Learning How to Pace

Throughout this process of renewing my aquaintance with Mr. Thurmond and his Six-Week Body Makeover, I have learned just how much of the program I had been taking for granted that I actually remembered correctly.  So much so that it has really shocked me.  When I started over this time, part of my commitment to myself was to make sure I refreshed on the manual so that I would catch all the little stuff I may have been missing on previous attempts. What has shocked me was not so much how much I had forgotten, but what I had remembered incorrectly!

Take, for example, yesterday.  Now, in all, yesterday was a very good day for me.  All my eating was on point ( and has been so far, in fact), and I headed to the mall to get my hour's worth of cardio in. Bear in mind that although I'm re-reading through the manual, it is an ongoing process.  In other words, I didn't want to create a stumbling block for myself by saying that 'I would start the program when I finished reading', so I started AS I started reading, beginning with the food part, which I felt was probably the most important to get down immediately.  And yes...I found lots of improvement with the food section too.  But yesterday, before I got out of the car, a little bird told me I should maybe check the cardio portion before I started.  Good thing, because I found out that my naturally fast pace (even now, at 100lbs overweight) was throwing my heart rate way over the target range for the best fat burning, thus accomplishing nothing more than burning what sugar (very little these days, thank God...but still) I had in my bloodstream OUT, and leaving me a shaky, exhausted mess, unable to complete but a portion of my allotted time.

Armed with this newfound knowledge, I jumped out of the car with determination, and headed inside, beginning with my natural pace, and thinking it would probably be good, since my long legs already walk a little faster than the norm...especially for women my size.  Never would I have dreamed that I was so out of shape now that I would have to slow down to half my normal walking pace to hit my target rate.  Wow...talk about a reality check...how about a reality slap.  My heart is so overloaded right now, it's literally fighting with each step I take.  That really, really scares me.  And even more, it makes me more determined than ever to make it right.

So...I start slow.  And I check my pulse a lot.  And this time next week, I'll be a little stronger, and walk a little faster...and the week after that, a little more...until I get to the point where I CAN bypass my natural pace. Looking back, no wonder my past few attempts at getting back on the track were so horrible.  My heart's been fighting so hard, and I just slam-dunked it without giving it a chance.  Thank God I know better now.  Nothing like arming yourself with education.

By the way...by monitoring my heart rate like crazy and adjusting my stride, I was able to complete an hour with no problem. Never worked hard...never got out of breath...but I did break a sweat, and according to Michael T., I shed a lot of extra calories.  Works for me.  Think I'll do it again today. :)