Wellness

[QueenDanceALot]

There is nothing wrong with walking, of course, it is fine and dandy.

But it rarely raises the heart rate in fit people enough to illicit a training effect on the cardiovascular system.

It's a good exercise for some, and a less than adequate one for others.

[2blonde]

@QueenDanceALot@hckynut  Thanks for your input.  As I mentioned earlier, I've been running 4 times/week for 32 years.  I'm 68, and my knees are in better shape than many of my friends who do not run.  Bad knees can be the result of many things, as you know, but a common factor is weight.

I have always paid lots of attention to my shoes.  I have flat feet, but I have found I can run successfully by purchasing the right shoes and adding my own arch supports to them. Bicycling actually bothers my knees more than running.  I've tried walking as fast as I possibly can, but I can't even break into a sweat or get my heart rate up to 100.  I plan to continue my current lifestyle as long as the good Lord sees "fit"!  

[SilleeMee]

I would rather walk on a steep incline than run. It's my understanding that women's bodies are not made for running...something about the the way our pelvic structure puts stress on our leg and hip joints. I find that walking up hill really gets my heart going and I feel that there's little damage to my joints when I do it. No running for me.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I would rather walk on a steep incline than run. It's my understanding that women's bodies are not made for running...something about the the way our pelvic structure puts stress on our leg and hip joints. I find that walking up hill really gets my heart going and I feel that there's little damage to my joints when I do it. No running for me.

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You don't see many elite women runners with wide hips comparative to their stance.  The motion puts a lot of stress on the joints unevenly with this skeletal set up.  And then if you put muscle weakness/imbalance on top of that you're really asking for trouble.  It is a lot of repetitive motion in a singular plane, increasing the uneven force place on the joints.  Lots of runners don't spend time working on muscle imbalances that would take much of the stress off of their knee and ankle joints.  

But there are many women whose hips are not wide comparative to their stance and have a more even distribution of force.  These women can, and do, run happily and pain free for many years.

[hckynut]

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@2blonde wrote:

@QueenDanceALot@hckynut  Thanks for your input.  As I mentioned earlier, I've been running 4 times/week for 32 years.  I'm 68, and my knees are in better shape than many of my friends who do not run.  Bad knees can be the result of many things, as you know, but a common factor is weight.

I have always paid lots of attention to my shoes.  I have flat feet, but I have found I can run successfully by purchasing the right shoes and adding my own arch supports to them. Bicycling actually bothers my knees more than running.  I've tried walking as fast as I possibly can, but I can't even break into a sweat or get my heart rate up to 100.  I plan to continue my current lifestyle as long as the good Lord sees "fit"!  

Hi @2blonde,

While I understand fitness well, I also have had studies done, on a treadmill that were done primarily to check my heart, but secondarily done to measure my fitness levels, and over many years.

It included all the Cardio and Pulmonary devices attached to me to record my Max Vo2 levels/BP/Bpm, and in 1 test to biopsy my muscle fibers, slow to fast twitch percentages.

In none of these many(at least 15) tests did I run. It was all done with belt speed and most importantly, higher and higher elevation levels. Their treadmills, as does 1 of mine, goes up to 25% elevation. I was 45 years old for my very first test like this, and not once did I do more than walk.

Don't get me wrong, I was still a very avid runner. Never real high milage primarily because of my back surgery and 3 crushed Cervical Vertebrae in my neck. My highest weekly mileage was 50 miles, when training for the 2 full Marathons that I ran.

My norm, which had me reducing all of my race distances times, was a max of 30 miles per week. Plus I was skating as a Ref, at times doing 25 or more hour hockey games a week.

My tests when in my 50's had me in the top 4% of male runners at my particular age, never lower than than than the top 6%, and I never RAN a single step in any of these Maximal Tests. They had the Balke Protocol and the Bruce Protocol, along with modified versions of both. They never used the same Protocol in my tests in any 2 consecutive Maximal Vo2 tests.

Wanted to let you and others know that regardless of how fit a person might be, over a certain age, it is not necessary to Run to reach ones Maximum Heart Rate Level. If on a treadmill? Hike it up. If outside? Find some real steep and long inclines. Make sure to wear an accurate heart rate monitor to keep it safe.

Hopefully some know their HR when it goes over and into their Anaerobic Threshold. If not, it is always wise to know these numbers, as they can be different in every person, male/female even of the exact same age.

Think I have over written my time on this forum. And @2blonde! Keep doing what is working best for you. My only reason for this post is to let people know that running is not necessary to reach ones Max Heart Rate Level, after a certain age.

Happy running to ya,

hckynut(john)

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[2blonde]

@hckynut  I hear ya.  Yes, I can get my heart rate up by briskly walking uphill.  I do have a treadmill and have tried it.  Honestly though, I hate the treadmill........too boring.  I prefer to run outdoors, and I'm in a very flat city suburb!

[SilleeMee]

This is my way of living longer...twice a week for nearly twenty years. 

The Manitou Incline, Colorado. .88 miles with an incline of 2,000 feet.

I walk up but many run. 2,744 steps takes me about 45 minutes.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

This is my way of living longer...twice a week for nearly twenty years. 

The Manitou Incline, Colorado. .88 miles with an incline of 2,000 feet.

I walk up but many run. 2,744 steps takes me about 45 minutes.

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How beautiful!  Not just good for your body but your soul as well!!!!

[QueenDanceALot]

And, @SilleeMee, that trek of yours beats the hell out of the treadmill!!

[SilleeMee]

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

And, @SilleeMee, that trek of yours beats the hell out of the treadmill!!

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Yes, it does @QueenDanceALot. But I still use my tread on incline mode just to stay fit enough to do the real thing and when the weather is bad but it sucks in comparison. The last time I was up on the Manitou Incline there was an old man who RAN past me so fast! I was shocked to say the least. He looked to be at least in his seventies if not older....wow, inspirational for sure.