Best way to monitor fitness improvements?

nancy324

Cathlete
Is there a good way to monitor my progress from post-surgery ground zero up? For example, maybe a gadget that monitors time, intensity, heart rate, etc. and then keeps the information and allows me to compare my workouts over time? On the gadget itself? On a website? I haven't been keeping up with the latest in fitness technology, so any info is appreciated. TIA!
 
Nancy! Hi!

Hope you are doing well.

I don't have one of these but I hear people talking about them all the time....FitBit.

Fitbit

HTH

Best wishes on your journey.
 
Hi Suzanne! Good to "see" you!

I was looking at the Fitbit and I'm wondering if it's too calorie and weight conscious for me. I'm most interested in building up my lungs, my heart and my muscles. I think that means I'm going to need something with an HR monitor that measures MET. I think that will be my most important measurement.
 
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Nancy:

did you have surgery? Are you OK?

I don't have any gadgets at all. The worst my fitness has ever gotten must be after pregnancy for example or following a winter spent suffering migraines when I just sat on my butt all the time.

Each time, the solution is take it slowly, focus on enjoyment of movement, the pleasure of moving the body again, let fitness calculations take care of themselves. If you follow this kind of philosophy, you gradually get back in tune with your body, can start pushing a little harder and then, before you know it, you are reaching for Power Hour again and it's come at the right time.

If you feel totally de-conditioned and weak as a kitten, just get out and walk. Add in a little step or kickbox, add in some body weight moves, then add in the dumbbells, like several months later. I always start back just with walking, lots of walking, even more walking! It's like a rolled stone going downhill: it gathers fitness momentum very quickly.

How do you feel? How are your moods improving? How is your sleep improving? How much more bounce is there in your step? Do you feel more comfortable in your skin? These are my parameters for determining how my fitness is improving. I don't really "do" gadgets. Do you need them? Maybe you are just a gadget person? I get that. Unfortunately, I don't know any! Sorry if this post was useless!

Clare
 
Clare, I have to confess that sometimes I come on the forums just to see if you're posting. You make perfect sense to me with your thoughts on gadgets.

Nancy, you may indeed want a HRM. My Polar is sitting in my drawer......

At times I have been a gadget-head and got sucked into perfectionism and having to log every calorie burned and then came the dread factor of just dealing with all the extra steps that the gadgets require.

I have cycled away and back from workouts over the years. What Clare says really resonates as far as doing something just for the joy of movement. I'm always astonished at how quickly I feel like pushing for harder and harder workouts.

So...I continue to not help you with your gadget quest. Sorry! :eek:
 
Hi Suzanne (and Nancy):

hilarious post, I really enjoyed reading it! Nice to hear from you and so happy that the things I write resonate with people. Really, that is the point in posting, yes? We shall continue in our gadget-less quest for joy in movement!

Clare
 
Hello Nancy,

I hope you are doing well post-surgery.

I'm with Clare here 110%. I've never been a huge fan of fitness gadgets (I don't even own a HR monitor :eek:). After the birth of my daughter through c-section and then a car accident 1 1/2 yrs later, I had to basically start from scratch twice :(. Listen to your body, respect it, start out slowly and work your way up. Walk, walk, walk, it's truly a wonderful form of exercise. You will know when the time has arrived to take it to the next level, and then the level after that, until you are doing all of Cathe's Imax's and can finish it with a smile of accomplishment (and lots of sweat!). Just here to offer words of support and encouragement. The road might seem long and bumpy at first, but you'll get there. Just have faith in yourself :).

Good luck & take care,

Natasha
 
Hey ladies, not to worry. I'm enjoying your comments very much! Keep 'em coming!

Yes, I do love gadgets! :D Also, I'm motivated by things I can measure, and goal-oriented. Unfortunately, unless I have somewhere to go, walking bores me after 5 minutes. But I can walk 5 miles in no time if there's a good clothing sale at the other end of my journey. ;)

But I don't think it's just me. Runners need their marathons to train for. My DH is a cyclist and he is always training for the century. I don't think he could get himself out on his bike 4 times a week if he weren't meeting intermediate goals. Otherwise, he would ride, but it would just be once a week or so for fun. I can see the difference in his moods, and his doctor can see the difference in his blood sugar levels and weight, but he's too close to it, and all he sees are his maps and read-outs and measurable results on a daily basis. I think I need that too.

I'm looking at the Polar models now trying to figure out the differences. I've used basic models in the past, but I think I'm ready for the kinds that come with software for measuring results on your computer. Guess I'm going to have a lot of manual reading to do! :)
 
I am with those who don't do fitness monitors. I know me and I can get obsessive about heart rate and all the other stuff and then focus on that more than working out.

My fitness level monitors are the following:

Can I do this Cathe workout better that used to kick my butt?
Wow, I can do this section without stopping, or I used to have to modify that
and now I don't have to!
 
Nancy!

How are you? Where is your salad avatar? :D:D

I like gadgets too...sometimes. It is fun, inspiring and encouraging to "see" your progress via facts and not just arbitrary sensations.

I have a polar HRM. It syncs to the Polar website. I used to love keeping results of various runs. etc.

The newer models have multi-sport features. I tried wearing mine swimming with mixed results, but is is dead-on accurate with indoor cycling.

I do love Clare's comment though - "It's like a rolled stone going downhill: it gathers fitness momentum very quickly."

What is your return to fitness strategy? What will you be doing?

My sympathies regarding your need for surgery, but so very glad you are through the worst of it and are looking positively at the distant horizons.
:D
 
Nancy-

I don't have any gadgets to recommend, but I just want to chime and give you a cheer of support as another person who can understand somewhat your experience.

I've had to have surgery three times in the past three yrs, each with a long recovery and significant restrictions. it's extremely frustrating to go from a high level of fitness to zero. Well, it's not really zero, but it might as well be since we Cathletes are used to being über-fit, and having to work hard to regain something you've already achieved and then lost through no fault of your own just plain sucks. For me, each time coming back has been like clawing my way out of a deep well. There were times I was so frustrated I cried. BUT, each time I HAVE come back and I've come back faster than I thought I would when I first started trying. Personally, my cardio and lower body strength comes back first...I have to work longer to regain my core and upper body strength.

Do whatever it takes to keep yourself going. Since you know you like gadgets, go for it. Do anything that makes you feel closer to the old you. It might also help to promise yourself prizes as you move forward (e.g., the first time you can do a Cathe workout, then the first time you can do a Cathe workout without pausing, then the first time you can bang out your favorite hard Cathe workout). Heck, give yourself a reward for just plain doing it!

FYI, I do have a hr monitor and sometimes wear it during spinning. I use it to make myself work harder when my legs are tired but I can see my heart can take more. I don't do this with any other type of cardio, where I just go by how my body feels. oh, and I used my hr monitor for the exact opposite purpose when I was firsts able to return to spinning (making sure I wasn't pushing it too hard).

I wish you the very best. As a Cathlete, it's clear you're willing to work hard and enjoy a good butt kicking. You'll be back before you know it!
 
Good advice, Tracy.

For the record, I may have been a Cathlete in my forties, but I turned 56 this year :eek: and I am not at that level anymore. Whatever those hormones were that drove me in my 30s and 40s have quieted down. A LOT.

Nonetheless, there is a lot to be said for even having been a Cathlete at one time. I am still in excellent health despite major lung surgery, and I bounced back from the surgery so quickly, my pulmonologist was actually in awe, no exaggeration. I feel very lucky, but I don't want to depend too much on luck. I want to get moving again. Now I just have to figure out what I'm capable of and form a plan... :rolleyes:
 
Heart rate monitors

I have found a heart rate monitor and a scale plus a tape measure to be a good measurement of fitness. If you are concerned about weight at all, you can google a free body mass index.
 
Hi,

Just got my 3rd Polar HRM, the FT7. It keeps track of your workouts and as someone else posted, you can upload to the site.

I'm with you, I like to measure everything....kind of OCDish...:)

Deb
 
Hi Nancy! Just checking in to see if you've had a chance to test drive your new HRM?

DH is shopping for one and I'm trying to convince him to splurge on himself and this is the model I thought might work for him.

Curious as to how you like it...or not....

:D
 

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