Damon & Judy ,
Help me out here with a few tips for getting the most out of those hard won workouts!
Let say I'm primarily doing Treadmill work at home. It's a ProForm compatible to iFIT
training CDs that cause the machine to adjust speed and incline with increasing
difficulty. I'm a real green horn and am just now beginning level 3 which accelerates to
3.5 mph and inclines up to 8" for 30 consecutive minutes. That being said, what are
your thoughts on:

• food and/ or drink before workout? yes no
• how many minutes of warm-up & cool-down?
• how many mins at target heart rate?
• must this be sustained or can it be intermittent?
• is there a sweet spot, time-wise, after which the greatest benefit is achieved?
• is the a sweet spot in terms of number of workouts per week?
• should we alternate types of exercise?
• when moving from a "comfort level" to a "challenge level," should we fist increase duration or intensity or both?
• does the time of day we exercise matter in terms of results?
• do you use meditation in conjunction with your fitness plan?
• what's your favorite brand of socks!?
• other important stuff I didn't know enough to ask

I can't WAIT to see the answers! And HEY! Let's here from anyone who has an opinion about any of this!

MF,
You are always good for either a chuckle or a moment to ponder.
Favorite brand of socks? LOL

Bless your heart Jeanie for reading that entire tedious post!
But I DO wanna know what they think!

Ok Mickee,

I got your PM and will try and answer your questions. You are right I am busy right now as I am starting my training for the Double Centuries if my neck behaves so I am not in the hood as often as normal.

As far as food or drink you should always be properly hydrated at all times and shouuld remain so while doing cardio. As far as food that depends how you feel, if you need energy then eat something that will give you energy without upsetting your stomach or feeling heavy.

It takes 20 min of warmup before your body gets into its fat burning mode so 20 min is a good amount of warmup. As far as time in target zone the longer you can stay there the more benifit you have but it would be good to work the complete target zone from the lowest to the highest heart rate. Your body will get used to the exercise to easy if you stay at one heart rate too long and it will slow the metabolism. Cool down is just as important as warm up but duration varies on fitness level and dont forget to stretch(this is my week point). If you lift weights or do resistance work add cardio in on that also. Do your warm up and about 15 min of hard cardio and go directly to weights/resistance dont rush the exercise(dont want to get hurt) but do your reps and sets with minimal breaks. this will not only build muscle but at the same time keep your heart rate at a point that you will continue to burn fat.

As far as how many days a week. For what I do 4-5 days is max and when I get close to the first double it may go down to 3 days. For most you can probably do some cardio 5-6 days a week as long as it is not too intense but weights/resistance there is something else that plays into the equation. Muscle doesnt grow while you are working it but as it heals and rebuilds. It is important not to work the same muscle groups on consecutive days if you are not careful you can hurt yourself. If you wish to lift a second day in a row target a different part of the body.

Time of day really doesnt matter as there have been studies that support all different times. Sometimes it is good to throw our body a curve ball and change the time. This sometimes can help you get out of a rut. As far as comfort to challenge level that is hard to anwer as everyone is different. I guess when you start to see a drop in results its time to move up.

I do not use meditation as it could be disaterous while I am riding. I prefer socks with no holes(I hate blisters).

I am going to post something about a hydration product that may interest most evryone here in diet and nutrition.

Hope this helps.

Damon! Thanks so much for taking this time out of your busy schedule.
I always learn a lot from your posts. Nothing can beat the advice of
a devotee like yourself to give us insight and encouragement!
Thanks!

Socks...love it!

I KNOW that it helps to vary your workout. That was one of the things that my PT really focused on. NOT letting my body get used to any one exercise/machine. She also emphasized the fact that immediately following a hard workout, our bodies are like sponges. So you DON'T want to put garbage-like food in your mouth following a workout. Not that you'd do that, but just worth noting. I found that a protein shake after a workout kept me from going into "search and consume" mode.

Get your groove on sister girl.

My favorite sox are anything that says cool max on the packaging. Cool max has a wicking ability to pull sweat away from the feet to keep them dry. Several barnds have this....My favs are from Dick's sporting goods

Stephanie

There ya go Stephanie, I really DO wanna know about socks! and shoes too!!!
Go ahead and giggle folks (you know who you are)... but you know what they say..
Happy feet=healthy heart (well *I* say that...errrrr said that.... well~whatever)
Thanks Steph! Shoes????

OK mizz smartiness-of-the-pants-variety! Enquiring minds want to know!
What shoes do you wear for workouts?? Come on Kimmy... I KNOW you
have a big time fav! Time to share!
(first, your face on the side of the bus... next, product endorsements!)

You're right...asics is the shoe that I wear. I was fitted at a specialty running store...had to fill out a questionaire and they watched me walk. They brought out a few pairs (different brands) based on my foot style and this was the one that I selected. I've stayed with them for three years now!

Hi! Damon is THE MAN! There isn't much I can add to what he said. He is well versed on all the latest studies, and he works hard to incorporate the wisdom of science into his routine. Obviously with great results, too!

I'll give you some general information based on my own experience and what I hear from others who have made fitness a major part of their lives.

Warmups should be long enough to raise the heart rate as well as pump blood to all muscles and limbs. The warmup prepares you to challenge the body. Of course, the length of the warm-up depends on the length of time you are going to work out.

Water is essential not only before but during your workout. You should hydrate yourself as you go along. Regarding food beforehand, do what works for you. I do NOT eat before working out, but I know many people who do. After a workout, most agree that you should eat something. Some want a meal; some just a small snack. For a WLS patient, protein is obviously the best choice for a post-workout meal.

"Rest days" are important for your body. Overtraining is a real danger; if you push your body every single day, it becomes resistant to what you are trying to do. Five days of all-out push would be a maximum. The other 2 days are for recovery, but (in my opinion) light activity is helpful. Walking or some form of light cardio; Pilates/yoga/flexibility work.

As far as I am concerned, the single most effective way to benefit from your workouts is to develop a routine that works for your unique lifestyle. Set aside a period of time you can spare (doing more when you have to opportunity) and whatever time works best. Within that amount of time, include that warm up, then challenge yourself. There are a couple of good cardio techniques:
Steady-state: Move at a brisk pace as quickly as you can without gasping for air. You should still be able to carry on a conversation, but move as fast as you can within that parameter. This raises the heartrate up into the "training zone". After you warm up, gradually build speed and intensity until you reach this state and then maintain it for the balance of the workout. Be sure to allow time to cool down and stretch.
Interval: Move at a brisk pace, into the "training zone"; then for a short period (maybe just a minute or 2) increase to an anaerobic pace (as fast as you can, as hard as you can); then decrease back into the training zone. Allow the heartrate to come back down and hold for a time. Repeat "intervals" throughout the workout; end with cooldown and stretch.

It's also essential, for a well-rounded fitness routine, to include strength work to build up your muscles, and flexibility routines (stretching, yoga). You can do "Circuit" workouts where you alternate strength/cardio within a workout, or you can set aside certain days for strength workouts, or you can have "cardio" days, "strength" days and "circuit" days.

As Kim said, variety is most effective! Don't let your body fall into a routine, but vary the kinds of workouts you do.

What works for Damon won't work for me; what works for me won't work for him or for you. We each have to WORK to find what works for us, and then we have to follow through.

Now for the really important stuff -- Socks! Just give me something soft that breathes. Shoes are the biggie for me. I use Nike Shox Crosstrainers. You need to wear shoes designed for the specific workouts you do.

There's so much info out there, and so many differing opinions on all things fitness-related. The best indicator is your own body. If you are gaining strength and stamina, then what you are doing is working! And if you are having fun while doing that, you've found a treasure indeed!

Judy

MAGNIFICENT REPLIES Judy, Damon and Kim! I'm going to have to go back to re-read these until
I feel it's settled in. I know that ANYTHING I do is better than my lack of activity pre-Neighborhood.
I hope that the sped/ incline training from my Treadmill pans out to be a good way to go for awhile.
I believe the "interval training" you spoke of, Judy, is part of their plan as well...as speeds and inclines
change often within a single workout. I have not begun weight training but have some ideas in that
department. So, I know I was asking a lot and put you guys on the spot for the big answers. But I
KNOW we HOODlums are listening and will have better results from the wisdom you've generously taken
the time to share with us! >>>APPLAUSE!!!!!!!!!!<<<

Hey, Christine, buddy...
Sorry I chuckled about the socks. On the Today Show this morning that had a segment about skiers keeping warm & dry & they talked about clothing that "wicks." I had no idea about this! You are just way ahead of me in your exercise knowledge. Someday when I get into exercise (more than forcing myself to do it) & am in need, I'll know who to call upon. LOL

Hey Jeanie... I really was goofin' about the socks but I know there is something to be learned about everything!
I giggled when I wrote it