Is Slower Fitness Walking Effective?

lorajc · 05-26-15, 01:50 PM

As some of you are aware (from my previous posts) I have foot problems. Anyway - Per my foot doc, I'm allowed to do low impact - which incudes walking, however, when I go with my DH, he goes kind of fast and I find myself limping and in pain if I try to keep up with him and then I can't walk for a few days from the pain.

If I walk at a slower pace, with good shoes on, and use my hand weights, I still seem to get a decent workout, but my HR doesn't elevate that much. I was just wondering. If my HR only goes to about 105, is that still a good workout and is that beneficial? I'm sort of feeling like my walking program isn't doing any good and I really enjoy it and have lots of weight to lose.

I have to be really careful with my toe, as I don't want to have to have a fusion on it. Also, this isn't a whine post....I generally want to know the answer to this question so for the people that get annoyed with all of my "injury" posts, please feel free to put me on ignore already instead of complaining about me. (i even feel bad that I have to say that - but some peeps around here seem to get that impression from me)

Chomper · 05-26-15, 02:01 PM

Any walking is better than none. But, unless you're on meds that lower your heart rate (like some blood pressure meds), 105 does not seem like it would qualify as an aerobic level to me. I know all our heart rate stuff is individual though. What is your heart rate when you start feeling aerobic? When you notice you're breathing faster but can still talk?

If I were in your situation, I might try stepping on and off a step. That way you can still move more slowly and carefully, but with the added resistance of gravity. Alternating right and left with a tap in between so you don't have to worry about evening out the step counts.

Best of luck!

lorajc · 05-26-15, 02:24 PM

Well, if I really work the arm movements, I can get it up to 120 and that is very low aerobic zone for me. My resting has raised since I've gained weight...probably about 65.

lorajc · 05-26-15, 02:26 PM

I hope some others will chime in here though....I swear there are peeps on here that just walk slower that say they've lost weight, but I am getting older and maybe I'm losing my memory. DARN this freakin toe. I'm so sick of going to the doc and getting told I need surgery on this and that and the other and I haven't even hit 60 yet. Why the heck do I kill myself every day......thus the reason I've turned to so much Kundalini lately.

It was also recently brought to my attention by one of my dear friends on a FB checkin that I have a bad sugar addiction which I'm working on but I have an addictive personality and I'm still working on letting go of other bad habits and I can only work on so many things at a time, however, I am on my way to search for a lower sugar yogurt right now and I LOVED my maple/banana oatmeal chobani....but I guess it's a treat now!! Darn....one more thing I have to give up.

So, yes I'm finally realizing diet is important, but this person also brought to my attention that I've not been eating enough calories and protein to support my injuries. She provided articles on it for me. My eyes were really opened up and sugar is bad for imflammation....geez...did not know this.

Gosh...ladies aren't you proud of me ladies...I'm the one talking diet....not everyone else?? I'm making progress, eh? Now I just have to do it......which is the hard part!! Wish me luck.

Jane P. · 05-26-15, 02:29 PM

I would keep walking at a pace that's comfortable for you. Something is always better than nothing. For example, if I do a day of housecleaning, I consider it to be my workout. Some would scoff at that, but it works for me.

As for weight loss, I'm from the school that thinks it's mostly about diet. Exercise helps, but when you have a fair amount to lose, diet must be considered.

Good luck to you and I hope your foot heals (from someone who also has foot problems).

bzar · 05-26-15, 02:29 PM

slower is fine. you can build an aerobic base (ABB) with that tempo. your foot being out of commission is a wonderful opportunity to remind you that you have to stay at a lower speed. ABB trains your body to burn fat at a lower heart rate zone. here's a pretty good article on building an aerobic base:
http://www.active.com/articles/aerob...-to-get-faster

it takes a lot for me to get my HR up because i have such great endurance. and i am not a distance runner by any means!

you should take your HR for 3 mornings in a row BEFORE you rise out of bed. keep a watch with a second hand near your bed for you to do this each morning. this will help establish your base heart rate. this basal heart rate is useful in setting up your own HR zones for training. when your foot is healed, you can establish what the upper ranges are for you.

you might need to ask your DH to walk slower with you rather than you trying to keep up with him and re-injuring your foot.

TinierTina · 05-26-15, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorajc

Well, if I really work the arm movements, I can get it up to 120 and that is very low aerobic zone for me. My resting has raised since I've gained weight...probably about 65.

65 is very, very good ...

Yes, I am a slow walker. But with foot and knee problems, I have to be.
My resting heart rate is nowhere near that low ... but I am post-metabolic-meltdown (that had been my "fantasy illness" explanation for a few years ...)

Idea is to try to maintain your weight.

Take up fast dancing ... with a limited amount of traveling moves.

That is my bag now; except I naturally turn to walking ...

lorajc · 05-26-15, 02:35 PM

Hate to say....not being negative ....my foot is not gonna heal...it's severe arthritis....doc said it's practically ready to fall off....scary. If I'm not careful, I'll need a fusion, it bends in severely at a horrid degree.....have a bad bunion on that foot. I get it injected every 3 months.

Yes, I'm a cardio hater, I like Bellydance....but again...doesn't get the HR high.

I'll have to get back into my dance vid's....I do enjoy dancing...just have to get over the initial I hate cardio.

Doing Kettlebell Kickbox challenge right now and surprised I only lost 4 pounds so far as cardio intensive as it is.....need to get off the sugar!!

Do you ladies really think not eating enough stunts your weight loss? and do you total your calories burned into your total or not?

luvcritters · 05-26-15, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bzar

slower is fine. you can build an aerobic base (ABB) with that tempo. your foot being out of commission is a wonderful opportunity to remind you that you have to stay at a lower speed. ABB trains your body to burn fat at a lower heart rate zone. here's a pretty good article on building an aerobic base:
http://www.active.com/articles/aerob...-to-get-faster

it takes a lot for me to get my HR up because i have such great endurance. and i am not a distance runner by any means!

you should take your HR for 3 mornings in a row BEFORE you rise out of bed. keep a watch with a second hand near your bed for you to do this each morning. this will help establish your base heart rate. this basal heart rate is useful in setting up your own HR zones for training. when your foot is healed, you can establish what the upper ranges are for you.

you might need to ask your DH to walk slower with you rather than you trying to keep up with him and re-injuring your foot.

People scoff at going slow but aerobic base building is amazing if you do it. The payoff is worth slowing down. Good luck.

Sara1000 · 05-26-15, 02:44 PM

It's hard to get your HR up walking outside unless you have some steep hills on your route. I agree with the stepping suggestion, or even an easy step workout like Cathe's Basic Step. Also Leslie Walks where she uses weights or bands or the walk belt - the walk belt is the best for raising the HR IMO.

Support VF
VF Membership Subscription
Shop These Vendors
Activa	Collage Video
Amazon.com	eBay.com
Amazon.ca (Canada)	Half.com
Amazon.co.uk (UK)	Junonia
Amazon.fr (France)	Onehanesplace.com
BN.com	Overstock.com
Buy.com	Road Runner Sports
CenturyFitness.com	Sierra Trading Post

05-26-15, 01:50 PM
lorajc Join Date: Jul 2005	Is Slower Fitness Walking Effective? As some of you are aware (from my previous posts) I have foot problems. Anyway - Per my foot doc, I'm allowed to do low impact - which incudes walking, however, when I go with my DH, he goes kind of fast and I find myself limping and in pain if I try to keep up with him and then I can't walk for a few days from the pain. If I walk at a slower pace, with good shoes on, and use my hand weights, I still seem to get a decent workout, but my HR doesn't elevate that much. I was just wondering. If my HR only goes to about 105, is that still a good workout and is that beneficial? I'm sort of feeling like my walking program isn't doing any good and I really enjoy it and have lots of weight to lose. I have to be really careful with my toe, as I don't want to have to have a fusion on it. Also, this isn't a whine post....I generally want to know the answer to this question so for the people that get annoyed with all of my "injury" posts, please feel free to put me on ignore already instead of complaining about me. (i even feel bad that I have to say that - but some peeps around here seem to get that impression from me)

05-26-15, 02:01 PM
Chomper Join Date: Nov 2010	Any walking is better than none. But, unless you're on meds that lower your heart rate (like some blood pressure meds), 105 does not seem like it would qualify as an aerobic level to me. I know all our heart rate stuff is individual though. What is your heart rate when you start feeling aerobic? When you notice you're breathing faster but can still talk? If I were in your situation, I might try stepping on and off a step. That way you can still move more slowly and carefully, but with the added resistance of gravity. Alternating right and left with a tap in between so you don't have to worry about evening out the step counts. Best of luck!

05-26-15, 02:24 PM
lorajc Join Date: Jul 2005	Well, if I really work the arm movements, I can get it up to 120 and that is very low aerobic zone for me. My resting has raised since I've gained weight...probably about 65.

05-26-15, 02:26 PM
lorajc Join Date: Jul 2005	I hope some others will chime in here though....I swear there are peeps on here that just walk slower that say they've lost weight, but I am getting older and maybe I'm losing my memory. DARN this freakin toe. I'm so sick of going to the doc and getting told I need surgery on this and that and the other and I haven't even hit 60 yet. Why the heck do I kill myself every day......thus the reason I've turned to so much Kundalini lately. It was also recently brought to my attention by one of my dear friends on a FB checkin that I have a bad sugar addiction which I'm working on but I have an addictive personality and I'm still working on letting go of other bad habits and I can only work on so many things at a time, however, I am on my way to search for a lower sugar yogurt right now and I LOVED my maple/banana oatmeal chobani....but I guess it's a treat now!! Darn....one more thing I have to give up. So, yes I'm finally realizing diet is important, but this person also brought to my attention that I've not been eating enough calories and protein to support my injuries. She provided articles on it for me. My eyes were really opened up and sugar is bad for imflammation....geez...did not know this. Gosh...ladies aren't you proud of me ladies...I'm the one talking diet....not everyone else?? I'm making progress, eh? Now I just have to do it......which is the hard part!! Wish me luck.

05-26-15, 02:29 PM
Jane P. VF Supporter Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Colorado Springs	I would keep walking at a pace that's comfortable for you. Something is always better than nothing. For example, if I do a day of housecleaning, I consider it to be my workout. Some would scoff at that, but it works for me. As for weight loss, I'm from the school that thinks it's mostly about diet. Exercise helps, but when you have a fair amount to lose, diet must be considered. Good luck to you and I hope your foot heals (from someone who also has foot problems). __________________ "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Leo Tolstoy

05-26-15, 02:29 PM
bzar Exchange Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: PalmTreeVille	slower is fine. you can build an aerobic base (ABB) with that tempo. your foot being out of commission is a wonderful opportunity to remind you that you have to stay at a lower speed. ABB trains your body to burn fat at a lower heart rate zone. here's a pretty good article on building an aerobic base: http://www.active.com/articles/aerob...-to-get-faster it takes a lot for me to get my HR up because i have such great endurance. and i am not a distance runner by any means! you should take your HR for 3 mornings in a row BEFORE you rise out of bed. keep a watch with a second hand near your bed for you to do this each morning. this will help establish your base heart rate. this basal heart rate is useful in setting up your own HR zones for training. when your foot is healed, you can establish what the upper ranges are for you. you might need to ask your DH to walk slower with you rather than you trying to keep up with him and re-injuring your foot. __________________ ~jeannine Miyagi: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important. [walks away, still making circular motions with hands] ~ Pat Morita, The Karate Kid, 1984 disclosure: in the years 2002-2004 i had a professional relationship with a distributor of fitness videos; see profile.

05-26-15, 02:35 PM
lorajc Join Date: Jul 2005	Hate to say....not being negative ....my foot is not gonna heal...it's severe arthritis....doc said it's practically ready to fall off....scary. If I'm not careful, I'll need a fusion, it bends in severely at a horrid degree.....have a bad bunion on that foot. I get it injected every 3 months. Yes, I'm a cardio hater, I like Bellydance....but again...doesn't get the HR high. I'll have to get back into my dance vid's....I do enjoy dancing...just have to get over the initial I hate cardio. Doing Kettlebell Kickbox challenge right now and surprised I only lost 4 pounds so far as cardio intensive as it is.....need to get off the sugar!! Do you ladies really think not eating enough stunts your weight loss? and do you total your calories burned into your total or not?

05-26-15, 02:44 PM
Sara1000 Join Date: Sep 2008	It's hard to get your HR up walking outside unless you have some steep hills on your route. I agree with the stepping suggestion, or even an easy step workout like Cathe's Basic Step. Also Leslie Walks where she uses weights or bands or the walk belt - the walk belt is the best for raising the HR IMO.