After weeks and weeks of renting aerobic videos from the library, I finally bought one. It's a WATPs one. I didn't realize it at the time that it's the 3 mile express one. However, it was a good workout this morning.

I first rented some for 50+. I had no problem keeping up with them. Well, with the exception of a log of knee bends. Mine have given me problems for years, so I have to take it easy on them. Also, I have camper's elbow and bending it can be painful, so I have to modify usage. (Yeah, yeah, you've never heard of camper's elbow. My dr called it tennis elbow and I told her I don't like tennis and to give me something else. Since I'm an avid camper, she called it camper's elbow just for me).

Anyway, today's workout was brisker than the others. Should I consider it high impact? When does it become high impact? It was certainly higher than what I'd been doing.

Thanks for any advice.

Mare, are you talking about high impact (effect on your joints - how hard you're hitting the ground) or high intensity (effect on your heart rate)?

Low impact workouts can still be high intensity. The term low impact just means that 1 foot is always on the ground. High impact is when both feet leave the ground such as with jumping and running. You can measure your heart rate to help gauge your intensity.

I really didn't realize there was a difference.

I think I mean intensity. I was sweating today and enjoying it. However, I started feeling pain (real discomfort, not a workout burn) in my knees.

Oh, another question. I've been putting it in my fitday as general aerobics. However, she tells us that we've taken a brisk walk or fast walk, etc and gives the mileage. Should I be entering it as that instead of aerobics?

Geez! I'm stupid.

You're not stupid! It sounded like you were talking about 'intensity' when you mentioned briskness, so I just wanted to be sure what question you were asking.

OK, the intensity of an exercise refers to how hard your heart is working. The higher the heart rate, the more calories you're burning. You've probably seen or heard of 'low-intensity', 'moderate-intensity', and 'high-intensity' exercise in Fitday and other places, right? That's determined by your heart rate while exercising.

To figure out your approximate heart rates zones, subtract your age from 220. That's your theoretical maximum heart rate. Exercising at 65 - 75% of your max heart rate is low-intensity, 75 - 85% is moderate-intensity, and over 85% is high-intensity. If you don't mind posting your age, I can help you figure it out.

While you're exercising, check your pulse several times and see what range you're in. A heart rate monitor is easiest, but you can also take your pulse on your wrist or neck. If you take it for ten seconds, just multiply by six to find out beats per minute. Then you can see how intense your exercise is.

As for the impact issue, it sounds like the video is too high impact for your joints. You don't need me to tell you that pain in your knees is not a good thing! Walking and running are impact activities and can be tough on joints. Nelie's right that you can get a heck of an intense workout with low or no impact activities so perhaps you should investigate some alternatives. For cardio, do you have access to a bike, elliptical, or pool? Those are all terrific no-impact cardio that will get your heart rate up there without any damage to your knees (I don't have cartilage in my knees and still use the elliptical every day - high intensity and no impact )

Are you doing any weight training? It's an important part of your exercise program and it's the Fountain of Youth for older women.

As for Fitday, I can't help. I use Fitday to track calories but have found the calories burned and calories needed calculators to be wildly inaccurate so I don't bother with them. Sorry!

Thanks to both of you.

Meg, 164 is the number. Now, what do I do with it?

I have been riding my bike on occassion. However, yesterday I got an odometer for it. I think I'll be able to garner more info from that than just riding for x amount of time. I just have to remember to watch where I'm going instead of it!

I must sound like a totally incompetent I don't know what to some of you because I'm asking some obvious questions that anyone should know.

I'm really thankful for all the advice I'm getting.

Mare sweetie, those aren't obvious questions - they're good questions and I bet a lot of other people would like to know the answers too! None of us are born knowing this stuff, right?

OK, if your maximum heart rate is 164, here's how it breaks down into zones of intensity.

Low intensity = 107 - 123 bpm (beats per minute)
Moderate intensity = 124 - 139 (bpm)
High intensity = over 140 bpm

If you were doing your video and wondering how intense of a workout it is for you, you'd check your heart rate and see which level of intensity you're at.

If you haven't been exercising for long, you'll want to start out in the low to moderate zones. Once you're comfortable there, it might be time to add in some high intensity intervals - on your bike, you'd pedal in a sprint for a minute, then drop back to moderate pace for five minutes or so, then sprint for a minute, then recover for five minutes etc. Interval training is great for fat burning!

Take care of those knees and don't ever be embarrassed about asking questions.

Meg, I'm so glad you are one of my new playmates.

I'm going to make a note of what you just told me and check my rates as I workout. I think I'm going to try and stay in the moderate area for a bit. If I can quote The Gettysburg Address with no problems, then I'll increase. As it is now, I'm not winded to where I can't talk so I think I can step it up a bit. I don't know where I am right now because they don't give me a chart during my workout.

Hmmm, seems like they should include that as part of the DVD workout.

Thanks again. (This one isn't fattening. )

i apologize in advance, i don't want to take over this thread or anything but i'm a newbie and found this to be interesting information and now i have a question.

Meg (or anybody else),
I'm 27 years old, 120-128 pounds (but way out of shape) and i've been doing the Leslie Sansone 2mile walk in the mornings and this morning i checked my heart rate (with the MIO heart rate monitor watch i bought a week ago and want so bad to throw it out the window because i can't get it to take my reading half the time) and it read 239bpm. According to your formula (220-27 = 193) my heart rate shouldn't be going over 193 should it? i'm just walking for crying out loud and barely breaking a sweat. I certainly don't want to do anything less intense. What are your thoughts?

amy

Hi Amy and welcome! Don't worry about taking over the thread - threads often evolve in interesting and uexpected ways.

Honestly, I think that number is a mistake. Either the monitor is broken or something else is goofy. I can't believe you could end up with a HR that high from walking, or really from anything else. Maybe check your pulse to compare ?

You're probably right Meg. I'll try to do it manually. i'm thinking about taking the HR monitor back anyway because i have a hard time getting it to read my HR. I'm hoping i just got a lemon

Amy

Please don't appologize. You asked a very good question and something I needed to know as well.

Meg, just wanted to add a big thank you for explaining that! I never quite understood it, and you explained it really well! Your posts are always so insightful and encouraging - I always look out for them- and I just wanted to thank you for that.

Amy, for HIT according to the formula, you have to take 85% of that number (which is the max), which is ~167. At least, that's the way I read it... I'm no expert at all!

Do you feel like you're about to fall over when you're doing the video? for me, when I get to HIT I can only do it for a bit before I have to stop. What kind of HRM do you use?

Thanks, Dana - you're a sweetie!