Cutting back on steady state cardio-anyone done this?

[Vantreesta]

Originally Posted by Mopsy

I rarely do long steady state cardio at a sweaty pace. In the winter I've been doing indoor walks, but just yesterday I did a 15-minute section from an old Cathe step workout. I wanted to increase the intensity a bit, without overdoing. 15 minutes was enough for a good afternoon energy boost.




My 93-year-old mother is now in assisted living. She was always athletic, active into her 80's. She has a walker, and although she can't go out alone, she tries to walk the hallways. She's frustrated at her limitations and frequently reminds me to "keep walking". I don't need the reminders because I enjoy being active, but what I don't tell her is she is my inspiration to keep moving. I told her she should try to start a walking group, but too many women of her generation were never into exercise, and aren't interested.

I totally think you should tell her she inspires you!! Too often we keep those positive feelings to ourselves instead of sharing them. I would give anything to be able to tell my mom all the things I admire about her but never told her. Until she got ALS I had no idea how mentally/emotionally strong she was. I wish I had told her how much I admired her for not giving up when she was diagnosed, for maintaining her great sense of humor, for continuing to spread her positivity and God's love for others even as the disease took more and more from her. And for all the things I admired even before she got sick. We were always very close, but I get uncomfortable saying things like that and I just hope she somehow knew how I felt. I think you would make your mom's day if you told her!

[Mopsy]

Originally Posted by Vantreesta

I totally think you should tell her she inspires you!! Too often we keep those positive feelings to ourselves instead of sharing them. I would give anything to be able to tell my mom all the things I admire about her but never told her. Until she got ALS I had no idea how mentally/emotionally strong she was. I wish I had told her how much I admired her for not giving up when she was diagnosed, for maintaining her great sense of humor, for continuing to spread her positivity and God's love for others even as the disease took more and more from her. And for all the things I admired even before she got sick. We were always very close, but I get uncomfortable saying things like that and I just hope she somehow knew how I felt. I think you would make your mom's day if you told her!

oh I have told her What I was thinking was a little more along the lines of our family's warped sense of humor about becoming old and decrepit.

I'm sorry you had to face ALS. I'm sure your mother's strength and positivity will continue through you.

[Vantreesta]

Originally Posted by Mopsy

oh I have told her What I was thinking was a little more along the lines of our family's warped sense of humor about becoming old and decrepit.

I'm sorry you had to face ALS. I'm sure your mother's strength and positivity will continue through you.

Oops, I misunderstood! So glad you have told her! Yeah, I guess sometimes too people inspire us of what NOT to do as well. When my mother-in-law was in assisted living, we visited for several hours every time we were up there (5 hours away) and I watched the residents decline each time we went. I don't want to be in a position where I can't stand up on my own so I guess being there just reinforced how important it is to keep moving or we lose it. I saw people walk in on their own when they moved in and within just months they were in wheelchairs. So sad.

Thank you. It is such a devastating disease that I wouldn't wish on anyone. My family draws on her example often. We wish we could be as positive and loving as she was. The bar is set high!

[prettyinpink]

Originally Posted by Mopsy

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My 93-year-old mother is now in assisted living. She was always athletic, active
into her 80's. She has a walker, and although she can't go out alone, she tries to walk the hallways. She's frustrated at her limitations and frequently reminds me to "keep walking". I don't need the reminders because I enjoy being active, but what I don't tell her is she is my inspiration to keep moving. I told her she should try to start a walking group, but too many women of her generation were never into exercise, and aren't interested.

What an inspiration your mom and people like her are!

I hope she can find someone to join her on her walks. I am hoping that if or when it is my turn in that position, there will be more people interested in fitness, or maybe at least a greater focus on offering walking and other supervised exercise in all such facilities. It is so important for so many reasons.

[annette]

I used to love doing step and cardio workouts with Christi Taylor and Cathe but find I don't have the energy or patience for them anymore. Also whatever is wrong with my feet doesn't help with motivation. For quite a while now I've been getting cardio in with KCM and Cathe's kickboxing. I do modify a bit such as no jump kicks but find my heart rate gets up just fine.

[alisoncooks]

I’ve gone the opposite way — I’ve increased the amount of cardio as I’ve aged. I *never* used to do cardio, unless it was from barre/Ellen or sometimes Leslie. Now I row 3-4 days a week (nothing crazy, mostly steady state while watching television shows) and walk 1-2 miles every afternoon with my kids. All in all, it’s not a terribly huge amount, but it’s waaaay more than previously.

[OSusanna]

I’m currently not doing anything due to pain and laziness but I think that low effort steady state cardio does have its place. In heart rate training zones zone two is considered 60 to 70% of maximum heart rate and it tends to be an easier work out with a lot of benefits. It’s when I get into zone three or zone four that I think I burn too much energy and I get too tired and too hungry. zone four is 80 to 90% of maximum heart rate but it is taxing on the body. It makes me cranky. zone three is 70 to 80% of maximum heart rate and is considered a training zone but isn’t as nice on the body as zone two. Sally Edwards is the go to expert on cardio training -she is the one that has written about zones and heart rate monitoring. It’s been so valuable for me.

Zone two heart rate training helps promote sleep, doesn’t impact hunger and keeps the joints moving. When I don’t know what to do, I do zone two! My swimming and walking workouts fall solidly in zone two. It’s a very sustainable workout for me.

[Diana2468]

Thanks all for sharing your thoughts, this has been super helpful. I think I’m realizing that I’m just a bit burnt out on the type of cardio I’ve been doing, so I’m trying to introduce new cardio to help me feel a little more excited about it!

[sherry7899]

I am the opposite. I love my dance cardio and occasional kickboxing. I have to force myself to use weights. I do yoga almost daily.

[donnamp]

Originally Posted by sherry7899

I am the opposite. I love my dance cardio and occasional kickboxing. I have to force myself to use weights. I do yoga almost daily.

Me too - weights/strength training is my least favorite. I enjoy cardio but I don't do high impact any more. I like Fusion-type workouts like Ellen...

Donna