Skip to main content

Fractal Workouts

Today is Day 3 and I hit the stationary bike for 45 minutes of interval training. My program was 10 minutes of warm up HR 130, 5 x 4:1's HR 150-160: 140, 10 minutes of cool down HR 130. I feel amazing today!

Post workout I logged my HRZ's, and had to do some backtracking with my calendar to update my cardio spreadsheet, as there were a few weeks not logged. This led me to review my cardio log over the past 8 weeks. I have logged 23 hours of dedicated cardio in that timeframe; this averages to about 3 hours of cardio/week. My goal is 5 days/week 30 minutes = 2.5 hours so I am very happy with my performance! If I equate this into running distance, it is the equivalent of running about 30Km/week which I think is a healthy distance- of course, considering I am crosstraining on the stationary bike I only use that analogy as a reference, for the lifer runner in me. 

Of those 23 hours approximately 8 were spent in my warm up/cool down HR Zone, 8.5 were spent in my "maintain fitness/weight" HR Zone, 5 were spent in my "improve cardiovascular fitness" HR Zone, and approximately 1 hour was spent in my "improve athletic performance" HR Zone. This is fairly conservative and congruent with my cardio fitness goals.

So here is a  tremendous argument again for logging workouts! By recording my workouts I  can reflect on the patterns over periods of time in order to assess my performance as well as revise/review and set new goals. So, attempt to measure your efforts in order to gauge:
  1. Progress- review how much you have accomplished!
  2. Motivation- quantitative and cumulative results are very inspiring!
  3. Expectations- allow yourself to be realistic and avoid defeatism.
I am feeling pretty good right now considering my numbers! Woot. As I review my goals I would like to maintain or slightly increase my cardio time each week (let's get it up to 4 hours/week!). This would increase my average session to 48 minutes 5x/week (My ultimate goal would be 60, or 5 hours) Further to, I would like to increase the time spent in my top 2 HR Zones, as my weight management is on track and I will strive to improve my fitness and athletic performance.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I don’t have a Diastasis- Why is my abdomen still distended postpartum?

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an
2 comments
Read more

Kate's Guide to Getting the Correct Sports Bra!

I wear an unusual size and it took me years to unlock the secrets to bra fitting (and finding!) I suffered for years in improperly fitting bras, and during exercise I would wear 2 or 3 just to get the support I needed.  E very woman needs support while performing sports; not having proper support means that there is extra stress put on the back during various activities. Even low-impact exercise s done without the support of a sports bra can result in strain on the upper back and shoulders that can result in pain or worse- injuries that may develop over time. Sports bras affect a woman’s posture. Exercising without support can result in slouching to prevent painful bouncing which throws the back and hips out of alignment and impedes form, leading to potential injury. The most common mistakes are when women wear a bra that is too small in the cup and too loose around the body for example a 38e instead of a 36f. Note: When you go down a band size, go up a cup! Step 1: T
Post a Comment
Read more

Hello Fresh- An Option for Healthy Meal Planning!

I had an opportunity to try a food delivery service called Hello Fresh. A lot of people have been talking about it and it is becoming a popular option for people who are too busy to shop and plan for meals. It is a much cheaper and healthier option to eating out.  Most meals cost approx $12 per person and the portions are generous. I am always nervous about subscription services, and in order to redeem the coupon I was gifted I had to signup with payment information. I reviewed the cancellation policy which seemed very uncomplicated. Further to, I can skip weeks as I choose, pausing my subscription. It seemed fair. My resident kitchen helper Ben volunteered to blog about the meal preparation. Ben is a fantastic creative cook and hobby chef. As we have prepared more Hello Fresh meals he has “beefed up” the ingredients to make extra portions from the same recipe, as well as kid friendly (plainer) versions. Here is Ben’s review of our first Hello Fresh Meal, a Pork Schnitzel.
Post a Comment
Read more