More Buff News

[cadfael]

I had an exceptional workout today! I've been using a machine that kinda simulates steps and gets your arms involved. Good cardiovascular exercise.

I set the timer for 30 minutes, 10 minutes longer than usual and began the workout. Well, early on I thought of my experience riding horses. My goal then was to minimize any negative effect on the horse that I might cause, and maximize any benefit that I might have. While I want to practice this, the effect was amazing.

Obviously, I had to substitute the machine for the horse, but my goal was the same: to make it and I act as one. I was able to go into a very light trance state and get a workout that did not over-stress my poor, old, overweight body. In fact, I was able to exceed my target heart rate of 130 bpm and achieve a 145+bpm rate and feel as if I could have worked much harder.

Then I did some light weights to work on abs and lower back, then back to a treadmill for a 10 minute walk to cool down slowly.

I am pumped. I am buff.

Comments

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Go, Bill! Yes, you are pumped, you are buff--go, go go! I loved reading this entry and have read it three times so far since you posted it. You express that feeling, that joy and aliveness that good cardio and good exericise brings.

I love that you are doing this. Do you want to exercise together at the Family gather? I can be flexible as to time of day and designated activity/ies.

Encouragement

[wild-place-king.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the great encouragement! Yes, I would like very much to exercise with you at the FG. Although, I should tell you "my story".

Several years ago, I had to walk up a slight incline for several city blocks. When I reached to top of the slight hill, I was not winded, but I felt a slight discomfort in my chest and it radiated down my left arm. I thought that perhaps that was a wake-up-call. I made an appointment to see my general practitioner right away.

He put me on a treadmill for the usual stress test. I again felt the discomfort, but all of the readings were within normal parameters; there was nothing unusual in the printed results. The discomfort continued whenever I stressed my body. Further, it was growing slowly more uncomfortable and even painful at times. I made another appointment with my GP and told him that I am not satisfied with his pronouncement that my heart is okay. He said okay, lets do the stress routine at the cardiac facility at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. A full battery of tests, with a bevy or a gaggle, or more appropriately, a bother of cardiac specialists to review the results. No need for the crowd, same result, my heart is fine.

I complained again, so he ordered a soft tissue scan, which my insurance did not cover, I did. Same result. By this time, I still felt pain and it radiated down the left arm. My heart was again pronounced to be very healthy.

I complained once again. My GP said the next step would be an angiogram. I agreed to the procedure. Again, my heart is just fine. This time I told my GP, a very traditional practitioner, that I was going to consult an acupuncturist. He threw up his hands in surrender and said, go ahead!

I have been taking acupuncture treatments for a while and taking some herbs and the pain seems to be subsiding. With the recent athletic activity, I should be in more pain that I am currently feeling, so I think that something is working. The TCM practitioner feels that there is blockage in my heart chi.

Now, to exercise with you. I would love to. However, I do not want to slow you down. By then I will have been exercising for about two months and ready to increase the intensity of my routine. Since there will be not machines there, I will have to jog in order to stress my heart and body. More importantly, (because of my tender male ego), I am embarrassed by my obviously overweight body. I still have this mental image of the (former) jockey within me and I am aghast when I see my reflection in a mirror.

I know and respect you enough to know that you will not say nice things such as, "that's okay, I don't mind." And meanwhile I am wasting your quality exercise time. So what I would like to propose is that you get your routine in whenever you are accustomed to doing it. If you still want to jog around for a few miles at a slower pace, I would really like to share that time with you. Currently, I am traveling the equivalent of about 2 to 3 miles on the machine. If I were to jog it would probably translate to about 3-4 miles of jogging and I should be able to accomplish that by the FG.

What do you say?