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Thinking about exercise strategies.

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by daniel, Oct 14, 2011.

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  1. cyclopathic

    cyclopathic Senior Member

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    #21 cyclopathic, Oct 15, 2011
  2. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    I would recommend running your 3 miles at a comfortable pace and then working on your speed over time. Sixty-three is not too old to run despite what others may say. In fact high-impact activities are needed as we age in order to maintain good bone density and avoid osteoporosis.


    I'm about half your age but I've had a similar dilemma. I need to drop some pounds and get in better shape. I started running again this spring as rehab after my femur fracture. Four years ago I could maintain a 9:30 / mile pace for a 1/2 marathon. Today I struggle to maintain that pace for a 5K. I've decided to build my mileage then work on speed. You may also want to mix it up some. I do shorter but faster runs 3 days during the week to build speed. I do a slower long run with a local running club Saturday morning to build endurance.

    About shoes. When I started running half marathons and a full marathon about six years ago I had problems with knee and lower back pain. That was with shoes I purchased from my local running store that were selected for my form, etc, etc. When I started running again this spring I switched to Vibram Five Fingers. It is amazing what working with your body instead of against it will do. I changed my stride from a heel strike to a fore strike and slowly worked to build strength in my feet. The knee and back pain are gone.
     
    #22 JSH, Oct 15, 2011
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  3. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I have no reason to think I might have Parkinsons. I have no difficulty running except that I cannot run as fast or as far as I did when I was younger. Parkinson's is a progressive, degenerative disorder. I've never been able to ride a bike. When I did teach myself, and rode a bike briefly (before a knee injury stopped me) I was unsteady and unsafe. Life-long, consistent and unchanging bad balance is not a symptom of Parkinson's.

    We are talking at cross purposes. You are speaking of exercise to lose weight. While I am skeptical of the whole fat vs. glucose theory (it's calories that matter -- if you burn all your glycogen, and don't eat enough calories to replace it, your body will use your fat stores to do so during the 23 1/2 hours you are at rest) my real point is that I need exercise to maintain cardiovascular fitness, and that only happens if you get your pulse rate into the target zone and keep it there for 20 to 30 minutes.

    You may find that burning calories more slowly over a longer time is more effective for you to lose weight. But if you do not get your heart rate into the target zone you will not build c-v fitness. Walking does not get my heart rate very much above a resting pulse.

    Walking is great. I like it. But for me it is recreation, not exercise.

    Again, thanks for addressing my actual question.

    I tried those Vibram Five-Finger shoes. I have a very minor syndactyly in both feet: My second and third toes are connected to each other for about 3/8 of an inch at the base. This does not affect me in any way, except that my feet will not fit into five-finger shoes.
     
    #23 daniel, Oct 16, 2011
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