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Old 12-01-04, 03:29 PM  
juneaucat
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An argument FOR less intensity, but more often

Along the lines of some recent threads, I've been making some changes in my workout routine involving less intense workouts. I'm so busy at this time of the semester (college prof here) plus I'm doing some side work and I've got 2 small kids and a husband who wants to goose hunt all the time! Oh yeah, and the holidays are here too. Needless to say, I'm stressed beyond imagination and here I sit, 8 months postpartum with 10 pounds still to go (plus 15 more past that, but I digress).

SOOOO, I've been doing less intense workouts lately. But, MUCH more often. 3 mornings a week, I do a 30 min Charlene workout before work. When I get home those nights, I get on the exercise bike and read and ride for 10 or 15 minutes. Not enough to sweat, just a "spark" for some extra minutes and help to my metabolism. On the other days, I've been doing 45-55 minute BSS (1, 2, 3) Firms. Getting in my weights but still some cardio. I "spark" on the bike if I have time those days, or not. It just depends.

I'm noticing that I feel really good lately. Pants are looser, scale is moving down again. Plus, I DO NOT DREAD WORKING OUT AT ALL!!!!!!!! Now, I'm a tried and true vidiot, but sometimes I just don't feel like doing it, dammit! Now, I don't feel that way at all since I'm not killing myself with each workout. Sometimes, I still do Cathe, but when I feel like it and have time. I'm finding I'm still getting results, which is surprising. Maybe the less intensity=lower appetite. I don't know but my motivation is up and the scale is down so I am a happy, happy camper!

Just thought I'd pass this along. I love reading success stories and every so often, I am one! Who'd have thunk it?
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Old 12-01-04, 03:42 PM  
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Wonderful news! And congrats on getting that metabolism sparked up again. I certainly hope you manage to reach your goal. Sometimes less is more. This is probably the change your body needed to get off it's plateau.
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Old 12-01-04, 03:56 PM  
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Kathy, thanks for sharing your progress. I could go on my recumbent bike for 15-20 minutes at night, but I guess I felt like if I wasn't working hard (ie, sweating), it wouldn't be worth it. Your results suggest that maybe I should try this out after all...
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Old 12-01-04, 04:04 PM  
juneaucat
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Beth, I thought the same thing, but it seems to be helping. Just a little something to let my body know its time to work.

Actually, what got me thinking about trying this was Gymratt's posts and my mom. She got Type II diabetes in February and was 240 pounds and very short so she was pretty sedentary. She has lost 80 pounds doing Leslie Sansone tapes I got her. She doesn't like the 3 and 4 mile ones. She just does the 1 mile tape 2 to 3 times a day and maybe the 2 mile tape other days. She had to add 2 lb weights after a few months since she plateaued. But she is still losing weight on very low impact, and moderately low intensity workouts. I guess it's the frequency throughout the day because something is definitely working for her.
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Old 12-01-04, 04:25 PM  
Peggy T
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Kathy, I could have written this post myself. I do almost exactly the same thing - 30 minutes in the morning, but nothing killer, and then here and there throughout the day. I love my stationary bike. Its so handy to get in a little extra while watchnig the news. Like you, I was dreading the killer workouts and so wasnt doing them.

Today I woke up late, so I only did abs this morning, but then at lunch I walked 40 minutes on the indoor track and I am taking my stepdaughter to the pool tonite, so I'll dogpaddle a few laps. It all adds up!!

Do you have a pedometer? I find they are quite motivational thingies!

Congrats on the weight loss. Very cool to bust thru a plateau like that!
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Old 12-01-04, 04:35 PM  
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Great thread, Kathy!!!

Kathy, I think you're right on target. I've been thinking less intensity, but do it more. I can't get in an early a.m. workout as I already have to be to work at 6 a.m., but that first couple hours we bust our butts. I keep thinking "what would I learn if I wore my hr monitor to work a couple days???". And I walk all day and keep pretty active physically...then in the afternoon or evening, I do my actual workout.

I can see where high intensity but shorter workouts would have place in my weekly schedule, but I'm finding that not pushing myself so hard really makes it possible for me to workout every day and not feel drained. I even quit wearing my monitor during AWT sessions as I was always so worried: "Was I in my zone? Oh it's dipped...now what???" I found it this past week, I can get a great cardio without adding 1# wrist weights (still wear the monitor for cardio) and probably should lower the intensity even then.

I'm not only still dropping pounds and inches (I also watch what I eat), but I feel great, strong and energized, not drained. I suppose if I had a sit-down job, high intensity would be needed more, but with my current job, moderate intensity, heck, maybe even low intensity, does just fine thank you
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Old 12-01-04, 04:42 PM  
juneaucat
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Lydia, it's funny you mentioned the HR monitor thing. I've stopped using mine so much too because it was stressing me out. Am I working hard enough? For enough of the workout? What zone am I in? Uh! I just decided to make sure I'm breathing hard enough and on those "spark" bike rides, I don't worry about working too hard at all. FWIW, I was trying to do shorter, but intense workouts and I didn't see the results I am now. Maybe the minutes really do matter. I'm not sure. But one thing is true about less intensity: you don't need so much recovery time and the DOMS isn't as much so I feel ready to do more, more often. With really tough workouts, I don't always feel up to it the next day. Interesting stuff.
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Old 12-01-04, 06:16 PM  
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And here I was wondering if I was just weird...glad someone else is in my universe, Kathy!!!
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Old 12-01-04, 06:44 PM  
Rhae
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Nothing to add, really, but it's nice to know this. I've been accumulating lots of workouts of various intensities (and time lengths) so I'll have a better range to choose from on the "what do I feel like doing today" days. I know that I will truly appreciate this next year when I go back to work, too.

Re: the heart rate monitor, I am glad to find someone who has the same problems with them that I do. I've never gotten one because I figure I am healthy enough not to need one and most important because I could easily see it turning into an obscession and all the fun going out of it for me.
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Old 12-01-04, 06:50 PM  
Mollie F.
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I use my HRM occasionally. It's kind of fun to see the numbers, but keep in mind that mine doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles. It tells me my heart rate, and it will also tell me how long I've worked out. No average heart rate, no calories burned--none of that. But I find it helpful for correcting my perceived exertion. When I started getting serious about cardio about a year ago, I was completely surprised at how quickly my cardiovascular fitness improved--so much so, that I'd start whining twenty minutes into my workout, just out of habit. Then I'd look at my HRM and realize that I wasn't working very hard at all .

I also find it useful when I'm doing intense workouts or interval workouts. I like to see how quickly my heart rate drops after intervals, and how much that changes over the course of the workout.

I like my HRM, but I'm certainly not a slave to it. I treat it like a toy .
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