Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Weigh In - April 1st

According to the scales, I have lost 1.5 pounds this week. Not great, but not bad. Average.

That makes my weight 193.5 and I am 1 pound away from officially losing FORTY pounds! Woo-hoo!

I have a mini-goal of reaching 180 by Saturday, June 14th. (Hubby and I are attending a wedding that day) That is 10.5 weeks away and a weight loss of 13.5 pounds. I think that is certainly doable. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I got two and a half good walks in this week. Two were about 3 miles and the other one, well, we got completely rained out!! About the time we reached the halfway point, the bottom fell out. I was soaked!! Oh well, that's still about two and a half hours of exercising and walking about 7.5 miles for the week.

Last night I went to a local park and decided to see how far I could jog. Imagine my surprise when I made it .45 miles without stopping. I tried to really concentrate on my breathing and I was pleased. I had no idea I could go that far - that's a major milestone for me.

Let me ask this question to the group: What should I feel like when I am exercising?

I mean, there are times when I am hiking and the climb is steep and my heart is beating so fast - I feel like I am dying. I mean, seriously. I can't catch my breath and it's all I can do to take another step on some of the difficult trails. Then, I'm walking and I feel better. I may not be able to carry on a full conversation, but I can make some small talk. I am not a runner, but I'd like to move in that direction. How should I feel when running - like I am dying, like I'm a-ok? I just don't know how hard to push myself. I want results, but not injury. I want to improve, but I don't know a good rate. Thoughts, anyone?

Hope you have a great week and thanks for reading.

4 comments:

Slenderella said...

Hello, here from Tales from the Scales.

Hurray for a 1.5 pound loss, terrific! Walking and a bit of a run are great exercises. I'm no expert, but I think it's ok to let your heart race a bit, but then allow it to come down while still moving. Be sure you can still talk a little bit and not over winded. (At least that's what the instructor in my DVD is saying. Ha.)

Journo June aka MamaBear said...

Congrats, you are doing a wonderful job!

Funny you should ask that question, I just got an email from Denise Austin and here's what she said: "Are You Exerting Yourself?

Are your workouts working for you? Not sure? One way to tell is by using a method called the rate of perceived exertion, or RPE. It helps ensure that you're working out to your optimal level! Aim too low and you'll just be going through the motions without much benefit. Aim too high and you could end up frustrated, burned out, or injured!

So how do you find a pace that's just right? Think of exertion on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no exertion (sitting in a chair, for example) and 10 being the most you can possibly do. A moderate walk might put you at a 3. Remember, it's not about how fast you're walking, it's about how strenuous it feels. Aim for a range between 3 (moderate) and 5 (strong), say experts at the American Council on Exercise. You should feel you're exerting yourself enough to gain cardiovascular benefit, but not so hard that it's difficult or uncomfortable to sustain your workout.

As your strength and fitness level increases, bump up the intensity to compensate, aiming to stay within your newly defined 3-to-5 range. The best thing about perceived exertion is that you can use it for any workout — walking, jogging, bicycling, bench stepping, climbing stairs, or performing low-impact aerobics! And be sure to keep checking in when you're working out!"
Path to Health

Randilin said...

1.5 down is a great thing keep it up. and good luck on your June goal...

Anonymous said...

wow that is great progress! the 13 pounds is completely doable. the average person loses 2 poounds a week and that is completely within the range of time to make it! keep strong and you'll make it!!! about running- i think it is amazing that you are even jogging- i work out hard every night but for some reason i am not able to run or even jog so i completely understand the feeling of dying. im not sure but im pretty sure that feeling is normal but you should try to control your breathing better- i have read that one of the best ways to control breathing when you are not active is to listen to music. the beat of the music will keep to going at a steady pace and suprisingly make you move faster! try it and keep strong! congrats on your success!!!