EXERCISE

My exercise used to consist of a 20 min walk(about 2.5 mph) nearly every day. In 2005 it got to the point I was winded at every hill (I walk in the moraine, and my basic walk has five steep hills 30 to 50 steps long - I think they are similar to 3 or 4 flights of stairs. Of course, even steep hills are easier than stairs because you don't have to lift your feet the full height of a stair.)

I decided that the reason I was winded was that I wasn't walking hard enough. So I made a pair of nordic walking sticks and got going fast enough to nearly faint at the top of every hill. Mercifully, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in December, and I pitched the walking sticks, and toned down my quest for endurance. But my doctors made a mistake in blaming the afib for my shortness of breath - in retrospect, no matter what my heart problems may actually be, I think ther shortness of breath was due to the layers of fat around my lungs.

Anway, subsequent to being almost killed in the effort to restore my heart rhythm, I made the lose weight decision and also began to revamp my exercise - as with my diet, my exercise is a work in progress:

Since March 18th, my exercise program has developed as follows:

1) early in the morning I do some exercises: (Note: I try to do 20 minutes of exercise before walking in the morning, and a "significant" yard project for 25 minutes or so before walking in the evening in order to get my heart rhythm up and running before beginning the cardio (ie the walk). I walk in the morning before eating anything because you are supposed to burn more fat that way - I can only say I hope so.)

group one exercises include: dead lifts, touch toes, touch toes with weights (basically same as deadlifts but with less weight), hip bends, squats. I pick a couple from the group depending on the condition of my knees, back and feet (condition means level of pain).

group two includes 30 to 50 crunches, a half dozen (very feeble) pushups, and some RAF leg lift thing which I remember from school as being very difficult (what I do now is some sissy, easy version)

group three exercises are weight lifting;

each day I do one set of exercises using a pair of dumbells - I try to separate out the muscle groups to give each a rest, there are no scheduled off days for weights (every so often I don't get to it, but most days I do the one exercise). Every other day I try to do exercises that are "compound" in the sense that many muscle groups are worked. Early on I went for reps, but after some more reading I now go for weight, and as soon as I can do 10 reps, I push the weight up. I log everything. Actual exercises:

1) Military press (compound) my shoulders are very weak - I have been stymied here at 25# for a long time, but have finally gotten the reps up to 7-7-4. I switched to a lift a few times, and that seemed to help.
2)Tricepts (behind the head thing). This exercise makes me nervous lifting all that weight over my head so I don't know how high I can go - recently I have been using 35# for 10-10-10 reps.
3) Bench press (compound) Hardest part here is getting the weights in position, now doing 7-4-4 with 35#
4) Bicepts: curls with 29# 5-5-5
5) Back (compound) One hand rowing, 39# 7-7-5. When I get to 10 reps, then I will work two hand rowing until I get the 10 reps - that's usually just a day or so.

Anway, this morning thing takes a lot of space to write up, but just 15 to 20 minutes to do, after which, I immediately go into my morning walk. My walk has evolved quite a bit. First af all it has become twice a day whenever possible - at least 4 days a week. Secondly it has become two laps, and thirdly I have added a steep hill to each lap.It takes about 38 minutes, and when it reaches 35, I will add another hill - I can add hills forever because what I do is walk down on a switchback trail (to save my knees) and then back up the hill - sort of like adding a circle to the middle of the walk.

I have also purchased a pedometer and use it to convert my steps to miles, so that I can determine my exercise level as per the Nutrition.com.sg site. I log everything. I count only exercise steps: the morning and evening walks, mowing the lawn, and certain yard projects. For the last few weeks I have been well over the 19 miles/week for moderate exercise, but have been able to keep my calories at the lower "lite plus" level. I have absolutely no idea if this will make any difference in the weight loss process, but it sure makes me feel better mentally.

I am happy to see my laps getting faster and faster - and I now mow at "full speed" beihind my variable speed mower, and I can handle flights of stairs a lot better. Things aren't perfect: I still have moments of fatigue, and sudden shortness of breath, both of which are probably realted to my underlying heart failure. But the elimination of fat layers around my lungs has clearly helped (I have, as write, lost 25 pounds, clearly all visceral fat because I can't see it anywhere!) The limiting factor is the condition of my knees, feet and back - ice packs galore, especially on my feet - if I feel pain I quit for the session