Let’s start with my comparison of peak conditioning, which takes me back to 2013 through 2015.  (like everyone, I have good years when I am on target, and others when I fall off track.) Life gets in the way, and I struggle to stay focused on my fitness goals.)  Over the past couple of years, I decided to participate in 5Ks to help me get back to the cardio level I was at before 2010.  I also wanted to provide my students with ways to become more fit and have fun, such as participating in organized 5Ks.  My normal race times were between  28 and 35 mins.  I practiced every other day, running or brisk walking for 1 or 2 miles, sometimes combining them for up to 5 miles. All of which depended on my time and my energy.
Spring really helps after a long winter, all you want is to be outside, the energy naturally increases during this time, which is the best to begin your new cardiovascular goals.  I was happier with my weight at this time, which was 125lbs. At 5’3″, some would consider this to be heavy; however, I am muscular, and that does make a difference. My clothes fit well, and I have lots of energy. My good cholesterol is always around (76), which is fantastic! (Good HDLs come from good cardio conditioning.) My blood pressure is always around 110/60 (I think; need to check). Either way, it’s always low. I had a lot of energy, and I felt really good. I could easily maintain a comfortable 148-150 bpm, and that increased to 152-154 for longer periods during my 2-3 mile runs. I would work in intervals of short periods, increasing my HR to 162 bpm for sprints lasting around 1 minute to 1 minute and a half.  This is how you can really get in good cardio condition. 

Fast-forward to 2019: I am struggling to maintain 142 bpm for more than 20 minutes, while I can only reach 150-152 bpm and hold it for 1 or 2 minutes. My weight is around 145, and I am dealing with some recent injuries. This is way off my feel-good days, between 2013 & 2015. My new focus for stretching is to help my current injuries heal and reduce the risk of future injuries, which are often caused by a lack of flexibility.

After a lifetime of physical fitness and less focus on flexibility, I can tell this has caused my body pain. The same has happened to many of my students, whose ages range from 40 to 89.  Flexibility is a huge focus in my classes now and will continue to be going forward. It is the only way we can continue our exercise goals and our commitment to overall well-being. Which means not being plagued by injuries every time we turn around. 

Adding a 5K to my calendar helps me focus on my cardio goals. Now I need to improve my cardio while working on my distance.  My perception right now is challenged when I am around 145 bpm; negative thoughts start to happen. This is when I start my positive motivators, along with the music that motivates me. Music is a big part of my motivation. I have not talked much about this, as the focus here is to teach my formula &  perception combination.  While I am jogging on the treadmill, which is good at the beginning, as the numbers are in front of me, and keep me thinking about my goals. For now, I am focused on my heart rate goals. When I am on top of my goals, I would rather cover the dashboard with a towel so I do not obsess over when I will be done.  If I were outside, I would have more distractions, which would be helpful.  You don’t spend so much time focused on the struggle, as there are more things to look at.  The treadmill will help you learn to manage your perception as you combine it with the formula, and when and how to use the motivators.

Getting to know your heart and understanding your perception in each moment will help you know exactly what you are capable of; this way, the negative voices don’t win. 🙂  

Since I am in fairly good cardio condition, the low side of the scale for me is my warm-up mode.  It’s just a couple of minutes for me. It feels normal; I have zero resistance at this heart rate (132), and I could continue exercising at this rate for a long time. This would defeat my purpose to keep my body, joints, bones, and tendons healthy. Over time, joints and tendons will wear out if overused or used improperly.  This, of course, is another subject for another day.  At this rate, I would never achieve my goal of improving or maintaining my cardiovascular health.  

I can get a good sweat on when I am working around 140 bpm for my cardio focus.  However, staying at this rate won’t provide the type of benefits I am looking for. I want shorter workouts with big benefits, defined as weight loss for me. I want to see this weight loss happening within 2 weeks of following my cardio calendar.   I don’t want to risk injuring my feet and knees by overusing them, which means continuing movement in the same direction for too long.

I was running often in (2014-2015) with my students, participating in local 5K walk/run/jog events, and my heart rate was soaring to 162 on the high end! This is when I lost weight, 20-25 pounds of body fat. This is when I felt the best I have ever felt, and most likely was in my best shape ever. 

On the opposite side, looking at 160 bpm, you might think I was going to have a heart attack. However, according to the charts, it’s a cardiovascular performance of 80-90%, which is fine, as I was working out regularly and in good condition to push myself.  Obviously, you would not go out and try this at the beginning of your workouts, as your perception would tell you there is no way you would quit! 

I will admit, it isn’t easy; however, I don’t hang out at the level. When I achieve this level, and I feel breathless, I slow it down in order to catch my breath. For myself, I can feel recovery/catch my breath at a 140 HR. I would push myself through the last 2 blocks or the last tenth of a mile during a 5K.  This just means once I hit that number, I know I can only be there for a short time, as it pushes me into a “negative perception”. Ah….there is that term!  My mind starts playing games, telling me I can’t go one more inch, I have to stop, I have to walk, blah blah blah… Yes, it is a mind game; however, it is true that I feel pretty stressed at 160 bpm, so it’s only normal for those head games to begin. The simple fix is to get back to where there are no head games. For me, this is a heart rate of around 142. The head games simply disappear. I actually feel really good, and my positive perceptions take over again, helping me keep pushing forward until I finish the race or cover the distance I am aiming to cover.  This is when you get to experience the awesome runner’s high! Not that I have ever walked on the moon, but this is what I think it feels like!  It’s an indescribable feeling of pure strength and endurance, and a mood to be uplifted! No drugs here! 

Does this explanation help? Can you find your happy number, where wonderful thoughts are still in control? Can you push yourself to the next level, recognizing that bad thoughts will go away as soon as you go back to the happy place? If you learn how to master this, your happy place will increase. Therefore, your resting heart rate will decrease, helping you become fully cardio-fit. 

Let me explain another way, using the treadmill. 

I am 5’3, and a good pace walk for me is around 3.8. If I go to 4.0 or above, I fall between my walk and my jog. This in-between is not good for our knees.  If you are totally opposed to jogging/running, increase your incline in order to make your legs go to work, or grab weights and carry them. It’s the quads and the hamstrings that are going to get you to your heart rate goals. One very important detail is my music. Music motivates me, and this is a big help. My playlist is built to motivate me when I need it, and when I don’t, the songs are chosen to keep me on pace. Lot’s to discuss on that subject… 

I am fighting to find my stride, right now. It’s okay; however, if you don’t want to find a place and hang, it will defeat the purpose of reducing the time you really need to do cardio to be cardio fit. Only if you are training and preparing do you focus on other details, which will lead you to another level of fitness. In this case, the goal is a 5K, to finish around 30 mins. I focus on heart rate and set small goals for what number to hit and how long I can hold it there. Just a game, to pass the time. Beginning to rely on my music more during this time.

The Salt Shaker visual is a technique that works for me, with salt representing fat.  What is yours?

I will check my HR often so I can use the numbers to predict my perception. When I get cranky and negative, I know I need to get back to around 140 bpm. Once I am there, the thoughts disappear within just a minute or two. I do a lot of deep breathing during this time to feed my body oxygen and help me recover faster. This is really good for building the cardio endurance you want.

Hopefully, this hasn’t left you brain-dead! If you followed the explanation before, great; otherwise, I hope my attempt to explain helped you to understand how I train and how I handle positive and negative perspectives.