Cardio Level Help

Hanging_in_there

I'm in radiation (after chemo and then surgery) and I'm starting to walk (outside) and use the treadmill at the gym. I know I'm supposed to do cardio. I enter my weight and age and the machine tells me what my heart rate should be for the cardio program. Here is the problem. I just can't sustain the heart rate they have set for me. I did it once, but have not been able to get back.

I'm halfway through radiation and fatigue has set in. Will I still be getting a cardio workout at a lower heart rate?

Some days I can walk 2.8 mph and other days I can't get past 2.4 mph. I have gotten to 3.1 mph once, but that was 2 weeks ago just at the beginning of radiation.

Does anyone know how I can get a cardio workout even if I can't get up to the suggested heart rate?

cive

Don't worry about the suggested heart rate!  A brisk walk at least 4 times a week will give you adequate cardio.  The brisk walk is whatever gets your respiration rate up ie you are breathing deeply and fairly quickly.  The heart rate given from much exercise equipment can be totally inaccurate.  Consider your cardio to be anything you have to work a little bit for and that you do for at least 20 minutes.  It is good to try to have to work at it because you get less benefit from it being easy.  That doesn't appear to be the case for you.  You go girl!

ruthbru

Just the fact that you are exercising at all during radiation is awesome and will help you bounce back much quicker once you are done. Forgot the whole heart rate thing for now and just keep moving. If you want some exercise buddies, check out the Let's Post Our Daily Exercise thread on this forum. A great group of ladies at all stages of treatment and beyond, and all fitness levels too.

Hanging_in_there

Thank you cive and ruthbru. I'm glad to hear the opinion that I'm getting some benefit from my training. I am hitting the gym vs. walking outside much because it is in the 90's this week. I can do the "random" setting, which makes me breathe hard.

Just your post is making me motivated to get to the gym tomorrow (today I walked with the neighborhood walking group).

I'll check out the other post. Maybe there is someone else that can't get to the cardio rate.

MinusTwo

Maybe don't even do the random setting yet. Just start walking on "level" and manual. Set the speed at 1.5. If that works, use the up arrows & increase to, say, 2.0. The point is to get started. You're not that far out from surgery, so take your time.

Roxy_89

Cardio machines are grossly erroneous when it comes to accurate measurement of calories burned and heart rate. I was on the bike today for 40 minutes and it said I only burned 150 calories. Dont believe these machines too much. As long as you are moving your body and getting your heart rate up, you are in good shape!

Hanging_in_there

Ladies, Just reading your messages is encouraging me. I had no idea that would happen! I am on 20/35 radiation today and at the end of radiation, I felt so tired, like a zombie. I was too tired to make lunch, so I had cereal and milk.

But your messages gave me motivation to go back to the gym today. So after a short rest, I went to the gym. 134 is the hear rate this treadmill had for me for cardio, but today I upped my weight by 30 lbs and my age by 12 yrs and then it gave me 128 as my HR goal. One-hundred twenty-eight is a much more reasonable goal. Plus yesterday, I walked in the neighborhood for 45 minutes with a walking club, and they don't go very fast.

But today, at the gym I did 25 minutes on the cardio program (128 hr goal) 2.8 mph and after some curls (like sit ups) I came back to the treadmill and did 25 minutes on random, 2.8 mph and level 12. So that is lower level, and lower mph than I have done, but at least I did it. Right now I'm not able to do 50 minutes uninterrupted by a rest or a little bit of weight lifting.

I feel if I can keep this up for 3 weeks, then I will be on my way to getting exercise on a regular basis. I think tomorrow will be a slower walk day and then Thursday back to the gym.