Thinking about exercise strategies.

I am no expert, but being in the military somewhat makes me a fitness guru as we are tested every 6 months... I would think at your age if you have not been running consistently for awhile that it would be better off to start walking the 3 miles or so.. I more or less try to ride my road bicycle more than anything to try and reduce damage to my joints over longer periods of time. Running I usually run a mile and a half in about 11-12 minutes, and then I will walk 4 or 5 miles. That takes me a little over an hour, but if you are trying to lose weight that is the best way to do it in my opinion. Personally I run for distance, so if it takes me longer to go the distance I want to go I just keep going.. Eventually you will get faster and be able to do it in under 30 minutes again. The problem with running shorter distances, and trying to work your way up (like I have tried and messed me up awhile back) is that your body will want to shut down when you try to go farther.

I cannot recommend cycling enough.. Before we had our Prius I used to ride my bicycle 24 miles round trip to work everyday. So I was in excellent cardiovascular shape. You do not burn as many calories as running, but like I said above it is definately better for your body in the long term. Also a proper diet is in order for you to lose the weight. I used to be pretty fat (I am 5' 6", and was 230LB ), but now I am down to 173 looking to get down somewhere in the 160's. Need to eat plenty of lean meats, and vegetables everyday. I find myself going to Publix to get fresh asparagus, green beans, and the like. Sam's Club also sells some very tasty BBQ chicken breasts.. I also occassionally eat pork.

Probably my last tid bit of advice for you to help you out with running is to get a good pair of running shoes. I was running in New Balance shoes which have worked for me for a number of years. Recently though my knees started bothering me so I wound up getting a new pair of shoes. I highly recommend the Brooks brand GTS-11 shoes. Can be had for $99 and work very well. I got mine from Dick's Sporting Goods.. Also from there you should get a paid of the Nike Dri-Fit cushioned socks.. It is $15 for 3 pair, but I guarantee you won't regret it. Until they get broken in it feels like you are running on a cloud. Plus it cut about 20-30 seconds off my mile and a half time as my legs did not feel as fatigued when running.

For me I was not a sedentary kid up until I hit my late teens, and since then I fell into the cycle of being lazy. So I can sympathize with you there. It really sucks being able to watch other people eat anything they want, and not gain any weight.. Me personally over the last few years I have been constantly in a cycle of gaining/losing weight. I have finally had enough though, and I am just making the life style changes that I have to in order to stay fit. Hopefully you find this helpful. I know I can be pretty long winded at times, but try to get the best information that I can to people.

 

it is never too late to learn riding bike. You can ride bike longer then running, it has less impact on your joints, and the best part is you can modulate your effort far better then running.

That aside if your goal is to burn fat longer exercise at lower intensity (~60% of VOmax) are better. It takes at least 20min of constant effort to start burning fat calories.

At 63 your VOmax is 220-63= 157, so your target rate ~122(?). Other way to to find your lactic acid threshold and then run ~10bpm less good luck

 

As long as you elevate your heartrate for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week you'll see and feel an improvement. You don't have to run 3 miles to get results.
I passionately despise running. Instead, I speed walk 2 miles which is better on my joints. It raises my HR from 65bpm to 140bpm which is in my fitness zone. A good HR monitor is a great tool to use.
I also use nautilus/weight machines and do ab work for toning and strength.
Congrats on joining WW. My sister recently became a lifetime member.

 

I second Fusco's warning about the long term damage running can do to knees, particular ularly if you are running on pavement. I used to love playing racket ball and squash for hours on end, but my shoulders gave out whe I hit 40, and I have not found any exercise I enjoy anywhere near as much.

To your question: it is the wrong one. Find the exercise you will enjoy and keep at for the next 20 years every day. Plus or minus minutes or meters is far less important.

 

Before you give up on cycling altogether - I know, the state of your knees and your sense of balance don't help - have you tried a recumbent tricycle? Catrike and Greenspeed are two manufacturers you could look into. Balance shouldn't be an issue, and as long as you're not pounding big hills, your knees will be fine. Well, better than they would be from jogging.

If your long term goal is to be fitter and healthier - as should everyone's - then don't worry about arbitrary limits like 30 miles or half an hour. If you've not exercised in awhile, then it will take time to get back to the levels you were used to. And once a certain distance or time becomes routine, you need to increase it. Diet plays a huge role - proper nutrition without junk is vital.

Walking can be very healthful for both body and mind. And so can a companion - my prescription is a dog. (And a trusty neighbour who will care for them while you are away.)

 

If you wind up getting an exercise machine down the road you should take a look at arc trainers made by Cybex. They are expensive but I have found that they are super comfy to work out on. On a typical tread mill my knees and back hurt like heck in 30 minutes. On an arc trainer after and hour they are just fine.

 

If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend visiting a nice running store to get properly fitted for running shoes. The ones that were selected for me have been THE best shoes I've ever worn. I no longer experience fatigue in my calves and my feet never hurt during or after.
Best wishes.

 

I can testify to that.

In 2005, I hit the gym when my BP was 160/100 - dangerous. Also weighed 215lbs when my ideal weight is about 165 - in borderline obese territory. Anyway, my BP is around 130/85 - 120/80 when working out and at 175lbs.

I used the eliptical a lot. Not only is it low impact, but gives the entire body a workout to burn calories fast....sometime I'd burn 1000 calories an hour.

The only other low impact workouts aside from some form of cycling is swimming.

Pulse watches are nice but you know you are in the target range (60%-80% of max heart rate) if you are breaking a sweat, yet not so out of breath you can't talk - rule of thumb.

One thing I found out is the same routine, unvaried teaches your body to become energy-efficient...if only our cars could do that.

 

Try both and see which works out better for you. You solved the problem in the past by setting up rotating goals, so the answer is most likely to return to multiple daily/weekly targets and find out which mixture works.

 

If that's all you want to know just do what you are feeling comftorable with. For me some days I set up for distance, and if I am not feeling up to it then I aim for a minimum time. When I started back in June I far over did it and wound up injuring my lower back. Took me till almost the end of August after that to get up to 2 miles. If I could go back and do it all over again I would just start off speed walking, and continue on from there. Sometimes I almost think I get a better workout from walking than running as I am always covered in sweat after walking. Then again I do walk 2-3X the distance that I run.

 

Something like this would be adequate won't hurt the knees, shouldn't fall over



Exercise is a great way to condition the heart and muscles but diet is the only way to control weight.

OK, so running around in a jogger-stroller might not be practical but getting in water and exercising is, spend an hour or two a day at the pool.

 

Along the lines of ursle^, have you tried swimming daniel? It's a great way to catapult you into fitness so you can start jogging with stronger cardio.

It's ultra low impact on joints but super amazing for fitness. I dropped 6 lbs in just four 30 minute sessions/laps.
I trained for an iron man(woman) relay this summer and still have my swimmer's body even though I haven't swam for four months.

I hope your athletic shoes aren't 45 years old.

 

Hmm, testing for Parkinson's by asking if one rides a bike is a simple way to identify without embarrassment...
Exercise is relative, it burns calories, it makes the heart and muscles stronger, gives the bones better flexion, but only caloric intake determines weight gain-loss.
So your running may prove difficult (Parkinson's) and swimming is err, detrimental, back to plan A.

Actually, if you enjoy roller skating and have a facility nearby you are in luck, with wrist guards (for safety) you can get excellent daily exercise with minimum duress. It's similar to swimming but only involves the legs and hips and is really a wonderful cardiovascular workout.

 

Walking may be better.

Long, slow distance will burn more fat calories (per mile, not per hour) than running will, according to various sources, such as:

Covert Bailey, in "Fit or Fat"
Google Answers: Exercise benefits of walking vs.running - look at the answer that quotes dr. Dean Ornish

My definitely not-educated understanding of it is this: walking isn't as "efficient" as running, so your body has to burn more calories at a walk. Also, when you run, your pulse rate is higher, so your body is burning glucose to sustain itself. When you walk, and your pulse rate is lower, your body continues to burn fat, conserving the glucose in case you need to sprint or something. The liver, which is very important to determining which fuel you are using at any given moment, cannot use fat if you need too much energy at once - so, keep your heart rate below the trigger point, and you will burn more fat calories, making your body better at burning fat. Keep going above that point, and your body will keep conserving fat and burning glucose.

I bought a heart rate monitor (Polar brand, with chest strap), and quickly discovered that I have a tendency to work too hard/walk too fast, and never burn fat! I've slowed down quite a bit, and my efforts are now actually paying off.