my complete workout [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

mimitabby

04-04-2007, 03:31 PM

okay, go to work, and after sitting half asleep for 1 hour, get up and do steps.
Walk as fast as I can up and down steps for 12 minutes.
Now i am awake.
At lunch time, eat lunch and then go outside and walk 1 mile.

go back to work.

at quitting time, today, I got on my bike and rode the 2 miles down to the gym (oxbow) where i did my weightlifting and other exercises. On the way back to my car i rode as fast as I could.

result: 70 minutes of workout, all body parts covered and I didn't have to wear heels (sorry Teigyr)

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-04-2007, 03:54 PM

Hey Mimi, that's impressive!
I don't do as much good varied stuff as you, though I do sometimes do a 3 mile brisk walk on days I can't bike. I usually bike 100 miles or more a week.

I remember your charity stair climb...how many flights was it again? It was unbelievable at any rate. ...But I've been climbing stairs too, starting this past week! I want to improve my biking uphill.
I thought about getting a Stairmaster, and of course ever-practical DH says "Well there's your stairmaster right there!" -pointing at the flight of stairs up to my office at home (13 steps). :rolleyes: So I've been going up and down the stairs every day 20 or 30 times, either in one shot of 20 or two shots of 15. (not counting the 15 or so times i climb the stairs in my normal day.) If it gets easier I'll add more. I wear track shoes with 0" heels. ;)

teigyr

04-04-2007, 04:00 PM

Sounds like fun!!! I think it's all the better that you can ride your bike to the gym. Do you park it out front? Or do they provide somewhere for you to put it?

I don't know...I think the heels might make some sort of fashion statement at the gym :rolleyes:

teigyr

04-04-2007, 04:04 PM

mimitabby

04-04-2007, 04:20 PM

Yes, Teigyr,
you have a wonderful flight of steps, I'm jealous. I havd a 2 and 1/2 story building to climb in.

The oxbow gym has a nice bike rack out front. and 1 foot of it is under the roof cover so that's where I put my bike in case of rain. but YOU know what road I am riding on. East Marginal way! (talk about an adrenaline rush!)

Lisa;
69 flights.

LBTC

04-04-2007, 06:02 PM

Fabulous!

Lately, I've been getting a ride to work in the morning, which gives me more free time, so...my morning has been

up at 5:20 - yoga for a half hour
breakfast, pets, meds, etc.

before work, one set of weights on balanced muscles - biceps / triceps yesterday; lats / chest today.

lunch time - walk briskly. Today was errands. Yesterday was the brisk walk to the park, 90 photos of ducks, swans, etc, then the brisk walk back

last night was a one hour road ride with DH. :D Not enough time for that every night, but a good walk with DH and the dogs has been happening quite frequently.

I have learned I can not expect as much from my body as I once could, but have also now convinced myself that I will still benefit from a few minutes of weights more than from no weights. does that make sense?

It seems to be working. Now this is what they meant by baby steps! :rolleyes:

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

teigyr

04-04-2007, 06:35 PM

Some weights are better than no weights.

I aspire to exercise 5 days a week. I try to mix it up and I really like the way Mimi's doing it. Sunday I rode, Monday I went to spin class in the a.m. and rode in the p.m. (26 miles, about killed me after the spin class!). Yesterday we were going to ride but instead went for a 5 mile walk. Unfortunately, I don't see walking as exercise though I know it is. I guess I view exercise as sweat and tiredness and walking doesn't do that to me. Tomorrow I'll wake up at 6am and go to the gym before work.

Mimi, by the way, we walked up the bits of the Interurban that they are connecting together. Up around 150th, the bridges are done! Pretty soon I bet it'll go from down south all the way up to Everett with relatively few detours.

LBTC, haven't the ducks been cute this season?!! I always want to take pictures of them but when I see them, I'm usually on my bike.

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-04-2007, 06:42 PM

Lisa S.H. -- I suppose stairs would help hill climbing!!! I have limited time for my bike but at work we have a huge parking structure that's 8 floors +/-. I always run the floor flights up to my office but maybe during breaks, that'd be something to think about. Might solve my problem of not having enough time to work out ...

Very cool. I've noticed just after a few days of my added stair routine at home that my leg muscles are pretty SORE- the thighs, both front and back thighs, plus my calves too. Sore=getting a workout. :) I resist the temptation to run either up or down- I think climbing each step in a normal deliberate manner is working my muscles more and not relying on momentum. Sometimes I concentrate on straightening and tensing my front thigh all the way when I pullup to each step. other times I concentrate on my calves or my hamstrings as I go up. Sometimes I twist my waist a little back and forth. I work my arms a bit as I go down the stairs. But I have to take my graduated lense eyeglasses off, or I get dizzy! :cool: Heels are definitely not good for doing stair practice! :eek:

Mimi- 69 flights of stairs???!!!! Holy cow, did you have to stop and drink fluids often and rest or go to the bathroom or sit down or anything during that marathon?

mimitabby

04-04-2007, 06:47 PM

Teigyr,
I was pretty lackadaisical about exercise until i read "Younger Next Year" .
The author says, exercise now so you can enjoy a healthier life later; and he recommends 45 minutes exercise minimum a day, for a minimum of 6 days a week!
and I have been following that regimen almost exactly since i finished reading his book about 2 months ago.

Lisa, I went up the stairs in 16 minutes and some seconds. I stopped twice to catch my breath and slow my heart rate, for about 5-10 seconds. There were people offering drinks, but you know, if you can't go 16 minutes without a drink, that's pathetic (imho) but when I got the top, I drank down a pint of water :D

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-04-2007, 06:48 PM

Yesterday we were going to ride but instead went for a 5 mile walk. Unfortunately, I don't see walking as exercise though I know it is. I guess I view exercise as sweat and tiredness and walking doesn't do that to me.

If you learn how to do fitness walking it will give you a good workout, and you'll raise your heart rate and work up a sweat too. Look it up online. I'm not talking about "speed/race walking", but "fitness walking". I used to do that 3 miles a day before I started biking.

Wahine

04-04-2007, 07:56 PM

Mimi, you're doing fantastic. All that walking and stair climbing is great for bone density *and* you're doing weights. Cudos!!

I wish that my patients took these things to heart like you do. You would be a dream client.

mimitabby

04-04-2007, 08:15 PM

I am watching my own mother crumble! she's broken her tail bone 3 months ago and 3 bones in her pelvis last month. I'm a believer!

and it just makes so much sense; i've been going to a job every day for over 30 years, i almost never miss a day, i'm hardly ever late; use that same commitment to your health!
working out is now A PART OF MY JOB!

kelownagirl

04-04-2007, 08:31 PM

I am reading that book right now Mimi, because you recommended it. It is excelelnt and has given purpose to the exercise I already do, and has encouraged me to do more. I think it says 3-4 days a week of 45 min cardio and 2-3 days a week of strength training right? INteresting stuff abotu resting heart rate too. I have not paid attention to that. I have been checking for the past mornings to watch for a pattern.

I teach PE twice a week at school and now when we do our fitness loops, I do more than circulate and watch students. Instead I do power walking for those 20 minutes twice a week, and I power walk for 15 minutes twice a week when I am on supervision in the morning. Fit it in where you can. Next week, I am joining the school running club and I will run at noon for 2-3 km. My class got so excited that I am joining, that 3/4 of my kids are coming along too. That will motivate me to keep at it...

Wahine

04-04-2007, 08:38 PM

Good job KG!! Wow you gals are great.

Offthegrid

04-05-2007, 05:22 AM

I try to take the stairs anytime I'm going to a meeting. That gets quite interesting when it's on the upper floors (I work on the 4th floor of a 23-floor building)! Only problem is sometimes I arrive a tiny bit sweaty. Oh, well. :D

mimitabby

04-05-2007, 06:10 AM

OTG,
as more of us start making exercise a part of our lives, people are going to get used to us being sweaty. My lead swims every morning, and when he gets here, his hair is wet.

We even have people who run at lunch.. their hair is wet too, and their cheeks are rosy.

KG, I am really impressed with what you are doing, you' re not just getting yourself fit, you're helping an entire school!!!

RoadRaven

04-05-2007, 11:05 AM

So I have to ask... do you gals run DOWN? Or just up the stairs.

Even walking down, my knees can ache sometimes. And I have heard or read somewhere that going up the stairs is great, but avoid going down because it is bad for your knees.

However, I am thinking I ned to rise to the challenge of this thread...

I work on the second floor of a three story building and always use the stairs unless I have a trolley load of stuff for class.

But I think in my breaks when I go for walk around campus I might start "doing stairs" instead - espesh with winter immminent. If I start on the bottom, set the elevator to go to the third floor and then run up, I can get the elevator back down again and repeat and when I have had enough, I'll just stop my run up on the second floor...

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-05-2007, 12:17 PM

I don't run at all on the stairs. I walk up and down while kind of working/emphasizing my muscles in different ways. Running down the stairs is way too easy for me and doesn't seem to use my muscles as much.

mimitabby

04-05-2007, 02:55 PM

I don't run either. I go up to a fast walk. If i run, i get sweaty... I'm at work. and i go up and down and up and down. Remember the down is good for building bone density.

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-05-2007, 03:34 PM

Remember the down is good for building bone density.

Can you elaborate on that concept, Mimi? I don't do weight training, so anything that helps bone density would be great! Tell me more! Why would going down stairs be better for bone density than going up stairs?? :confused:

SadieKate

04-05-2007, 03:54 PM

There are studies that show that impact is important for building bone density. Running, jumping jacks, etc. For example, mountain bikers have fewer bone density problems than road bikers. Weight lifting typically doesn't involve any kind of joint impact.

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-05-2007, 04:23 PM

Good bone density news for stair climbers AND bikers:
http://www.mhmhhealthwise.com/library.asp?content_id=285&C1=Diabetes&C2=&C3=Easy%20exercises%20that%20protect%20your%20bones

SadieKate

04-05-2007, 06:01 PM

http://www.beezodogsplace.com/Pages/Articles/Osteoporosis-Cycling/Osteoporosis-Cycling.html

BleeckerSt_Girl

04-05-2007, 06:28 PM

http://www.beezodogsplace.com/Pages/Articles/Osteoporosis-Cycling/Osteoporosis-Cycling.html

Good info- thanks! I guess stair climbing would fit in with the hiking as recommended activity.
Weird advice at the end though, of "hunching over" and complaining of aches to your doctor so that the insurance will more likely pay for your bone scan! :eek:

Wahine

04-05-2007, 07:54 PM

Lisa SH - going downstairs works a little better because it requires a different type of muscle contraction than going up. Muslce forces on the bone also act to improve bone density, as long as weight is being applied to the body. When you go down stairs the physical pull on the bone from the muscle action is greater. This is why it helps more.

This is also why weight training is important even if it is low impact.

Unfortunately, with road cycling, your body weight is supported and the muscle pull on the bone with each contraction is not that large, especially if you are spinning at a high cadence. That's why bone density can be a problem in cyclists.