On Friday I went to the dr’s for a regular check up. I actually went because I have decided that I need to be healthier, and wanted to check everything out. When I went in, they took my blood pressure….and it’s high. NOT A GOOD THING. My heart rate is high as well. So in order to get those under control, cardio is now my focus. I need to do at least 30 minutes of cardio EVERY DAY in order to lower my blood pressure and my heart rate. Now there is no excuses! This week I go in to get my blood drawn and they will be checking my cholesterol, iron etc. I have a feeling my cholesterol will be high, since high blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol usually go hand in hand. So not only do I want to look better, but I also want to be healthier. People don’t realize how important cardio is and every little thing helps. Parking your car on the far end of the parking lot, taking the stairs, walking to a restuarant all help to improve health.
So more important than what you eat (although thats important too!) is making sure you get your heart beat pumping for at LEAST 30 minutes a day, preferably 60 (don’t forget one day of rest! .)The goal heart rate for our age is 155 while working out. That is the target rate to condition your heart. The longer it takes your heart to get there, the better! Once your heart is conditioned, the target heart rate to lose weight is 126. You’ll burn less calories, but more of the calories you burn will be fat calories. Shoot for that heart rate 3 times a week and the cardio heart rate the other 3 days and you’ll be in pretty good shape!
As for the eating, healthy choices are always best. Working out and eating junk will make your workout be in vain, but don’t forget to cheat sometimes. We want to be healthy, but every once in awhile, its ok to eat those fries, or have that piece of chocolate…we need to reward our efforts! Just don’t let those “once in a while” turn into “often” =)
Alright, I weighed myself today, and I weigh 133. My goal is to weigh 120. TIME TO BURN THOSE CALORIES!
That is good Info. I haven’t had a regular check up in years. Probably since I was a senior in High school. I know I had a few when I was pregnant, but that was all pregnant stuff and it is different.