Aunt Sheshie: Thank you for answering my question about calculating your heart rate at 60% and 70%
Xanthia: Thank you for explaining the intensity required to elevate your heart rate to much; and for sharing your personal experience. The link is exactly what I needed to understand how to figure my heart rate. Now I can’t wait until I get back out there to find out how I have been doing. When I walk with a friend I walk slower, probably because we are chatting and it is difficult to walk fast and talk; but on my own I complete the 5 miles quicker.
jlewis88: Thank you for sharing what your coach has warned about going into starvation mode; and for sharing your personal experience.

SweetSheila: Thank you for starting this tread.

And thank you for everyone who has contributed their knowledge and experience. This forum is absolutely wonderful, everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to share and help.

Just wondering... what's y'all's favorite/best time of day to exercise?..

When I was working full-time, mornings worked best for me, 'cause by the time I got home, I was too tired... since I retired, I've tried various times... for the past 2 months, it's been about 11:30 a.m. or noon-ish... then a few days ago, I read something that said between 4:00 & 6:00 p.m. was the BEST time to exercise... so, yesterday & the day before, I tried that... omgawsh, that was awful!.. I couldn't make it through the whole workout that had been so easy for me when I did it in the middle of the day... I'm going back to mid-day...

To follow up on an earlier post, doing yoga after my NordicTrack & kettlebells is working out great... my muscles are warmed up, not as stiff, & those twists & bends are not quite so hard on this old body...

hugs

From About.com...

A new formula to calculate maximum heart rate for women. 206 - (.88 x age) = MHR

Read the whole article here... Fit Fact: Women Have a Different Heart Rate Response to Exercise

hugs

Some info that is good for us all. Again, remember that on the IP protocol you are advised to stay on the lower heart rate zone but, as a personal trainer, I do advise you move and also add resistance training to your routine (but don't try to be a body builder). You can do all of it while still remaining in the appropriate zone.

Also with IP we are a bit under the minimum calories here suggested but that will be ok for a bit... just remember when you add your meal it is more than just the packets so it's not tragic ;-)

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To lose a pound, you must burn 3,500 calories. As I've said before, it's all about the math

You can only do so much resistance training without damaging your muscles and impeding your results. Additionally, you can't starve the weight off: If you eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day, you will sabotage your optimal results. Therefore, cardio is weight loss extra credit. It allows you to burn additional calories without overtraining. This is one of the reasons some Biggest Loser players can still lose 20 pounds a week, even 7 weeks into the program.

Think about the math: If you are eating 1,500 calories a day — we assume your BMR without exercise is 1,600 (this is actually my BMR) — and you do two 1-hour cardio sessions that burn 500 calories each (one in the morning and one at night), the two sessions, along with your regular daily activity, will speed up your base metabolism to at least 2,000. As a result, you will have burned about 1,500 calories that day — that is, almost half a pound. At that rate you will be losing up to 3.5 pounds a week.

That said, you are bound to lose more weight during the first two weeks of any weight loss regimen because of the dramatic change in your diet and the loss of excess fluid. After that, it's all about crunching the numbers, and cardio is the key.

Elizabeth:

so based on your professional oppinion what should I be doing?

at this point this is what I am doing:

2 x 30 mins per week of weight training; it actually feels like cardio too because trainer moves between excercises so quick and wont give me a chance to recover or catch breath between them...as in I am sweating heavily withing the first 5 mins of it.

2X30 mins of walk/jog on treadmil comes to say >2 miles each time BUT at high incline of say 4 or so...this is always before my training session

3 days a week I take 4 mile walks around the hills of the neighborhood; the days I have no gym ofcourse.

sound good or lame? he asked me on tuesday that now that I have reached my goal weight, what is it exactly that I am looking for and the only response I had was "to get stronger".

I would probably do only 15 mins of cardio before the resistance training and do more of the cardio AFTER. You will do this as a warm up before lifting but not long enough to be tired for the weights.

To get stronger you may need to perhaps increase the weight you are lifting, slowly of course, the trainer will know.

I think you are doing great. For someone who wants to "tone" more I'd say do the trainer/weights stuff 3Xweek and the other days cardio/walking etc. If needed add more protein but I think you should be fine.

Way to go on reaching your goal!

My resting heart rate is 56. Might have to do with consistently low blood pressure?? But if I use the formula above my maximum heart rate would be 146.6. Um, I think that's a tad high for someone in their late 60s, no?

And your avatar is [I]great[I].

Just read the URL cited above. Is this the formula you meant to include, instead of the one in your post???
New Formula

206 - (.88 x 49) = 163
163 - 65 (RHR) = 98
98 * 65% (low end of heart rate zone) OR 85% (high end) = 64 (65%) or 83 (85%)
64 + 65 (RHR) = 129
83 + 65 (RHR) = 148
The target heart rate zone for this person would be 129-148 beats per minute.

What I've been told is that after age 65 afternoon is the best time to exercise because the older you get the longer it takes to warm up muscles naturally. You can get progressively earlier in the day the younger you are. Of course, exercise specialists are now saying the stretching warm ups do more harm than good, especially if they're strenuous. So. . . ?

Hey I Need Everyone's Opinion. I Am Really Close To My Goal Weight And Seems To Have Stalled With My Weight Loss(since I Only Lost 1/2 B This Week And Was Really Good). I Am Really Thinking About Starting To Exercise And Was Wondering What Everyone Else Thinks About This?

Since I'm 61 & not 49, that one wouldn't work for me!!!.. but, yeah, that's the rest of the example equation... thanks for posting it...

hugs

Using the old formula, mine is 220-61=159, with the new one it's 206-(.88x61)=152... the 60-70% range comes out pretty close either way...

Thanks, that picture was taken 22 years ago in Hawai'i, I was a size 10, 139 lbs... it's pretty much what I'm shooting for, maybe even better!.. I decided to put it up as a reminder of where I'm headed...

hugs

Thanks Elizabeth,

I'll talk to him tonight and see if he can manage the 3x a week, I think I can do it now that I am used to it. From experience I agree with the cardio after weights too, last time my legs had no more juice for squats.

thank you for the encouragment too, I feel great and the comments I am getting at work have increased I like it. someone told me the other day that I just look "cuter"

I can sure agree with you about getting squats in before cardio... in fact, I've moved them to the front of the line in my kettlebell workouts... just about anything else does my legs in...

How 'bout a picture of your cute self???..

hugs

Elizabeth- what is the best form of resistance training? I have a bunch of workout dvds, treadmill, a trx that I have no idea how to use, some small hand weights, few other pieces of small equipment, ball, mini tramp.... I dont know what and how much I should be doing, I live out in the country and usually I have to workout either in the wee hours of the night or morning so going to a gym is sorta outta the question. I have been walking on the treadmill, doin yoga videos, just trying to move more which is a big thing for me I am pretty lazy well I used to be I should say, trying to get better, thanks for any input you can give me to get me moving in the right direction.