Walk, run or bike?

Does it matter? I use to run several miles a week and could easily put in some distance (10-12 miles once a week on a single run) but that was a bit over a decade ago and now I find myself struggling to get in a mile.
I just started back exercising and with my schedule, despite my best efforts so far, I can only manage about 30 minutes for any type of cardio in the wee hours of the morning. I tried walking but I donÃÕ feel like I am getting anything out of it. I have tried running but I am not at a point where I can run for 30 minutes yet. Plus I found that the first week I injured my ankle, nothing bad but I had to stop the cardio for a few days which was very frustrating. It was fine for about a week but then this morning I get up and start my run and every step on my right foot I get a ÁÄatch? not really a bad pain, just feels like the joint isnÃÕ moving like it should. I decided to stop and went back home depressed.
On my drive into work I thought maybe I should get a bike and ride for 30 minutes but is that really going to work? I mean, given the fact that I am trying to maximize my efforts in 30 minutes should I go out and buy a bike? Can I get the same level of workout riding for 30 minutes as I would walking or running?
Oh-my goal from this is to increase my cardio fitness and drop some weight (doc said about 15 pounds). I am also dieting (weight watchers) and doing some lifting in the evenings.

as far as the thing between walking running and/or biking....it is all about getting your heartrate into a target zone. I forgot the calcluations about what the fat burning zone and the cardio zones are....but there are two different achievable heartrates for the two goals. The best advice I can give is what I had to do for myself. I was a football player all through college and always kept in shape with that. Then when I went to college I got lazy and packed on the pounds. After a few years out of college I decided that I needed to change things again so I started working out. I was in the same boat where I couldn't run continuously for 30 min. But I just did what I could and walked the rest of it. The key point for exercise and regainging/getting into shape is to have an elevated heartrate for 30 min. A good starting point would be if you want to do 30 min of running but can't....start out walk for 5 min, run for 10, walk for 5, and run for 10. that way you start out slow and build your way up.

As far as the biking is concerned yes you can get your heartrate up using a bike and it is just as effective.

The common misconception with a fat burning excersize is that your heartrate is in the zone to burn fat. This means that you aren't into the exaustive cardio zone but still have your heartrate elevated above normal.

Hope that this helps a little bit..

kjvander:

as far as the thing between walking running and/or biking....it is all about getting your heartrate into a target zone. I forgot the calcluations about what the fat burning zone and the cardio zones are....

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You can get a rough idea of target heart rates from a website like this one or this one

Fat burning zone, IIRC, is about 70% of the maximum and the minimum time to put in on fat burning is 30 minutes. For training cardio fitness you're going to want to train in variety of different zones, including aerobic (up to 80%) and Theshold (up to 90%). These are just rough guidelines. There are whole books about this stuff but it will give you a way to get started.

As far as low impact activities, swimming and using a cross trainer (one of thost things like looks like cross-country skiing) are good. Be sure to were a heart rate monitor so you're not overtraining. That's the most common mistake to make.

R..

Go with what ever you are most likely to stick with. The whole fat burning zone is a plot sell heart rate monitors.

The reason for this, is if you exercise at a certain rate, sure a higher percentage of the calories burned can be fat. However if you work out at a higher intensity, you'll burn more calories and in turn burn more fat.

Biking is a great work out. You just have to push hard on it. It'll be easier on your joints. You can certainly get a great work out from them.

I'd say what you need to do is interval training. A good warm up then periods of all out followed by a recovery pace, then cool down. A general plan is to do 30 seconds at an all out pace followed with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of a recovery pace. Go easy but don't stop. Each week go all out a little longer and recover a little less. As you progress you can change up how you do things. A sprint, jog interval or uphills, etc. Don't do this everyday maybe days you don't lift. I find that Weight Watchers doesn't give you much protein, at least on the points system so don't exercise too much in one day.

Change it up, do intervals, easy days, distance days, hill days, etc. Make sure you give yourself recovery days as well.

The biggest thing to keep motivated is to keep it fun. If you start getting caught up in numbers, you make it too much like work. If you need something to measure progress, use nothing more than a stop watch. If you can make the same distance in less time or a further distance in the same amount of time, progress.

I go out running with my dog on the narrow dirt trails at the state park. I don't care what zone my heart is in. It changes depending uphill, downhill, or the occasional flat. All I know is we are both panting when we're done and I feel like I worked out pretty darn good.

Nismo:

Go with what ever you are most likely to stick with. The whole fat burning zone is a plot sell heart rate monitors.

The reason for this, is if you exercise at a certain rate, sure a higher percentage of the calories burned can be fat. However if you work out at a higher intensity, you'll burn more calories and in turn burn more fat.

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Can you cite sources that support that opinion? Most of the exercise physiologists I've read (related to running) would disagree with you. I'm not saying you're wrong but if you've read something to that effect I'd like to have a peek myself...

R..

Thanks to all. Yesterday I was demotivated to the point of not caring that I was demotivated and was about ready to call it quits. With the info here and the fact that this morning I noticed in the mirror that i looked a little thinner...and after hitting the scales and confirming that I have lost 3 1/2 pounds this week, well, I am feeling better about this.

I am thinking that the heart monitor couldn't hurt and biking might be fun. I may also add in a swim once a week. I agree that the weight watchers is a bit weak for those who are exercising. I know it works as my wife lost weight without actually having to do anything but dieting. For, me, it isn't a case that I feel starved, I just feel like I don't have enough food to effectively push myself.

Thanks again for the input.

I wish I could remember where I read the info for rate monitors. It's been a few years since I've been into all of that. They are great for someone who is training to be competitive. To use them for fat loss specifically is almost pointless. Even if theres a fat burning zone in your heart rate, going more intense, since the total calories burned will be higher will burn more fat. The fat loss zone is a fairly low intensity of level. For someone looking to lose weight and become generally healthier person, I think they are pointless. I also think a scale is a worthless tool for someone who exercises regularly. A tailor tape is better. Measuring fat loss by checking waist, chest, hips, etc. Lose muscle and you'll lose weight. The tape measures fat loss better. If you're a person who needs numbers to measure progress than, get a monitor. Get a stopwatch too so you can time yourself if you run, bike, swim the same distance each time. A bike computer will do all of that for you and they are good for a lot of information. Get one with a cadence measure too. That way you can select bike gears with low RPM's for strength like 60 RPM and go for 90-100 RPM for cardio workouts.

The fat burning zone is a myth. You burn calories by either walking, running, or jogging. So logically, you'll want to burn as many calories as possible. How do you do that, well that would be running

Burning calories is not a brute numbers game....you're not trying to burn off 10 lbs(or whatever) through melting off fat. If thatwas the only process going on, it would take about 10 hours of vigorous running to burn off a pound of fat. While this is true, the whole point is to elevate the heartrate while burning calories on an effort to kickstart the metabolism. That's why it's alot easier to start losing weight than it is further down the road. The fact of the matter is, as long as you get your heart rate up, it's all good. I am an avid runner, but a while back I hurt my ankle. I could get around OK, but as soon as I tried running, it just wasn't happening. So I started riding my bike. In the same amount of time, I felt that I got the same benefit as running. The trick is to keep up a good clip, and to try to keep it throughout the entire routine(which can be challenging), but it's much lower impact on the joints.

I used to weigh 250 pounds and got down to 185 with biking. I now weigh ~165 through a combo of biking and Wii Fit. I was biking to school then to work after graduating; commuting via bike puts the daily exercise into your schedule and thus you're very highly likely to stick with it. Stay off the roads whenever possible - go on bike paths, dedicated trails, etc. Some drivers aren't very good at avoiding accidents, and 1/5 is under the influence of something.

You will require winter biking gear. A good jacket will make all the difference in the world. Wait. What kind of winters do you get in Florida?

One thing you will hear - which is false - is that biking is low-impact. It is not. It is just as likely to damage your knees as running, and I know several cyclists who have required knee surgery. (I am not one of them.) Go easy on your knees by ensuring that your legs are warm in the winter. Your legs will not feel the cold as easily as your chest. In other words, if you can't wear just a tshirt on top, you can't wear just shorts on the bottom.