Add some jogging?

I hope that some of you started fitness more than six months ago. If so, you might be interested to introduce some jogging into your daily activity. About a year after I started my weight lose program, I started to jog occasionally. Then, I felt that I needed some more speed. If you are like that, the following program is for you. If not, continue with you current program until you achieve your goals. WARNING:If you have heart related problems or you just think you might have them, consult a qualified physician before you change a program.

Program for advanced walkers/joggers

Day	Intensity
Monday	(day off)
Tuesday (short day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30min @ 50-70% MaxHR (alternate 5 min walk/ 1 min light jog)* ; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching.
Wednesday (short day)	(same as Tuesday)
Thursday (long day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 60 min @ 50-70% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching.
Friday (short day)	(same as Tuesday)
Saturday (long easy day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30 min @ 50-70% MaxHR; 30-60 additional minutes @ 50-60% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching.
Sunday (long day)	(same as Thursday)

*Every four weeks, you can increase light jog by 1 min until you walk for 5 minutes and jog for the same amount of time. Your total workout time shouldn't change (max 30 min). Only the number of intervals will change. BTW, this will increase the amount of calories burned, and if your goal is a weight loss, this will help you to get rid off the pounds a little bit faster.

Program for advanced walkers

Program 1 (5 months of training and more)

Day	Intensity
Monday	(day off)
Tuesday	30 min;Alternate 5 min at 50-60% HRM with 2 min at 60-70%. Finish with 2 min at 50-60%.
Wednesday	30 min @ 50-60% HRM
Thursday	15 min @ 50-60% HRM
Friday	30 min @ 50-60% HRM
Saturday	15 min @ 50-60% HRM
Sunday	(same as Tuesday)

Program 2

Day	Intensity
Monday	(day off)
Tuesday (short day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 min; 30 min at 50-70% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching.
Wednesday (short day)	(same as Tuesday)
Thursday (long day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 min; 60 min at 50-70% HRM; slow down for 5 min. Light stretching.
Friday (short day)	(same as Tuesday)
Saturday (long easy day)	Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30 min at 50-70% HRM; 30-60 additional minutes at 50-60%; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching.
Sunday (long day)	(same as Thursday)

Interesting question

Last Sunday, I was running in a park. I was doing my workout for several minutes when one of the two ladies in their 70's or 80's, sitting on the bench, asked me the following question: "Why do you run, Sir?". Without hesitation, I sincerely answered: "Because I like it!"
I continued running, but few minutes later, probably not convinced that somebody could run for pleasure, the lady asked me the same question. I stopped and explained her how I lost weight, started walking and running, etc. I finished with the same sentence as few minutes ago: "And now, I run because I like it."
This is true. I am not obliged to run but I like it so much that I cannot stop doing it. I hope you'll like walking and, eventually, running, too.
This is no more a matter of fitness or health. This is a Passion!

Program (intermediate level)

Level 1 (2 to 3 months of training): Day Time Effort Monday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR * Tuesday Wednesday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Thursday 15" 50 - 60 % maxHR Friday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Saturday Sunday 15" 50 - 65 % maxHR * maxHR = maximum Heart Rate Level 2 (4 to 5 months of training): Day Time Effort Monday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR * Tuesday Wednesday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Thursday 20" 50 - 65 % maxHR Friday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Saturday Sunday 20" 50 - 65 % maxHR The goal is everyday walking (with one day off), and higher effort with intervals. Continues next week...

Did you start to walk?

Try our poll (left) and be honest :). It's for your good. If you already started - BRAVO! Just go on! IF you want to start, but don't find some time, try something else: use the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the store instead of driving (well, if it isn't at 10 km). The well known tricks :) If you want to progress (hey, it means that you already walk!), I offer two beginners programs. Find some time for yourself 3 or 4 times a week.

 

Beginners 1 (less than 4 weeks of walking): Day Time Effort Monday 20-30" 50 - 60% maxHR * Tuesday Wednesday 25" 50 - 60 maxHR Thursday Friday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Saturday Sunday 15" 50 - 60 % maxHR * maxHR = maximum Heart Rate (see 2007-28-02, Workouts with Heart Zones) Beginners 2 (between 4 and 8 weeks of training): Day Time Effort Monday 30-35" 50 - 60 % maxHR Tuesday     Wednesday 30" 50 - 60 % maxHR Thursday     Friday 30" 50 - 60% maxHR Saturday     Sunday 15" 50 - 60% maxHR I started like this... and you can do it, too! Next time - for advanced walkers.

CIBC Run For The Cure

Isn't it fantastic? A crowd of 25 000 gathered this weekend in Montreal to walk and run for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Everyone can do something to help find the cure for breast cancer - a donation and a participation. Every little thing that gives hope that one day this illness will disappear or, at least, be easier to prevent and cure. Together, we can do more than individually, so let's run, walk, meet... For a new hope and a better future of women and men (yes, event the men can have this form of cancer - only this year, 170 men in Canada, 80 in Austria, etc. will be diagnosed with this illness). And gather in even bigger number next year!

Is Running Really Boring?

When I was younger, I often watched a very long dyke in my birthplace (well, maybe I just thought it was that long). And, there were runners, too. I wondered how they could run every day without being bored. Another day, while I discussed with my dad (a former athlete, but not runner), I mentioned running and he told me that running on streets is probably interesting, and running on track must be “terribly boring”. Few years ago, I would have thought he was right. Not anymore! To walk or run, one must have good legs (strong, not pretty), but the mental side is also important. A physical activity is equally a matter of muscles as of thinking. When I started to walk, I always used my PM3 player and listened to the music. Once, I forgot it (but it was too late to come back). So, I started making music in my mind and understood that my brain was there to motivate me. Some time later, I understood that the workout time is my special time for relaxation.

That’s when I am concentrated only on running and on my environment. Even now, I use some songs in my mind to find a good rhythm for running and since one year I don’t use my MP3 during the workouts. Do you still remember the dyke from the beginning of this post? It is still as long as before, but now I know I can pass from one end to another very fast. Neither running on track is boring. I understand that this way I can improve my performance, especially the speed. So, what is the answer to the question from the title? Definitely, running is not boring. It is only our perception (when we are not motivated) that makes it boring. So, go outside and move…

What I ate?

IMPORTANT: Don't even try to eat like me. Our individual needs are different (according to our physical constitution, metabolism, level of the physical activity, etc.). This is only an example of my menu. Don't change anything in your eating habits without consulting a qualified nutritionist.

Breakfast: a glass of cereal with a glass of milk, half banana Variant: Two slices of multigrain bread with peanut butter and a glass of milk Snack: one fruit Lunch: Meat or fish; two slices of bread or potatoes/pasta; lettuce or tomato, ten pieces of baby carrots Snack: one fruit Supper: If I ate fish for lunch, I eat meat and vice-versa; cooked vegetables/salad; bread, potatoes or pasta Before going to bed: a glass of 1% milk or fat free yogurt I ate (and still eat) a lot of fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel). I use canned or fresh fish - the latter prepared in the oven or in microwave with a lot of spices and some olive oil. It helped me to get rid of cholesterol. When you see what I ate, are you surprised I wasn't hungry?

Montreal Marathon's 5 K (Sep. 9)

 

I am so excited! I set my new personal best on 5 K (24:20). It was a great race. For the first time I was faster than 25 minutes (my old PB was 25:27). The weather was fair (around 15°C, somewhat windy) and I was in great shape. Unfortunately, on the water stop, a guy in front of me stopped suddenly so I ran into him and lost few precious seconds and my rhythm was broken. My running buddy Yves avoided this situation. He set his new PB, too. One of my toes is painful (did the guy at the water stop stepped on my foot?) but I'll continue my workouts this week preparing for the next race (in 3 weeks).

Start using a Heart Rate Monitor

What’s the use of a heart rate monitor?
1) You don’t have to stop occasionally to measure your pulse.
2) You can set the alarm so whenever you are too low or too high (if you prefer: when you are out of your training zone), the alarm will remind you to accelerate or to slow down a bit.
3) You can set the timer to remind you when to stop the workout.
4) At the end, you’ll see the statistics (average heart rate, maximum and minimum HR), sometimes even the total time you exercised in your target zone.
You can put all of this to a chart and this will motivate you more than you imagine. I was so amazed with these numbers that I entered them after every workout and was impatient to do. You can even add your morning weight and calculate the daily or weekly progress. Amazing! I did it after two months since the beginning f my program and it was one of the most motivating things I used.

As it was written on About.com - Sports Medicine, Heart Monitor is a gadget you can live without, but once you try it, you’ll be hardly able to continue without it.
Right, you become addicted! You find it so easy to use and so useful, that you want one during each of your workouts. HRM is not a tool for advanced athletes (although they use them, too). You can find them in various shapes, with so different characteristics – from base models, to fitness and running or cycling computers. Every one will monitor your heart rate in real time, most of them have the chronometer, most will be able to set your five heart zones (but you’ll have to enter your maximum HR yourself), some can even calculate your calories consumption during the workout. Mostly, they have a timer, so you can set the time you want doing your workout (ex: 24 minutes) and will remind you that your exercise is over.
The advanced ones will show you the distance you walked (or ran) – based either on GPS signal or by using a foot pod. Some will even allow you to set your workouts on a computer and to transfer them to your watch and exercise according to the programmed session. Some of the famous brands are Polar, Timex and, recently, Garmin. Polar and Timex have basic to advanced models, Garmin only the advanced ones. I would not recommend the Heart Rate Monitors without a chest strap because they are not accurate.
Basically, you moisten your chest strap and put it on your chest, start your watch in chronometer mode and GO! Don’t forget to warm-up and cool down!

Timex Bodylink	Polar F4M	Garmin 305

My first month

As 3 weeks are needed for any activity to become a habit, it is obvious the importance of my first month. I started on April 10, 2005, and then I did my workouts every other day (twice, I skipped one day, but I did my workouts the day after). Generally, the effect of a workout lasts for 48 hours, so sometimes there is no problem to skip an additional day. The average time I spent on my workouts at that time was around 30 minutes and I walked around 3800 steps (about 2.7 - 2.8 km), with the average speed of a little bit more than 5 kph.
In fact, I started with 3780 steps/30 minutes and at the end of the month (after 11 workouts) I did 4550 steps/35 minutes.
At the end of May (1 and a half months after I started), I walked 45 minutes and around 6500 steps. In the beginning, I didn't do any statistics about the lost weight, but between April 10 and May 15, I lost 11 kg.
Not everybody must and can lose that weight so quickly, but it is quite obvious: when you are obese, you need more energy to move than when you are lean. Just imagine pushing a 10 kg box and a 50 kg box. For which one will you need more effort?
Moreover, I drastically cut in my calories intake, especially sugars. Probably I also dehydrated a little bit because I was taking some water only when I was thirsty. Now, I know it was wrong. You should drink water regularly, before you feel thirsty because it means that you are already dehydrated.
The marathoners do it like this (me too - now): one or two sips of water every 10 minutes of workout, no matter if you feel thirsty or not.

Running Room 3 miler Race - Aug 11, 2007

Hear are some photos taken during my second race this year - Running Room 3 miler , that took place last Saturday on Mount Royal in Montreal. The weather was great, my result good (10th place among 59 racers, 3rd in my age category where I was the oldest), everything was really great.

Taking heart rate and the first workouts

There are many ways to measure your heart rate, but the most accurate is by using a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM). While you walk or run, you can see in real time your heart rate.

If you don’t have a HRM, you can stop and take you pulse on the neck or on the wrist, but don’t forget that your heart rate will continue dropping while you are stopped. This means that there will be a discrepancy compared to a heart rate while you run or walk.

When you calculate the limits of your heart zones, try walking in a pace that will allow you to stay in your defined zones (1 or 2).

Before starting every workout, warm up by walking for five minutes – you have to gradually increase your heart rate from below 60% to a desired level.

After the workout, cool down by gradually decreasing your speed for 3 to 5 minutes to avoid that the blood (used while you were walking) returns too fast to the organs and in order to relax the muscles.

For the first week, I would recommend 15 to 20 minutes of walking in the first two zones (plus warm up and cool down). This gives the total of 25 to 30 minutes of activity. Try to exercise every other day or at least three times a week but not three days in a row and do not skip more than two days.

If you feel a chest pain or fainting or any other similar symptom, stop your activity and immediately consult a doctor. In normal conditions, if your intensity is not exaggerated, you shouldn’t have problems.

Also, do not start exercising without asking permission from your doctor, especially if you had any past heart condition.

During the workouts, take one or two sips of water every 10 to 15 minutes (depending on your sweating and the air temperature/humidity) and avoid exercising during the heat periods. This means that in summer the best time for workouts is either early in the morning or late in the evening.

Don't forget - do not exercise at least 1.5 or hours after a meal and don't eat for at least 20 minutes after the workout. However, 30 minutes after the workout are important for recovery so take, for example a cup of chocolate milk (not too cold!) or cocoa or any other similar combination of proteins and carbs after the exercise. I found that the chocolate milk works perfectly for me.

Workouts with Heart Zones

One of the most helpful things that helped me to lose weight was exercising with the Heart Zone.

To avoid too many scientific details, I’ll simply try to explain what it is.

The top triathlete Sally Edwards (today in her 50’s) is one of persons that prone this kind of fitness preparation. By simply following her advices, I lost weight and achieved the fitness level I could only dream of when I was younger.

The theory says that everybody a maximum heart rate (MaxHR). This number is not age dependent, is inherited and is sport dependent. Although there were many proofs that the widely accepted formula is no more valid (there is a difference of up to 20 beats compared to a real world data), the formula is still in use. This formula is based on a person’s age and now we know that a fit person can preserve its high maximum for years.
In the beginning, I also used this formula and lost quite a lot of weight (but later, I replaced it with another one, more precise), so it can be a kind of starting point.

So, let’s start with this formula that states:
MaxHR = 220 – age (in years)

In theory, a person 30 years old has MaxHR of 190 (220 -30)=190. Someone 50 years old would have MaxHR of 170.
Just to show the discrepancy, I’ll give you my example: I am 49 years old and my MaxHR, according to the age-dependent formula, would be 171 (220 – 49). In practice, I already run at 182. According to the other formula (that I use now, but I’ll explain it later), my MaxHR would be 180. Not bad: 2 compared to 11. It can be almost a whole zone!

Then, depending on this value, we can calculate the 5 heart zones used in workouts:

1. Healthy Heart Zone: 50 to 60 % of MaxHR-a (this zone will be used to warm up and cool down)
2. Temperate Zone: 60 to 70 % of MaxHR
3. Aerobic Zone: 70 do 80 % of MaxHR
4. Threshold Zone: 80 do 90 % of MaxHR
5. Red Zone: 90 to 100 % of MaxHR

If you want to preserve your heart (without using the benefits of other zones), use the first zone. You will notice that your blood pressure will be lower after some time.

The second zone (together with the first one) is the one in which you’ll burn the maximum of fats so these zones are used to lose weight. The total of burned calories is higher in the second zone, but in both of them, 85% of all calories burned come from fat. It is also good to lower the high cholesterol, with the changes in nutrition.

The third zone is the aerobic and helps to improve the endurance. In this zone, 50 to 60 % of all calories come from fats (higher total calories, but lower percentage from fats).

The last two zones are for the athletes and the percentage of calories burnt from fats is low.

It means, in order to lose weight, you should exercise in the first two zones, and when you become a lot less heavy (to avoid the injuries), you can occasionally exercise in the third zone (easy jogging). It is not worth of trying while you are still very overweight because there is high risk of injuries.

Example of zones:

For the 30 years old person with MaxHR of 190, these are the zone limits:
1. 95 to 114 heartbeats
2. 114 to 133 heartbeats
3. 133 to 152 heartbeats
4. 152 to 171 heartbeats
5. 171 to 190 heartbeats

Gear

You don’t need the expensive gear. Walking (and running) will not require too much money for basic gear. Of course, you can always add some “extras” – just to “feel better” or to be more motivated.

So, you’ll need:

• walking/running shoes – must be comfortable;
• socks – the same;
• poles – if you decide to try Nordic Walking;
• a short and a T-Shirt (but not in cotton because it absorbs the sweat and your tee (or short) will quickly become heavy; if the temperature is not high enough, you’ll feel more cold than necessary;

• a motivational gadget – a pedometer. Try to buy one because it will motivate you more than anything;

• Draw a statistical grid (on paper or in Excel) and try to note every day the number of steps and the exercise time.

"Extras"

I discovered the benefits of training with heart zones (this will be explained later) and I bought a heart rate monitor (HRM). If you can find one (starting at $60) it will be very helpful in your workouts.

As my physical condition improved, I decided to buy a HRM with the GPS module to control my speed and position and to get the exact running distances.

Don’t forget. You want to lose weight and not to make a competition (for now) – so these gadgets are useful but you can live without them.

Coming from vacation

One week of vacation is behind us. I really enjoyed the warm, sunny weather and I ran in average 10 km every other day (alternated with the Nordic Walking). I decided to share a few photos from Mt-Tremblant with you.

 

Motivation

This is the key word.

At first, you’ll be motivated because you want to lose weight. But this is not enough. As the time goes by, this can melt (seriously).

So, you'll need something more.

First, try to communicate with a qualified nutritionist. All the time, I was supported by my physician and my nutritionist.

Then, you’ll need:

• Realistic and achievable goal. In my case (at 134 kg), my goal was 85 kg (but later, I changed it to even less – 83 kg)
• No time frame to achieve your goal. I lost 51 kg in 18 months.
• Don’t exaggerate. Normally, you should lose about 1kg (2 lbs) weekly, but it is not a fix value. In the beginning, it is more, then, it almost stops,then restarts...
• It’s easier losing weight than preserve it (once lost). I’m pretty sure that if you did the efforts to lose the weight, you will never do the same mistake to eat the junk food or just eat too much.

Finally, you’ll need some basic gear which is not expensive. I’ll discuss it in my next post.

Health benefits of walking

• Burns almost as many calories as jogging
• Eases back pains
• Slims your waist
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces levels of bad cholesterol
• Reduces heart attack risk
• Enhances stamina & energy
• Lessens anxiety & tension
• Improves muscle tone
• Easy on your joints
• Reduces appetite
• Increases aerobic capacity
• Can be done in short bouts
• Slows down osteoporosis bone loss
• Can be done when you're traveling

Nordic walking does the same, but you burn more calories.

Walking is probably the safest exercise you can do. It doesn't require prior training or conditioning and doesn't involve a great deal of physical exertion in the beginning. Studies have even shown that due to the design of our body, walking is more natural than sitting, standing or running, and walking is not as stressful to the body as other exercises.

For example, running is much more stressful on the heart and joints and leads to many more injuries. The shock impact of a runner's step is 3-4 times a person's weight, while walking is only 1.5. Some sports like basketball and tennis can have a shock force of 7 times a person's weight.
While walking is easier on your body, it can be just as beneficial as running in helping you lose weight. If you run for 30 minutes at 8 km/h you will burn about 285 calories. If you walk for 30 minutes at 6.5 km/h you will burn 165 calories on a level surface, 225 on a slight incline of 5%, and 360 calories on a 10% incline.

Activities

You might think that every kind of exercise is good for you, but this is not entirely true.

In the beginning, while you are still overweight, running is not good for your joints because your body must support the excess of weight.

I know, when you run, you burn more calories, but you can become tired and the fatigue can lead you to abandon. This is not what you want, right?

So, I can recommend you one of the two following activities (no chess, no Monopoly and no poker, please):

· Walking

·Nordic walking

The question is: Why walking and/or Nordic walking? Because they are easy on your body (so you don’t risk too much to lose the motivation), can be aerobics (depending on your speed, of course) and because you can practice them anywhere: your park or a gym are some of the places where you can walk.

There are many benefits of walking, and that’s why I started my weight loosing program by this activity. Recently, I discovered the Nordic walking and I consider it as even better to lose
the excess of weight. You need the special poles (very similar to these used in cross-country skiing), so you will use your legs and the upper body, too. You’ll burn between 20% and 40% more calories than by just walking, and the perception of the effort is the same as in walking. The price of the poles is around $100 and I can recommend carbon fiber poles and do not recommend the telescopic ones because they are heavier and can snap, causing the injury.

Before you start

Start is very important. From that moment on, you begin an activity that has to be at the same time interesting and not too hard.
So, it is obvious that you cannot start as an athlete preparing for the Olympic Games! If you start too quickly, with too much effort, you have more chances to quit. Inversely, if your activity is just right for you, you’ll have a lot of pleasure to continue.
I already mentioned that your activity must be interesting for you. If your rhythm is too slow, you risk being annoyed. So, you need the way to stay motivated. The motivation will be the subject of one of my following posts.

Before...and after

Summer 2004	Fall 2006

Do something for your health

Until two years ago I was inactive and obese, with serious health problems. I started walking for health (at the age of 47) and now, with 51 kg (112 lbs) less, I run and started to compete.

In April 2005 I was diagnosed with diabetes (type II), high cholesterol and hypertension.

There were only two solutions: completely changing my lifestyle (and lose my weight) or taking pills. I was determined to succeed without the medication and set my goal at 85 kg (no time frame defined). I started walking and changed my eating habits.

It took seventeen months of determination and discipline to achieve my goal. My weight is stable at 83 kg since September 2006. My efforts weren’t in vain: I feel great and all my tests are normal now: blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.

I motivated several of my colleagues and friends to start exercising and change their eating habits and some of them lost between 5 and 10 kg.

Dieting is not the solution. Changing your habits is. Don't expect the results too fast, but with the time, if you have enough patience, you can do it.

I did it with help of my doctor and a nutritionist. In the following posts I'll explain in detail how I did it.