starch vegetables. I’m eating lean meats, berries, and nuts. I’m drinking water, and lot of it.
Yesterday, I worked out biceps and back and I hit the eliptical machine. I’m a little sore – but it’s a good sore.
I’ve been down this road too many times to think that this time is “it” – but, right now, in this moment, I feel good and I feel motivated to continue.
I’m also 1 week into a 2 week body cleanse, following the advice from the Know The Cause website.
By NCN, on October 16th, 2008%
Okay, here’s where I’m at, as of right now -
I’m trying to combine ALL of the concepts and ideas that I’ve learned – over several years – about losing weight and maintaining focus.
1. I’m going through a bit of a cleansing, following the diet suggest by Doug Kaufmann over at Know The Cause. I’m taking several supplements, and I’m eating a diet of fresh berries, green vegetables, and meat.
2. I’m still eating slowly, and following the I Can Make You Thin and the 4 Golden Rules. But, I have cut out all starches – I’m really concerned about diabetes, and I want control insulin release.
3. I’m working out 3 or 4 times a week. And, I’m not just walking, I’m actually pumping some iron.
4. When I can’t hit the gym, I’m still walking.
5. I’m just weighing in once a week, instead of daily. This helps, psychologically.
6. I’m taking a multivitamin, three times a day.
7. I’m trying to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a day – and striving for 8.
8. I’m drinking water – and water ONLY. No cokes, no sodas, no juice, no nothing. Water ONLY.
This is what I’m doing, and since September 29, 2008, I’ve been doing these things very, very well.
I’m down to 245.4 – from 252.2 when I started back on September 29. Rock on!
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