Originally Posted by
Greg Peterson
Larry - I spend a fair amount of time at the gym.
Couple of pointers.
Have a plan and ease into it slowly. Gradually increase the duration and intensity. Too much, too soon and you may become overwhelmed or discouraged.
The Wii is likely a good ice breaker for you. However from the little I have seen or read on the Wii as an effective cardio workout I am skeptical.
The one tool I use for my cardio workout is a heart rate monitor. It's basically a RPM gauge for your heart and takes the guess work out of knowing if you are exerting yourself at the correct level.
The monitor records the duration of the workout and provides an average heart rate for the session. I find this data invaluable.
One thing to keep in mind with any exercise program is variability. The body quickly adapts to the routine. For example, if you go for a thirty minute walk every morning, and you maintain the same rate and level of exertion, the body will learn to conserve energy (fat) and pace itself accordingly.
I do interval cardio training. Work at a high heart rate for a minute or two, then work at a low rate for three or four minutes.
In summary:
1. Ease into the lifestyle change.
2. Realize your expectations for condition level are always just beyond your current level. Enjoy the journey.
3. Use a heart rate monitor and record or at least observe your chronological progress.
4. Mix it up. Don't let your body and mind get into that dreaded, predictable routine.
5. Don't give up. Your reward will be better health. And the only regret you will experience from the daily commitment is that you did not do this sooner.