What Was Your Work Out Today?
Replies
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BeYourBestSelfDeb wrote: »Please don’t laugh but I am almost 64 and disabled. I started this plan 5/16 and everyday I strive to be more active. Today I went shopping for the first time without using a shopping scooter. I walked everywhere in the two stores I was in. Lifted all the groceries in and out of my car and put them all away.
After lunch I swept my house and mopped my wood floor in our big living room.
Everyday activities I use to do with ease are a real challenge now. I suffer from osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
But I did it!!! I am so glad to be here with all of you. Congrats to all who wrote before me, and Don’t give up!
Thank you for allowing me to share. Debbie
Welcome to the thread. I think it's great you're motivated to be more active!1 -
Even for those of us who don't really love training (in the strict technical sense of the term), even for those who don't even train in that strict sense, 1) recovery is pretty important, IMO. (It's increasingly important for me as I age, it seems like - resilience is the main difference I see in myself now vs. younger; YMMV.)
2) It's not unusual here on MFP to see people go out hard on a new "weight loss exercise program" that's frequent, intense (for them at current fitness level), etc. . . . then crash and burn pretty quickly.
Recovery problems are part of that, certainly.
3) Formal training plans suited to one's level can be a pretty powerful thing, even for someone who doesn't really love training . . . and might be extra important IMO for someone who's a relative novice to exercise, doesn't have a basis of experience for intuition about fatigue effects, and that sort of thing.
I think the importance of recovery (for sustainability and progress) is commonly underappreciated.
@Ann, glad you saw fit to expand the discussion beyond my specific point. Re: comment #1 - You're in good company in holding that opinion. Joe Friel, the foremost expert in endurance sports and creator of the Training Peaks software tool for endurance athletes, goes into great detail around recovery as we age. In his book, Fast After 50, that concept is one of the most important to him as a coach.
Re: comment #2 - Couldn't agree more. Every time we read a post from someone who's on day 18 in a row of a new high intensity exercise program, and asking if he/she should now start doing two workouts/day "since I feel great", my alarm goes off. The cumulative fatigue is just waiting to derail those efforts.
Re: comment # 3 - The primary benefit of a training plan, whether generic or coached, is that it allows the person to build fitness safely. Any good canned plan has recovery days built in, as well as a periodized schedule that includes reduced volume weeks. (periodization). Coaches take that one step farther by designing the training schedule to carefully build in proper training stress, then tracking athlete's fatigue and adaptation to the training stress. Both of my triathlon coaches said the same thing: "Our job is to protect the athletes from themselves. We do this by tracking the training stress of each workout, as well as the accumulated stress over the period. We then look at how the athlete responds to the work to determine whether the frequency, intensity and duration are appropriate." This was measured by tracking heart rate, power output on the bike, lactic acid measured via blood (ear prick) as well as other anecdotal evidence, such as athlete's written comments about how they are feeling after each workout, energy levels, sleep patterns, appetite, etc.
While this can be fairly involved with endurance athletes, the same concept applies to anyone starting an exercise program. Recovery days are when the growth happens! Our bodies need time to absorb the training benefits - more so as we get older.
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Thank you all for your kind words and support. Best wishes.2
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BeYourBestSelfDeb wrote: »Please don’t laugh but I am almost 64 and disabled. I started this plan 5/16 and everyday I strive to be more active. Today I went shopping for the first time without using a shopping scooter. I walked everywhere in the two stores I was in. Lifted all the groceries in and out of my car and put them all away.
After lunch I swept my house and mopped my wood floor in our big living room.
Everyday activities I use to do with ease are a real challenge now. I suffer from osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.
But I did it!!! I am so glad to be here with all of you. Congrats to all who wrote before me, and Don’t give up!
Thank you for allowing me to share. Debbie
Amazing and well done you. Osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia are so debilitating. Keep going, you're doing brilliantly 👏1 -
Rest days are so important but so hard to stick to when you feel like you're on fire. I was really active before the pandemic, then switched to a desk job and stopped exercising for a year and a half. When I started back up my exercise, I went with twice a week to ease into it. By month 6 I had to impose a strict "don't you dare go to the gym on sunday" rule for myself. I would get restless and want to go.
But it's paid off! Now, month 9, it's much easier to take my rest and listen to my body and the mindset of 'not showing up = failure' is out of my system.
Anyway, my period is due today so I'm gonna do an easy pilates class and maybe walk to the store to get groceries and that's it. It's dry out and after the storm and rain yesterday that's very welcome.4 -
Definitely taking a rest day today. My muscles are tired. Not sore, but tired. I guess my long elliptical session on Wednesday was a bigger deal than I realized. Yesterday's workout was stunted and I'm still tired today.
@bojaantje3822 I completely relate to feeling restless on rest days. I want to move, but the older I get, the more important recovery becomes to prevent injury.
I'll do some stretching today and focus on piano practice instead. I need it. Haha... 😀
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Rest day for me too. I just had a gentle and mindful walk - no power walking - for about an hour today 🙏5
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I did 2.5 hours of weed-eating. My whole body feels like a wet noodle... I guess this is an indicator that I need to get back into strength training.4
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Well I had to do my easy 30 min Sunday WO today because I forgot to tape up. Was feeling good and I thought let’s go for 4 miles. As I hit mile 3 I got a twinge on the right nipple… 🤬aka runners nipple…… 😫 settled for a decent 5k…
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Today's workout? You mean the one I didn't do? Woke up feeling muscle-sore and quite stiff, though honestly not debilitated.
This morning's row got thunderstormed out. It was drizzly to clear later, so I went to an art fair and walked 2-3 miles (more then usual, but not much) at a meander, which sort of loosened me up. Still, decided not to machine row or bike when I got home, give myself a longer rest. I'll probably take my usual rest day tomorrow, too, but we'll see.
Recovery? Lazy day? Whatever. It'll be OK.6 -
Busy day today. I had 5yards of mulch dumped on the driveway, so I spent the early morning hours loading it into wheelbarrows and spreading it around the yard.
Took a break from the yard work to meet a dozen friends for a trail run at noon. It felt fairly hot and humid in the woods. Went about five miles, before returning to my yard chores this afternoon.
Six of us are planning to do a repeat of last week's 55 mile bike route tomorrow morning. Weather will be in the 90s, so hoping for some clouds early in the day.
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Back on it today after my rest day yesterday 😁
Caroline Girvan Iron Series - Day 2 30 mins upper body workout.
36 mins power walk at an average speed of 5.8 kmph.
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Had my best ride of the year so far today. It was so good because we had 5 riders of similar fitness levels, all of whom enjoy both the work and camaraderie during a training ride. Temps were very warm, but we had quite a bit of shade and cloud cover, so it wasn't that bad. Route was a climb through NW Connecticut into Massachusetts, following the Farmington River. The "out" portion is a false flat with some more pronounced climbs, then after a 3-4 mile loop around a reservoir at the distant end, the return trip is much faster due to the modest descending grade. Practiced race day fueling, consuming 4 bottles of fluid/electrolytes, as well as taking in 650 calories. Felt really good at the end and prepared to start a run.
Total ride was 55.2miles completed in 3:08:14, or a 17.6mph pace. Averaged 146watts for the ride, which is on the low side of my HIM power zone. Very happy with that number this early in the season.
Now I REALLY need to focus on my swim and run, or it'll be a long painful day at Watkins Glen in July, lol!8 -
Had my best ride of the year so far today. It was so good because we had 5 riders of similar fitness levels, all of whom enjoy both the work and camaraderie during a training ride. Temps were very warm, but we had quite a bit of shade and cloud cover, so it wasn't that bad. Route was a climb through NW Connecticut into Massachusetts, following the Farmington River. The "out" portion is a false flat with some more pronounced climbs, then after a 3-4 mile loop around a reservoir at the distant end, the return trip is much faster due to the modest descending grade. Practiced race day fueling, consuming 4 bottles of fluid/electrolytes, as well as taking in 650 calories. Felt really good at the end and prepared to start a run.
Total ride was 55.2miles completed in 3:08:14, or a 17.6mph pace. Averaged 146watts for the ride, which is on the low side of my HIM power zone. Very happy with that number this early in the season.
Now I REALLY need to focus on my swim and run, or it'll be a long painful day at Watkins Glen in July, lol!
Wow that's incredible. I've only ever done 55 miles in a car 🚗 🤣
But seriously - well done!!0 -
Wow that's incredible. I've only ever done 55 miles in a car 🚗 🤣
But seriously - well done!!
Believe me, its almost always more fun in a car.
Thanks, but I've been at this stuff for quite awhile, so its just part of the lifestyle. I'm lucky enough to have a large group of friends who swim, bike, run, hike, etc. It is usually as much a social activity as a physical one.4 -
Wow that's incredible. I've only ever done 55 miles in a car 🚗 🤣
But seriously - well done!!
Believe me, its almost always more fun in a car.
Thanks, but I've been at this stuff for quite awhile, so its just part of the lifestyle. I'm lucky enough to have a large group of friends who swim, bike, run, hike, etc. It is usually as much a social activity as a physical one.
Sounds amazing, I wish I was part of your friendship group but I'd be the one lagging at the back saying, "hey, wait for me" as I fell over a rock 🤣3 -
Didn't do my usual AM elliptical as it was to thunderstorm @ 2, so I cut the grass, 2.5 hours but on a rider. Later this afternoon, did 3 hours on the elliptical for 13.2 miles. I start work @ 10 tomorrow, so I may do a hour or 2 before work, depending on how I feel in the AM and het myself to bed @ a decent time tonight.
Hadn't been on it since last Sunday d/t Drs appointment Tuesday and errands and the "Thunder over Dover" Air Show yesterday with the Blue Angels & the Thunderbirds performing together for the first time ever, supposedly. They are so cool to see, if you never have gotten too. I've seen them a few times but well worth a drive. Mine was 3 hours each way. Met a friend and her family there at the base, as they were at their beach house, close by.5 -
Saturday was nearly a rest day. I did do a bit of a walk, getting 8 miles in total.
Sunday was fun. A few of us went climbing. I only got one hard route, but I was the only in the group to get it. (There were 5 of us; I am probably 3rd best. It is reasonably close, though - Debbie has by far the best technique, and Jon is is strongest. I am the most stupid, which lets me get some stuff the others don't.) It took me about a minute of terrifying slab shuffling to get to the crux. There, I needed to match on a small crimp with my body leaning at an angle, cut loose and immediately swing out to get a foot on a small ledge the other side of the arrete.
We went of a barbecue afterwards. It was nice; it felt like a return to normality after lockdowns. I decided to walk home. At about 7 p.m, I thought better of this plan as the walk is around 18 miles (I had done about 6). So I got on the train, and only did about 11 miles for the day.4 -
Did an easy 80 minute workout yesterday. Around 30 minutes on the rower (easy stuff, around 2:25 pace) and then the rest on the Assault Bike. Trying to extend the duration of my Sundays a bit. Had gotten away from the long, slow workout day. Need to get it up to around 90 minutes on Sundays but strive to keep it super easy paced as well.
Completely agree with others on rest. Seems like when I turned 50, I had to be extra cautious in listening to my body. 60 isn't all that far off now for me (two years). I know a lot of folks (and obviously some in this group!) that train well into their 60s. I know one rower that trains hard in his mid 70s! But all those folks know when to train hard and when to really back off their effort. It's a huge balance game and knowing your HR zones very, very well.3
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