[Sportsandrec] Exercise recommendations for LM

[Kelly Thornbury]

LM, 

Of course being an athlete you will and do require more intensity. The recommendations I mentioned published by the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine are recommendations for your less active non-exercisers. The recommendations are what studies show to be a minimum to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and clogged arteries). The science behind the recommendations are as follows:
Your body at rest burns one "metabolic equivalent," or one MET per hour. The accepted value is a VO2 of 3.5mL of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. This is just a "standard" value, whereas women typically have a lower VO2 value at 1 MET (they are just more efficient). 

The recommendation of 3.3 mph, or 3.5 METs comes from the calculation that at about 3.3 mph on level ground the body burns about 3.5 times more oxygen, and therefore 3.5 times more calories, than being at rest. 

The ACSM recommended the 30-minutes on most days f the week based on research that showed an individual begins to reduce his/her risks for cardiovascular disease somewhere around 495 to 600 MET minutes (depending on the specific study you read). If you walk faster and up hill, your METs per minute will be higher, and the number of minutes you should do per week as a minimum will be lower. Remembering of course that these are minimums to reduce the risks of heart disease. 

In your case, the recommendations I cited will still help you reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, but you will of course lose conditioning from your athletic state. 

The AHA/ACSM make the recommendations so simple because when they were more complicated, very few people without an exercise physiology understood them. I could say "walk at 3.5 METs for 500 MET minutes a week, or I could say "walk 30 minutes at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation but will not allow you to sing more than a few words of your favorite song at a time..." The recommendation is just simplified for the person who is not yet physically active and has little exercise background education. 

Now, to increase the intensity of your baby stroller walks...Wear a pack with some added weight, or wear ankle weights, or add weight to the stroller (or feed the baby a little more, and the increased intensity will come naturally...smilie). Depending on your comfort level, one of those jog strollers perhaps. Are you not in San Francisco? Lots of hills there where up hill will work the glutes a bit and the down hills will abuse the quads (slowing down baby and all). 

Another idea I like and pass on to all my football fans...Especially for those on indoor bike trainers. Cruise easy during the football game, and every time a play is in action, you sprint...An hour's worth of sprints if you make the whole game. Then as the season progresses, add "hills" (slower cadence and higher resistance) during the commercials. Or, substitute any exercise you want into the structure. 

Does your workplace have a treadmill in some back closet? A stairwell perhaps? A small area where a cheap exercise bike can be placed? 

You were an internationally ranked athlete, you have a great arsenal of exercise information within you I am sure. Take a minute to jot down your goals, the equipment you have (and be creative, a full jug of milk does weigh 8 pounds, a large soup can weighs about a pound, a 1-pound bag of dry beans weighs...well ok, a pound), and the time you truly have (including lunch times and TV times if applicable), and I am confident you will see where you can fit in workouts that satisfy your desired intensity. If you need help, there are several on this list with a wide variety of ideas, and of course you or anyone else on list can contact me off list for my 2 cents. 

Wow, I hope that helped. Long winded, but science is so.
Kel
There is a quick but effective workout during lunch maybe. 

Above all else, don't skip out on Master Chef!