Ms. Wolf and I walk daily in our relatively flat neighborhood or, in inclement weather, on our extremely flat treadmill. In the summer, we often take a second walk in the afternoon. Ms. Wolf likes to talk and I like to not listen (so she claims).
Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of beautiful weather and drove to a local park, which happens to be a glen, for our afternoon walk. The path includes lots of quiet woods, no cars, few people, small waterfalls, and several steep inclines.
I noticed that the inclines, especially the up ones, had become noticeably steeper and longer since our last visit.
I strongly suspect that there has been some recent geological activity that caused this change.
I seriously doubt it’s the extra few pounds or years I’m carrying.
Anyway, another beautiful day today and we’re off to the glen again this afternoon. I’m going to get back in shape or die trying (I have an uncomfortable feeling that Ms. Wolf is pushing for the latter).
Due to temps in the low 80s in metro Detroit, I took my summer walking route around the neighborhood on Thursday and Friday, then made my first-of-the-season trip to Greenfield Village yesterday. I have come to the conclusion that riding my exercise bike all winter uses different muscles that walking.
@AlphaWolf work into your higher level of fitness gradually or you may indeed die trying. At the very least you might find the fitness process so arduous and unpleasant that you will give up.
Get a pulse oximeter or other fancy gizmo that can track your heart rate and blood oxygen level. Do enough exercise to raise your heart rate for about 15 minutes. Repeat every day. Next week, add 5 minutes. Etc.
Expect to take a week to recover fitness for every week you have not been active. Don’t push it.
You seem to be singing from the same hymnal as my husband…“these bloody hills are getting steeper” ( no flat bits in our nabe), “are you trying to kill me?” along with blaming barometric pressure fluctuations (might actually be onto something there).
You’re noticing something that my husband is unwilling to accept…that when using a treadmill or stationary bike for your exercise needs, it’s everso easy to kid yourself that you’re putting out more effort than you actually are. Especially if, like my husband, you plod along watching the news for 20 minutes or so to entertain/distract you. Husband has no excuse whatsoever because he’s actually had the rude awakening that comes from the debilitating effects of cardiac surgery AND we have a nice Nordictrack treadmill and a Peloton bike…complete with the plethora of training programmes that come with each and the metrics on the devices that give you decent feedback. If you’re not distracting yourself with the TV.
It’s incredibly frustrating to walk with him. I keep threatening to get me a toy boy just for walking.
Yeah I got a treadmill from a neighbor moving in 2020 during the pandemic. My parents decided they needed one for the winters because walking on ice in your 80s is not a great idea. Okay but they have slowed down faster. Plus it is not just the winter.
Honestly mom and dad also walk a local park a few times a week except when there is ice. I hate seeing them slow down.
Wait until it starts happening to you. I have lost a couple steps, and I’m only 69. I used to do my 2 mile loop in 40 minutes flat. Now, it takes 43.
A few years ago, I was walking through Greenfield Village (open air museum in Dearborn) I thought I was chugging along at a pretty good pace, until a young couple blew past me like I was standing still.
I’m not dismissing the value of treadmills etc…in fact, in a good many instances they can be superior to outdoor terrain (Boston winters being closeto top of the list!). It’s just about 4 years since our Nordictrack arrived which we purchased in order to continue husband’s post surgery rehab. Grades of up to 12% on the roads in our immediate neighbourhood prevented anything safe/worthwhile outside. It worked…because he worked at it with diligence and the sort of determination that brought tears to my eyes. I give him earache because he’s gotten complacent and started to take his Second Chance a bit for granted.
It’s the Boston Marathon today and my absolute favourite iFit trainer, Tommy Rivers Puzey will be at the start line in our old neighbourhood. For anyone who is thinking of sitting a bit too much today, his story is worth a read. Here’s but one iteration.
In addition to his many previous training series on the iFit platform, he’s documented his road to recovery in a 3-part (so far) series of the same name. I started the first shortly after it came out in January of last year when I was just getting mobile after my lapiplasty…and feeling mighty sorry for myself. I refocused my lenses on that issue PDQ. His second series coincided my discovery that I had ASCVD and sufficient coronary artery occlusion with a fractional flow reserve that usually warrants stent placement. I just finished his third series yesterday…
…and I’m toying with the idea of the Bolder Boulder 10k coming up next month. I’m sure I’ll be slower than the Golden Gallop 10k just before my surgery…but still way faster than the Grim Reaper…
