Ideas, Insights,& Intuitions

Day 1-Monday-Temp 75F at 10:50 am. Weight: 225

Program: 5 min. ramp-up @ 5-6 mph; 5-6 min. hi-speed @10 mph; cooldown 5 min. @ gradually decreasing speed. (Total 15-16 min.)

Time: 16 min.

Speed: 5/10.2

Dist.: 2.0 mi.

Cal.: 178

BP/HR +1 min. into cooldown [cd]–160/69/75

At rest: 108/69/75

Tolerated acceleration better, did not get tired. Resp. only began to rise in 6th min of hi-speed segment.

Systolic BP readings have become so suspicious as to be unreliable.

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Day 2-Tues.-78F at 11:15 am (no compression stockings, only slight edema.)

Time: 16 min.

Speed: 6/10

Dist.: 2.02 mi.

Cal.: 182.4

BP/HR in cd-149/83/93; at rest*: 123/62/76

*resting after coming in from scrubbing the birdbath and watering my container garden.

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Day 3-Wed.-80F at 11:52 am-windy  (Prog. 3/6/6)

Time: 15 min.

Speed: 7.5-8/10

Dist.: 2.06 mi.

Cal.: 186

BP/HR in cd: 135/67/101….:-/

Notes: Thigh burn noticed 5 min. into hi-sp. segment; went away after starting cd.

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Day 4-Thurs.-80F and windy*

Time: 16 min.

Sp.: 5/10

Dist.: 2.07 mi.

Cal.: 187

BP/HR** in cd: 114/64/113

*Due to lack of space, I keep  my exercise bike outside on the porch, covered when not in use to keep dust out of the moving parts. In deep south Texas, wind with blowing dust is common, but if it weren’t for the wind, any outdoor activity would be unbearable in 90-100+F summer heat.

**Even though I stopped pedaling and stayed still while taking my BP, this 114 systolic reading does not look right, even with a 113 HR. I  am pretty much at a loss to explain it, if it is correct. If it is incorrect, it may be that those PVCs are registering as single beats instead of 2 separate ones, if that is what is occurring.

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Day 6-Fri.-80F at noon. Light breeze, overcast, muggy. Did not really feel like pedaling today, but did it anyway.

Time: 15 min.

Sp.: 6/9.5/5 mph

Dist.: 1.85 mi.

Cal.: 167.3

BP/HR (10 min. after getting off bike & doing a few mildly active tasks): 114/69/85.

           A few minutes later, resting, it had dropped to 107/66/81!!

Uh—this low systolic rate is following a more consistent pattern now, so I wonder if my BP could really be falling to such a low mark 10 min. after the 5-min., cooldown? I am having extreme difficulty finding my pulse manually at the wrist, though it is slightly stronger at the carotid artery–so I know I am not DEAD…;-)

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Day 6-Sat.-75F, overcast and calm–it’s gonna rain sometime today! (finally)

Time: 15 min.

Sp.: 7/11 mph

Dist.: 2.1 mi.

Cal.: 191

Notes: Weight a.m., no shoes, no breakfast: 221!! Random BP/HR reading at 6 pm, seated: 128/68/73.

This is the last week I am going to be posting daily stats, which are probably boring the h*ll out of everyone but me. I have stuck with the program long enough to know that I am getting results and that I will go back to feeling rotten if I quit. So I will post a progress report now and then, and use the space I save to write about something…..well, something else, anyway.

Week 2, Day 1 (Monday)

Time: 11 min. 33 sec. (INCLUDES I min. cool-down)

Dist.: 1.28 mi.

Sp.: Top 8.0 mph

Cal.: 117

BP/HR: I got a highly suspicious reading from my wrist monitor, right after I finished, and was still pedaling in the cool-down: 118/81/128!! I am thinking that I should not have the instrument strapped on my wrist during the exercise, but apply it just before I want to take the reading. We’ll see if this turns out to be more credible.

You may wonder why I use a wrist monitor? Frankly, I can’t hear the pulse beat accurately enough using the cuff and stethoscope, and I am not deaf. I also tend to lose the pulse when using my fingers. When tested against the sphygmomanometer in my doctor’s office, there was only a difference of +/– 4, so I don’t know what happened this morning!

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DAY 2–TUESDAY (WEIGHT 225-NO SHOES, NO BREAKFAST)

Time: 11 min. + cooldown

Sp.: 8.5 top

Dist.: 1.44 mi.

Cal.: 130

Ending BP/HR: 133(?)/66/110

5 min. later, walking around: 151(?)/74/84

At rest: 111/62/75

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DAY 3–WED. (Wind, 75F)

Time: 11min. 30 sec. + cooldown

Sp.: 10.5 top, no upper body work

Dist.: 1.45 mi.

Cal.: 133

Cooldown BP/HR: 147/72/94

5 min. later (slow pedal) 143/78/90

At rest: 118/76/73

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DAY 4–THURS. (windy, unsettled, I ached. I almost didn’t do the bike exercise at all today. Started out pedaling slowly just to loosen up, but by the time I had been going 5 min., I felt better and sped up somewhat.)

Time: 10 min.

Sp.: 5-8 mph

Dist.: 1 mi.

Cal.: 100

BP/HR: Did not take it today.

It may rain tomorrow morning, and if my body still aches, I will only pedal enough to loosen up. I still have some lower back pain tonight.

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DAY 5–Friday (weather cool, hi-pressure front arr. overnight)

Time: 10 min. +cooldown

Sp.: Top 9.5

Dist.: 1.0 mi.

Cal.: 120

BP/HR (during cooldown): 155/85/98

10 min. later at rest: I 4GOT!!!

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Day 6–Sat. (Cool–60F at 9:30 am)

Time: 10 min. + cooldown

Sp.: 9.5

Dist.: 1.4 mi.

Cal. 130

BP/HR (end) 167/85/103

Program: For now, I will pedal 5/5/5–slow/fast/slow–for a total of 15 min. This seems to produce the amount of challenge my system needs to produce a safe rise in BP/HR with a rapid return to normal. Once the heart and body muscle show response, I can speed up for longer periods. Fifteen min. after today’s exercise, my resting rates, seated, were 104/68/85–hmm, it’s possible….I can also pedal faster if I don’t do the upper body work with the handles, and I don’t know that the twisting does me that much good, anyway. I can use small weights to work on my arms.

WEEK 3 COMING UP!

Week One, Day 6

Time: 10 min.

Speed: ~8.0 mph top

Dist.: 1.1 mi.

Cal.: 107

Ending BP/HR: 165/80/107

5 min. later: 152/74/81**

10 min. later: 117/62/80 (resting)

**Notes: Weather today was warm at 11:15 am (80F), humid, with no breeze. The air feels heavy as I try to breathe, and can definitely affect my recovery, as you can see from the 5 minute reading. I’ll be paying special attention to how my BP reacts to cooler, drier weather, when we are fortunate enough to have it.

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Week One, Day 7–Temp 72F, light breeze, easy to breathe.

Time: 10 min.

Sp.: 7.5-8.0 mph

Dist.: 1.2 mi.

Cal.: 105

Ending BP/HR: 160/71/102

5 min. later (standing): 150/78/85

10 min. later: 124/66/78

Did not pedal Sunday–took day of rest.

Week One, Day 3–11:05 am

11 min 6 sec.

1.26 mi.

8.5 mph top

114 calories

BP/HR at finish: 151/73/104

BP/HR 10 min. later (at rest):128/63/73

Week One, Day 4–Wt. 229

12 min.

8.5 mph top

1.4 mi.

135 calories

BP/HR at finish: 204/75/123**

BP/HR 5 min. later: 136/67/86

**Notes: Need to back off. BP gets too high at this speed for this length of time. Also breathing too fast. Still good return to normal after 5 min.

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 Week One, Day 5

(Tried pedaling slower for longer time)

16 min.

5.5 mph

1.4 mi.

135 calories

BP/HR at finish, still pedaling slowly: 176/74/90

BP/HR 5 min. later: 158/68/86**

**Notes: Readings do not return to normal as well as they did at higher speed for shorter time. I have also noticed something else that I didn’t expect: the circulation in my lower legs and feet have improved–at least temporarily! Normally, I have to wear compression socks every day to avoid swollen legs/ankles, and numb toes. I have now been able to do without them for 2 days!

Day 2-My first day of serious exercise

STATS

Age: 69

Weight: 229 lbs. (104 kg.)

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Duration: 10 min. 35 sec.

Top speed: 8.5 mph

Distance: 1.28 mi.

Calories burned: 115

BP at finish: 177/66**

HR at finish: 112

BP 5 min. later: 133/72

Hr 5 min. later: 80

**I must admit that this reading (diastolic) looks peculiar, and we will see if the pattern persists. I take an ARB-type prescription med for mild hypertension, and use a wrist monitor to take these readings.

There is such a thing as getting too much rest, and the excuses persuade me to put off exerting myself for another day, and another, until I have to stir what energy and will that remain before it is too late. Another few days and I might need help to rise from this chair. The muscles have begun to hang from my bones. The energy I must expend to bathe and dress leave me with little desire to embark on my errands. But necessity propels me from my abode, and once in the car, moving through the streets and seeing the world I have shut out (except as seen through the window of the tv screen), I begin to feel better.

Last month I confessed to my doctor that I knew most of my health problems would be greatly helped if I could lose 50 or 60 pounds. He printed out a 1,000-calorie diet and told me to buy an exercise bike. The diet contains almost no fat, no desserts, no snacks, and no chocolate. A half-teaspoon of butter will not cover the thin slice of bread I am allowed. Skim milk tastes like chalk dissolved in water. But I stuck to the diet for 3 weeks. I lost 3 pounds, and even though I am not hungry on these reduced rations, I did not lose any more weight.

So I have bought an exercise bike with moving handles. My son put it together for me. It sits on the porch where I have promised to ride it at least once a day–twice if I can–to start getting back my strength and endurance. If it also burns calories, so much the better.

I rode the bike this morning for 10 minutes, slowly until my knees stopped aching. After 5 minutes I sped up, but did not turn the resistance knob. Eight minutes, and I became aware of my heart rate speeding up. I began to breathe a bit faster. My legs felt a little tired, but I knew I could make it to 10 minutes, and I did. Don’t overdo it, I told myself.

I got off the bike and put the cover over it. My lower back felt warm and loose; my leg muscles were numbly tired. I can do this, I thought. And soon I will crave the effort, will need it to relax the tension of responding muscle. It is a new level of inertia–not inaction, as before, but a stable rate of motion that can be more easily increased with a little extra effort. And it will feel good. I know it will.