Quotes in the News

“A diet of cheap and excessive debt has created a bloated financial system.” - Satyajit Das on the fall of the Subprime Loan Market in the US.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Don't Let Your Size Stop You


I recently had a conversation with a family friend and thought I should post a few words about motivating yourself to "run" even if you feel your body (specifically your knees) are not strong enough to support the weight.
I myself am 6' 2" and have weighed as much as 240 pounds (I was an avid customer at Subway(tm) and Quiznos(TM)- yes all healthy alternatives). As many individuals, I looked in the mirror and realized that my "healthy eating" combined with a lack of exercise has left me in a very large state. I knew intense cardiovascular exercise would be my first priority and for the most part that's what I did. Then you reached a plateau after losing more than 20 pounds with the following increments coming after several days of intense elliptical and StairMaster sessions.
This is when I learned a valuable lesson about most cardiovascular machines.
The object of cardiovascular exercise, from a fitness standpoint, is to raise your heart rate to an optimal level to burn fat. (Equation: 220-your age=Max Heart Rate) - 65%-75% of this is what you should be maintaining for the duration of your workout. While most pieces of cardio will help you achieve this, one important thing happens when you start to get tired - YOU CHEAT. We all do it. Next time you are in the gym look at the guy next to you to see if he is hanging from the handle bars of the stair master, or crawling on the elliptical at pace that you can achieve a natural conversation. In either case, your body is asking you to cheat through your workout so that you can make it through and still feel good about yourself for reaching the time.
Where am I going with all this? Well, the best machine to burn fat, reduce the chances of cheating (and know when you are doing it), and build your cardiovascular stamina is RUNNING. Think about it, a treadmill works of the principal that you are forced to keep up with the belt and the prescribed speed you input. To reduce that speed, you are required to input a lower speed (an automatic check as I used to call it). Running for me has been, by far, the most challenging and rewarding way to burn fat and increase my cardiovascular stamina. It is also something that you can do anywhere, with the need for an expensive machine that either craps out on you if you don't blow for the full commercial grade model.
This ties quite well with the conversation I had with my family friend. Like me, he is conscious about his weight and wondering if running is out of the question until he sheds some excess "pounds" so as to save his knee joints. My suggestion to anyone who feels they are grossly overweight is to not focus on the need to have runs that last for hours and have your crossing a finish line 10 miles in. Instead, work up your running speed by doing farleks. Short intense sessions whereby you alternate between walking, jogging, and running. Start of my completing a few laps (if near a track) or a trail nearby if you can estimate a 1km distance. Most of the reading I have done speaks to the pro's of short duration training versus long. The simple fact is that your body is not designed to run for long periods of time but instead focus on the fight or flight phenomena. Makes sense doesn't it! Anyways, by working up your distance using farleks, you will be able to take on challenges (like the Nike+ Zoom Challenge mentioned earlier).
Either way, you are not to big or heavy to start running. The trick is to train smart and work your way up to build your short intense speed. No long distance runs required and your joints will thank you for it in the long run.
My 2 thoughts anyways......

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Distance is Nice. Quickness is Lethal!

The Nike+ Zoom Challenge is all about building your best mile by Sept 20th, 2007. Complete with a training plan and visual cues, I accepted this challenge from Nike on August 12th. I needed to know what I was up against, so I completed a 1.65km (1 Mile) run on August 13th in 9' 23". My most recent run of 1.67km was completed yesterday in 8' 04". The Nike+ system does not allow me to use a 1.65km run as part of this challenge as it recognizes this as only 0.99 Miles. The above mentioned run works out to 7' 45" which places me 1505th in the challenge (with over 4000+ active participants).

For those unfamiliar with the Nike+ System, it may be worthwhile to breifly speak to the technology. The system is quite simple, at yet engenious it the same way. My wife purchased the complete "kit" which includes: 4gb Nano Ipod, Nike Chip & Receiver, and Nike+ Shok Turbo Running Shoes (I will follow-up with pics in the future). One chip is installed in the sole of the left shoe while the other is plugged to Ipod. The system works off of two-way communication whereby the chip in your shoe senses the vibrations of your run and communicates with the receiver in your Ipod (see animated demonstration, http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/#products). The Ipod then proceeds to collect data from your run through a feature activated within the Nike Ipod.

The features of this system are designed to keep you thinking about running and improving upon your personal bests. You are able to set your workouts to specify runs to specific distances, times, and calories (via input of your weight). Calibrating the system is often needed (only once for your run and walking pace) so that the system can recognize your stride length to give you an accurate measure of your distance traveled. I learned this after running 6 1/2 laps around the track to only log 1.65KM (with the inside lane being 400Meters, I should have accomplished this in a little over 4 laps). The system also includes voice clips of various celebrities including Lance Armstrong that speaks to you after a workout where you have completed your longest, quickest, run based on previously recorded "bests."

Data is downloaded to your computer via a USB and through your Itunes application. The data can be setup to be automatically sent to the Nike+ website where you can see all your runs presented visually. Here you can name runs, assess your peaks and valleys, challenge friends with the Nike+ system, or take on Nike (or User Defined) events and challenges to keep you motivated.

I hope to keep you updated on my performance as I move forward with this particular challenge. I have a set a goal of 6 minutes for myself. Till next time, keep fit and have fun.