Basement X

Anyone getting an exercise in these days? Heading to the gym, walking more, got some classes they attend? Spring's a great time to get up and get moving. ^_^

We have a fiendish elliptical machine, but I love how low impact it is. We have a gym membership too, but well, we haven't used it in a while.

I thought you were referring to when I pee...

Yes, I am. I exercise heavily year round though.

I walk along campus daily, and around downtown and often to and from my apartment. However, I'd like to know just what the fuck you call spring since it's still in the 40s here.

I'm from Canada. If it ain't snowing, it's a heat wave.

And mind you, 40 degrees in Canada means our brains are melting (104F).

Yea yea you and your damn celcius. By now we should be in the 60s, which i hope for tomorrow.. almost getting ready to hit the 70s!

I hate winter.

I've been trying to exercise more since an entire term of sitting on my trunk has not been kind to me.

Walking is my exercise of choice but I have given some thought to running. Any runners here have any advice for beginners?

Get fitted for a proper pair of shoes.

I hate running, and it's not great for the joints. I prefer the low impact cardio stuff, like the elliptical machine or rollerblading. But if you're gonna go out running, pick a cool time of the day to do it (early or late in the day) and bring plenty of water. ^_^

Also, don't hesitate to walk at times when you need to. Walking before and after is a good warm up/cool down. And don't plan to run more than you think you can do. Pushing yourself is good, but too much too fast on the first time will really hurt later on and, depending on how you feel the next day, possibly impact the next time you run.

Go easy on yourself at first and then work your way up to longer distances and faster speeds.

When I run, which i'll admit is rare, I'll do so many blocks/laps/etc and then walk a portion, then run again and switch on and off. But I'm not a hardcore runner who can do 5+ miles at a time running like some friends of mine.

In other words, don't overdo it your first time out.

5 miles is not hard core running. Good running, hard core, no.

Just remember, everyone, if you are trying to loose weight, you are doing yourself no good by going easy on yourself. It is better to do higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.
Get that heart rate going!

While 5 may not be hard core on a semi regular basis, I know people who do that and more daily in a non stop run. my roommate does that as a minimum when he runs so it's a bit for me to go that route.

And yes, running to loose wait is different than to get into better shape. but actually alternating between walking and running is just as good for your heart as constant running because it forces your body to adjust and re-adjust to different circumstances.

Depending on what your goal is, there are a number of things you can do

Tragic Angelus wrote: And yes, running to loose wait is different than to get into better shape. but actually alternating between walking and running is just as good for your heart as constant running because it forces your body to adjust and re-adjust to different circumstances.
do

What you describe here is an easy version of HIIT. Or High Intensity Interval Training. Generally should be done from jogging intervals to all out running intervals anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. Also, fantastic way to loose fat and get in shape fast.

Awesome way to train, especially in quick bits of 12-20 minute session.

Nope, I've just been fucking around as usual. I have to climb a large hill to get to work, plus there are lots of stairs. This is enough for me, oddly.

wolf_2099 wrote:5 miles is not hard core running. Good running, hard core, no.

Just remember, everyone, if you are trying to loose weight, you are doing yourself no good by going easy on yourself. It is better to do higher intensity for a shorter amount of time.
Get that heart rate going!

Actually there is evidence to suggest that maxing yourself out doesn't burn as much fat as other heart rates. Look up "fat burning zone" on google, im not 100% sure but i think it somewhere between 50-70% of your max heart (can remember how you work that out either").

In general though i think a good mix is essential. Set out a training plan early and stick to it as much as possible. It is also essential that some resistance/weight training is included in your plan or muscle mass will be lost as well as fat.

Now i just need to follow my own advice:snoopy:

wolf_2099 wrote:What you describe here is an easy version of HIIT. Or High Intensity Interval Training. Generally should be done from jogging intervals to all out running intervals anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. Also, fantastic way to loose fat and get in shape fast.

Awesome way to train, especially in quick bits of 12-20 minute session.

Urgh, used to fucking hate that when we did it at college. We also used to do something i think was called fartlek training which is similar except its over a different variety of terrain.

Now that I've started school, I begin every day by climbing about 120 stairs with a twenty five pound backpack. That's gotta count for something, right?

I've heard/read that it takes about 20 minutes of sustained running to start to make a real impact on your calorie burning.

I forgot to add, start slow on the run and rev up the pace gradually. For me, starting slow's the difference between 4 miles and 6.5 miles on the elliptical machine.

Fasheem wrote:Nope, I've just been fucking around as usual. I have to climb a large hill to get to work, plus there are lots of stairs. This is enough for me, oddly.

Southern Indiana is very much the same. Back home it's relatively flat, but the bottom third of the state is hills, and the campus shows it. So when I'm walking all around campus and downtown, it's generally up and down hills.

Hell, today I was running late for a morning class so I biked over to the building, which is only about 8 blocks but the number of hills from here to there was enough to give me a decent work out.

ChimeraCreative wrote:I've heard/read that it takes about 20 minutes of sustained running to start to make a real impact on your calorie burning.

I forgot to add, start slow on the run and rev up the pace gradually. For me, starting slow's the difference between 4 miles and 6.5 miles on the elliptical machine.

Its about 20 minutes of running to make a real impact on your aerobic fitness. You start burning calories straight away