Any ex-couch potatoes who got fit only after the op?

[Teresa UK]

I?m 1 year post AVR, without any problems, and something has ?clicked? in my head to make me feel really motivated to concentrate on building up some fitness. At the moment I?m pretty much sedentary ? I drive everywhere and am mostly at a desk all day. I?m a couple of stone overweight, but am starting to lose that by cutting calories. Is there anyone else out there who has started a fitness/jogging regime only since their op ? as opposed to those who were active before the operation? I?ve downloaded the ?Couch-to-5K? running plan and am keen to get going. Anyone done this particular plan? Any advice for a newbie jogger much appreciated.
Teresa

 

[Cooker]

I am much more aware of my health than before AVR (2-21-06). But I must confess I have fallen short of my goals I am walking but still get lazy. Lost some weight but have been on a tear as of late with the sweets.

I am not going to change over night but I hope I can continue to make baby steps. Maybe by the time I am old and gray I will have the body of a seventy year old

Cooker

 

[Adrienne]

Although I'll never be an athlete, I definitely have been more diligent about going to the gym than I was before. I also wear a Polar Heartrate monitor when I exercise.

 

[67walkon]

I think working out is something you either love or don't love. I love it. Having this silly condition crimps my workouts, but the docs tell me it will be fine.

Find something you like. Whether it is walking, jogging or riding a bike, it takes a while to get there. An old running book I had talked about the "Gate at 5 miles"; the theory of the author was that if you could work up to 5 miles, after that it was easy.

I believe. Once you can run 5 or 6 miles, it is relatively easy to work up to running full marathons, which are 26.2 miles. I can't really run that much any more because of knee surgery, but I started riding a bike last year and it was similar. Until you can maintain a decent pace for 45 minutes to an hour, it isn't much fun. Once you can, it is fun and you can gradually increase to almost anything.

Before my recent diagnosis of having a 5 cm ascending aorta, I was training to ride a bike across the state of Georgia in a one week ride. I rode 150 miles in 2 days for MS in April. Then I got my bad CT news and had to back off.

For a couch potato, I would say to find something you like to do. Give it a couple of months. Make some goals. Work up to them. At some point, it really, really becomes funs. I can't wait until they fix me and I can start working up my distance on the bike. Imagine riding a bike 50 or 75 or even 100 miles at a time; what would you see? How far could you go? How proud would you feel for accomplishing that?

Get off the couch and go for it!

John

 

[susieq14]

Hi Teresa,

Good for you! As a fellow couch potato, I would like to tell you that it is possible to change your ways. You sound similar to me and I have just had the same realization that it is time to get serious about watching what I eat and taking care of myself.

I was "scared straight" so to speak by a number of health issues that hit me within the last 3 years including the diagnosis of high blood pressure and mitral regurgitation in August 2004. As a result I lost 52 pounds which I have kept off for over a year by watching what and how much I eat and by becoming more active. I have really surprised myself! I started walking - baby steps at first but now I can do 3 miles at once! I even bought a treadmill this winter so I could keep active in winter. I rearranged furniture so that it would have a place of honor in the family room next to the kitchen so it is always staring at me and Ican't make excuses. I can walk and watch my favorite TV show and talk to my husband if he is being a couch potato or if he is in the kitchen! My treadmill was not the top of the line but it serves its purpose. The best thing about it is that it has 3 monitors on it that shows the calories burned, time and distance. I enjoy making a game of it and pushing myself to do a little more and watch the numbers change.

I also bought a pedometer and try to do at least 10,000 steps a day. You know park the car in the farthest row, walk up the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Again it is all little baby steps but it all adds up.

I usually set my alarm early and walk at least 30 minutes before my shower in the morning. On the week-ends I do more - this past Saturday and sunday I did 3 miles both mornings. I don't think I'll ever do a marathon but I think it is helping me and keeping me in better condition.

I wish you lots of luck!

Susie

P.S. Here's some website you might find helpful


10,000 step program



the Health & Fitness Board at Webmd.com

http://boards.webmd.com/webx?50@@.5987f426

 

[susieq14]

OOOPS!

here's the websites I promised....

http://aom.americaonthemove.org/site/c.krLXJ3PJKuG/b.1524889/k.BFFA/Home.htm



http://10000steps.org.au/

 

[Teresa UK]

Thanks, all, for your replies. As I walk away from the laptop now, I'm off to buy comfy trainers and a sports bra! SusieQ, I did think about a treadmill, but I have nowhere to put it - although I may consider clearing out the garage at some point to accommodate one... And thanks for those websites. John, I'd love a bike. But I live in a traffic-filled town and can't imagine cycling on the roads around here.... I'll let you know how I get on with my "couch-to-5k running plan".

 

[Philip B]

ex-couch potatoes stuff

ex-couch potatoes stuff

Probably one of the hardest things people try to do is alter their lifestyles. During my last visit with my cardiologist, he commented that the majority of his patients who have OHS lose interest in the fitness programs they begin after their surgeries. This isn't just a phenomon that affects people who've had OHS. Consider the number of people who decide to get fit sometime around January 1st each year, exercise for a couple of weeks, and then quit.

I enjoy being physically active, but I don't consider myself a fitness junkie by any stretch of the imagination. Exercise for the sake of exercise really has zero appeal for me.

What has worked well for me is to engage in physical activities that I enjoy. Presently, I like to golf, hike, mountain bike, ski, and sail so I focus on those activities and pursue the activities at a comfortable level. Sometimes that level varies.

If you are considering changing your lifestyle, you may want to look for activities you will enjoy. The enjoyment factor will probably make the changes you make easier to sustain over the long run. Good luck!

-Philip

 

[tprice54]

Run!

Run!

I have helped more than one potato get on the road...the basic plan couch to 5k will work for you. Keep at it...and please feel free to post any questions. Your posts may inspire someone else to get moving. Also, I see you list London as your home. Having run the Flora London marathon, I know there are plenty of great green spaces to walk and run in. You have to try and get into the mindset of what do you have to do to workout, not will not work...it's a big change...good luck!

 

[SumoRunner]

A good place to go for advice and encouragement is
http://www.cardiacathletes.org.uk

Start thinking of yourself as an athlete and you will be one.

 

[SumoRunner]

>> Any advice for a newbie jogger much appreciated.

Oh right. I forgot to answer this one as well. I used to be a USATF running coach, duly certified once, but the time limit on that cert. expired long ago, so I'm probably not allowed to know anything any more.

The old Nike ads come to mind with "Just do it!". Which is more or less all it takes. A 5K is like rolling off a log. All you need do is work up to doing 12 to 15 miles a week for a month or so and you're good to go. There are very few rules and the schedule is infinitely flexible.

All you need to keep in mind is:

1) Get good shoes.

They ought to be a half size larger than your regular casual shoes because you feet expand on every impact. And find out at a sports specialty store whether your have a straight foot or curved foot. Shoes are built on a last (foot model) designated CL, SL1 or SL2 for curved or straight lasted. Some shoes are made with more support against twisting and tilting and some are made with more cushioning.

2) Vary your route and distance.

For women especially, the same route at the same time in the same way every day can by followed by stalkers. And make it sometimes just 1 mile and sometimes 2 and sometimes 3. One run per week should be longer than the others by at least 1.5 but not more than 3 times the typical distance. e.g. If you are running 2 miles every weekday, make one longer run on the weekend between 3 and 6 miles. (Start with 3. It would take a while to work up to 6.)

You can scale this up for other distances. Want to run a 15K? Run 3 to 4 miles weekdays and do one long run of 5 or 6 working it up to 9 or 10 by increasing only that one long run by a mile each week. Marathon training gets a bit more complex. We needn't go there just yet.

 

[tprice54]

Coach

Coach

As a still certified running coach (RRCA and USATF), I'll let you know Jack still knows! And, never increase your mileage by more than 10%...either in your long run or total weekly mileage.

 

[kodi]

Way to go Adam! That's the right way of doing it slow and steady. That comes out to be about 2 pounds per week, that's a good number. Keep up the exercise and the weight will keep coming down.