Yep, today is my 52nd birthday! It was a beautiful day and I finally was able to get in my pool after getting all sweaty and gross with the treadmill, yardwork, and gardening. Then some family fun! We went to my favorite Japanese Steakhouse and I had Filet Mignon. It was 4 ounces of pure perfection. I only eat steak once or twice a year. So I really enjoyed it. It is way too hot to bake a cake, and I didn’t want all that anyways. We picked up some fresh deli chocolate chip cookies, and they were perfect. I may even have some vanilla ice cream later. Dairy is another thing I do not have very often, but I do love ice cream every now and then. If you read here then you know my reasoning for the eating lifestyle I have chosen. It is not body shaming, fat shaming, or any other negative self image. I am on a weight loss journey, but I also am on a fat loss journey, and journey to end CKD.
Since Sunday is the day I typically talk about exercise I thought I would discuss it in relation to age. Keep reading.
All this month, to celebrate my birthday month, I will be talking about fitness after 50. It is perfectly possible to get and stay fit after age 50. Granted there are more things to consider as we age, namely injury, but it is very doable. Most importantly to prevent injury is to warm up properly, cool down properly, and listen to your body. It will tell you if you are over-working it.
If you read here a lot, then you know I had a goal to do a 15 minute mile on the treadmill. I achieved that some time ago, and do it regularly. But, now to increase my endurance I want to do a 10 minute mile on the treadmill. This will mean I will have to jog, or run, I am sure, rather than speed-walk. I tried it this morning. I was speed-walking, but could only get 3/4 of a mile in 10 minutes, though I can not say that is bad. Having goals is good! As long as my heart rate stays in the moderate target zone, I am good. I do go over a bit sometimes when it is really intense, but as long as I can talk and breath, and keep it short lived I am ok with it. My blood pressure has not been effected by it. According to a fitness test I looked at, it was for men, not women, if you can run a mile in less than 7 minutes and 20 seconds, then your fitness age is 25. Wow! So, maybe once I can walk it in 10 minutes I will go for the run. It is really fast, trust me, and intense. I couldn’t find an age fitness test, like the men’s one, but on average a woman age 50-54 would run 1 mile in 13 minutes and 20 seconds. So, any time faster than that would make your fitness age younger.
I do not particularly like exercise, at least not long, boring, intense exercise. I quite enjoy walking, swimming around in my pool, gardening, yardwork, and I love dancing. But, these shorter, more intense workouts get me results in a quick amount of time. I also do not enjoy long weight training routines. Weight training is vital as we age, however. More on that in a future post.
How fast can you walk, and or fun a mile? Share in the comments. Use the contact form at the end of the post if you would like to ask about my Walking Plan, or any other Health Coaching services.
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