A Good First Day

helenme28
helenme28 Posts: 18
in Fitness and Exercise
Today I had my first 'proper' gym session and I am shattered. Even though I didn't really do much I still feel good about it, I know it is the start of something more and the only way is up!

I decided to play it safe and spend 30 minutes on the treadmill going at about 5.5km/hr with a slight incline (incline of "3", no idea what that represents). Followed by 15 minutes on the Elliptical with a resistance setting of 2. I then went into the sauna for a bit before going to the hydrotherapy pool.

There was only one thing that concerned me, while I was on the treadmill it kept on telling me my heart rate was about 150bpm. Based on the the helpful little sticker on the machine telling me that my target heart rate for an intensive cardio workout should be 145, this was a little concerning. Now I know I have never been very fit. I'm 5ft 5 at about 142lb and carry most of that around my waist and have been described as a "Tofi" before (Thin outside fat inside).

I know that the heart is a muscle and it will get stronger with more use, but is this sort of level too much based on the exercise I have done?

Replies

  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,293 Member
    heart rate alone may not be a great indicator, especially if you go by statistics (they're based on averages...) and measure the heart rate over the handle on the machine you're working on... or are you wearing a heart rate monitor with chest strap?

    try gauging how much work you're doing by your ability to speak. most things i have read advise you to exercise at a pace where you can just still keep a conversation going. if you start gasping for air in the middle of the sentence, that means you should slow down a bit.

    of course, there are exceptions. hiit and the like. i've hit heart rates of over 200 - that's when i decided i should lay off intervals until i am in better shape.

    off topic maybe, but IMO, you can walk and run outside, the real benefit of a gym membership is access to the weight machines and free weights (ok the sauna sounds like a real perk too). are you planning on doing some of that as well?

    cheers, and keep it up :-)
  • helenme28
    helenme28 Posts: 18
    heart rate alone may not be a great indicator, especially if you go by statistics (they're based on averages...) and measure the heart rate over the handle on the machine you're working on... or are you wearing a heart rate monitor with chest strap?

    try gauging how much work you're doing by your ability to speak. most things i have read advise you to exercise at a pace where you can just still keep a conversation going. if you start gasping for air in the middle of the sentence, that means you should slow down a bit.

    of course, there are exceptions. hiit and the like. i've hit heart rates of over 200 - that's when i decided i should lay off intervals until i am in better shape.

    off topic maybe, but IMO, you can walk and run outside, the real benefit of a gym membership is access to the weight machines and free weights (ok the sauna sounds like a real perk too). are you planning on doing some of that as well?

    cheers, and keep it up :-)

    I'm not nearly ready to start using weights yet, I'm getting a session with a personal trainer booked so I'll see what comes of that but I'm trying to start out slowly. And yes, I would love to be able to go walking outside but I'd have to drive somewhere nice to do that and just walking around the residential estates where I live is not very appealing. Plus the gym I've joined has a load of cool classes that I'm going to start.

    The talking thing is a good tip, thank you. I'll keep that one in mind.
  • bbbgamer
    bbbgamer Posts: 582 Member
    those arent entirely accurate any way. if you feel good afterwards keep doing it!
  • cygnetpro
    cygnetpro Posts: 419 Member
    I don't feel like I'm ready to do "serious" weights yet, either, but I've seen so many people on here post results from cardio AND weights that I got some hand weights at Target. I do 10-15 reps of curls whenever I think about it during the day, leaving the weights handy. I'm doing 5 lb, but I also have 8 and 10 lb hand weights waiting in the wings. Good luck to you! (and I'm jealous of the sauna, too!)
  • helenme28
    helenme28 Posts: 18
    I don't feel like I'm ready to do "serious" weights yet, either, but I've seen so many people on here post results from cardio AND weights that I got some hand weights at Target. I do 10-15 reps of curls whenever I think about it during the day, leaving the weights handy. I'm doing 5 lb, but I also have 8 and 10 lb hand weights waiting in the wings. Good luck to you! (and I'm jealous of the sauna, too!)

    I'm scared of hurting myself and then limping away from the machine, plus my 'problem area' is my abdomen so I really want to talk to a professional before I try anything. When I get brave enough to venture into the free weights section I will start on some.

    The sauna was deal breaker in this case, I've had problem skin for years and saunas have fantastic cleansing affects. My gym has a women only sauna attached to the changing rooms plus a big mixed sex one, a steam room (which makes my eyes hurt) and a sanarium (which I think is just a hotter sauna, I dunno).

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