Fitness Summary for July, 2013:
Exercised 16 days out of 31 (~3.6 days/week)
Weight Training x 0
Treadmill x 2 (30 minutes, 1 miles)
Recumbent Bike x 7 (45 minutes, 6.5 miles)
Lap Swimming x 7 (45 minutes, 9 - 100 meter laps for a pace of 5.00 min./100m)
Average blood pressure: 115/75
July weight loss: 3 lbs.
Total weight loss since starting exercise program: 8 lbs.
It's less than a pound a week, but I'm so happy the scale moved at all! Finally! And I was below my exercise target of 4-6 days/week this month (at 3.6), so I'm lucky it moved at all. An illness in the family distracted me for a while (my mom had to have her gall bladder removed, and had a rough week post-op, but is now doing fine). I did manage to more evenly-split my land-based vs water-based exercise, moving it from a 1/3 ratio to a 1/1 ratio. I intend to try and continue this 1/1 split going forward. Here was my strategy for the curtailed month of July.
Recumbent Bike:
Pace in June: 6 miles in 30 minutes
I decided I needed a longer, slower session to try to move from zone 1 (aerobic) to zone 2 (fat burning) without getting into zone 3 (anaerobic). So I increased my session time.
Pace during the first half of July: 6 miles in 45 minutes
Pace during the second half of July: 7 miles in 45 minutes
This pace feels right for my heart-rate.
Goal for August: 7-8 miles in 45 minutes
My long-term goal is to increase the number of miles in that 45 minute session while keeping my heart-rate in zone 2. I could also go up to a 1 hour session eventually, but I'm not sure this is necessary (at least not now), and I'm pretty sure an hour exercise session is the top end of what I would ever target.
Lap Swimming:
Pace in June: 5.6 (800 meters in 45 minutes)
Pace in July: 5.0 (900 meters in 45 minutes)
Goal for August: 4.5 (1000 meters in 45 minutes, ~ 1/2 mile)
My long-term goal is to increase the laps during a 45 minute session until I'm at about a 3.5 pace (3.5 minutes per 100 meters). This would be 13 laps, and I know that right now this would take me closer to an hour than 45 minutes. I'll increase as able, but it will be slow going to even gain the 4.0 - 4.5 pace range (10 - 11 laps in 45 minutes). I'm pretty sure it will take me 50 minutes to swim 1000 meters for the first half of the month, but I hope I can do it in 45 minutes by the end of the month, for a pace of 4.5.
Just for comparison, I used to swim laps when I was younger and in good shape. Typically I swam 20 laps (2000 meters = just under 1 mile) in 75-90 minutes, for a pace of 3.75 - 4.5. Getting inside this range, at my current age and level of fitness, will take me a LONG time. I'm fine with getting to 4.5 though.
On the topic of laps, I'm going to be sad to leave the 9 lap range, as there is a certain zen-like elegance to it, especially for a writer. The 9 laps split into 3 groups of 3, which I automatically break down to the beginning, middle and end - just like a novel. And just like a novel, each of these sections has a beginning, middle and end.
As I'm swimming I'm constantly aware of where I'm at in 'the drama'. The first lap is the beginning of the beginning. The middle of the 5th lap is not only the middle of the middle, but the middle of the whole 'work'. And I really enjoy the last 3 laps, as I know I'm in the end-game. The 8th lap - the middle of the end - is fun because it's the pentultimate, with just 1 left to go to reach the end of the end. When you reach this point in a manuscript it's such a thrill, and there is a similar level of relief when I reach this stage in my laps. The first 3 laps are work, and the last lap is pure fun.
To continue this mental incentive, I will probably still count my laps in 3 groups of 3, but then add on 'just 1 more' to reach 10.
As a final note, it takes me over 2 hours to do a lap-swimming exercise session, vs the 1 hour recumbent bike session!
That's because when I'm finished swimming, I tend to do 3 cycles in the sauna, which is really my reward for finishing all my laps. I generally alternate 10 minutes in/10 minutes out, for 3 cycles, for a total of at least an hour, but imo it's time well-spent. It's good exercise followed by really great relaxation. Additionally hot/cold cycles from a sauna give your vascular system a work-out of expansion and contraction. This helps keep plaque build-up in your arteries low, and helps to bring your resting blood pressure down. The heat also detoxifies your system, which is always a good thing.
Walking via Treadmill:
I really didn't pursue this piece of equipment much this month, as I have to go into the center to use theirs, and when I go to that bother, I really prefer to swim.
Walking via Nordic Poles:
I haven't started this program yet, though I bought the poles (see last few posts). I think I'll be adding this to my regime in September, when the cooler weather comes.
That's it for the moment - more to come shortly.
