Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

[Miss Lee]

I posted this on the Cardio Coach forum this afternoon.
http://www.cardiocoach.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=1

OH BOY!!! http://www.pic4ever.com/images/dancegirl2.gif

I made a brilliant discovery! I think I finally got this whole endorphin thing figured out. I have never experienced the exhilarating high that everyone raves about until recently and I’ve been trying to understand why.

WHY NOW!?

What’s different about my workouts NOW as opposed to last month or last year? I think I found the answer today!!

I quit using my HRM. http://www.pic4ever.com/images/4fvgdaq_th.gif

That has to be it! The battery died and I never replaced it. Since then I’ve been ellipticizing with wild and reckless abandon, using perceived exertion only as my guide! I mean, across the board I’m doing better. http://www.pic4ever.com/images/leb.gif

And look, I’m still here! I didn’t pass out. My heart did not explode in my chest. I feel fine!! I feel great!! I feel FANTASTIC!!!

That @*&# HRM was holding me back!! I became a slave to the numbers. It made me work hard and then denied me my reward!!!
http://www.pic4ever.com/images/shrk.gif

It is now a cat toy.

OH BOY!!! http://www.pic4ever.com/images/loveshower.gif

I wanna do it again!!

Cardio Coach + Perceived Exertion = Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2gwb921.gif

 

[crazystepr]

Michele,
I just want to give you the biggest, squeeziest hug ever. I love everything about you. This post just confirmed how totally awesome you are.

I'm so happy for you and your discovery. Ellipticize away, girlfriend. (HRM-free, of course...)

Allison

http://www.picturetrail.com/allisonj90

 

[Liann]

Lol, you crack me up Michele!!! I love all of those smileys, especially the last one!

 

[Miss Lee]

Thank you Allison. http://bestsmileys.com/blushing/7.gif

I'll give you a squeezy hug right back :*

 

[pwmatt]

Michele, that's wonderful! It seems like your endorphins have you flying high! To top everything off, your cats are loving you for the new toy.
Phyllis

Check out picturetrail for my Europe pictures!
I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing

http://www.rykat.org/forums/style_emoticons/default/arrowhead.png



http://www.picturetrail.com/pwmatt

 

[LeanneM]

Michele, you are just TOO cute and amazing! You're such a great person!

 

[amyg]

OMG Michele you are too much. I'm thrilled for you and your endorphin high!

I ran my 5k PR last month without my HRM, too.

 

[buffettgirl]

So are you going to start a Lovers Check In now?

 

[August]

http://mysmileyz.com/s/18_9_2.gif


SCORE FOR MICHELE! SHE GOT HIGH!






I've.....I've got a HRM.

http://mysmileyz.com/s/th_kiss4.gif

 

[Vee]

Yay Michele!

I used an HRM for bit when I first got it. It was cute to know how may calories it thought I had burned, and I found it hilarious when mine would beep when the person next to me using a HRM was pushing too hard or vice versa (signals frequently cross). But the novelty wore off very quickly.

Most formulas are not accurate to determine max heart rate. The most commonly used (Age based) is so totally and obviously inadequate. According to it, a 40 year old who has been a lifelong couch potato and a 40 year old who is a professional athlete, have the same max heart rate. Even the Karnoven formula which adjusts the Max HR based on resting heart rate (resting heart rate is lower in people who are more fit and exercise regularly) is based on a statistical sampling of a test group and is at best a very rough guideline.

I read an article where it said the inventors of the heart rate theory were themselves astounded by how seriously people took their theory, and the enormous commercial advantage cardio machines and heart rate monitors made of their study. They only intended it as a rough guide not as a science.

I have also read that recent studies show Max HR does not decline with age unless a person has been sedentary.

I have never taken a professional Max HR test (though in my gym they will do it for members for free every so often as part of a VO2Max test). So I really have no idea what my Max HR is. There are controversies around which professional method is accurate to add to the confusion.

I can quite easily EXCEED my Max HR as determined by the Karnoven formula. Theoretically my heart should not be capable of ever getting there.

So I think unless someone is is using a more reliable system of predicting Max HR that is based on measuring heart rate during exercise, if they have been working out for a long time regularly, using just the formulas is probably keeping them back.

~* Vrinda *~

 

[pink_fortitude]

Michele, you are by far the coolest, most awesomest person ever!!! :7 :7 :7 You have just totally made my day w/ your post. I am so happy for your liberation and as a result your incredible high! I used to always strap one on before a workout, too - BLECH! I haven't used one in four years, haven't stepped on a scale in almost three years and have made the same brilliant discovery: NUMBERS TOTALLY SUCK!!! :+ :+ :+

Missy

 

[SRP]

Wooohooo, Cuz!!!! You're a free and happy woman! Technology can be rather limiting, can't it? Ellipticize to your heart's content!

 

[NinjaMom]

Thank you...Thank you...Thank you for posting this!

I have been a slave to my HRM while doing CC and have been very frustrated at times. I used the Karvonen method and padded it a little but I still exceed my levels and find it hard to maintain a specific level for an extended period of timex(

It makes me question my fitness level since my HR jumps around and gets higher than it should. I always thought that the more fit you are, the lower and more steady your HR is during exercise. It is all very confusing!

I'm going to give CC a try w/o my HRM and see how it goes.

JJ

 

[exer_cited]

You guys really have me thinking...

I have been a slave to making sure I am within the appropriate "range" on my HRM. I set mine based on the book that came with my HRM...maybe not so accurate?!?!

I don't think I've ever experiencing an endorphin high.;(

Michelle, you have inspired me to do CC tomorrow morning without my HRM! Thanks!!!!:7

 

[SRP]

Melissa - you should try it! I've never ever used a HRM, so I can't compare the differences, but let me tell you, I definitely get a high using perceived exertion. And it's a lot of fun when you feel like you're maxing out to try to hold the pace for ....just...a... few... more... seconds....!

 

[Vee]

JJ,

As you get more fit, your heart rate should indeed not rise as high. But many factors affect heart rate during exercise apart from fitness such as medication, diet, genetics.

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2007/12/09/HLTH20071209109309.html

Another measure of fitness is how quickly your heart rate comes down to normal after you stop exercising.

~* Vrinda *~

 

[materialsgirl]

[font color=purple]>I have been a slave to making sure I am within the appropriate
>"range" on my HRM. I set mine based on the book that came with
>my HRM...maybe not so accurate?!?! [/font]

Melissa, it's quite possible (likely, even) that the ranges given by your HRM are not right for YOU. Like Vee said, the only way to truly know your Max HR is to have it physically tested - that is, by sprinting til you nearly puke. This isn't a very attractive option for most people but you can come close to figuring out your max HR with some of the tougher CC challenges (level 4 challenges, in particular). I think in one of the CC workouts, after a level 4 challenge, Sean even says "If you have a HRM, look at the number right now because it will be pretty close to your true max HR"

Michele, you crack me up! :7 I'm so glad you have discovered the wonders of perceived exertion. Isn't it fabulous? I haven't used my HRM in probably 2 years, and it feels wonderful! Oh sure, I'm a total nerd - I love seeing numbers and data, and seeing how many calories I've burned and how long I've been in each of my zones, blah blah blah. But it takes away from the joy of running (or ellipticizing, as the case may be), and puts up invisible barriers ("Gotta speed up! Whoops, gotta slow down"). It's so liberating to run/cycle/ellipticize without boundaries! I hope you enjoy your newfound freedom. And enjoy that endorphin high!

 

[Beavs]

Steps in a high fives the bomb diggity ellipticizing blur known as Michele ;-)

PS: Wonders if Coach Sean will come out with a bull riding workout..HAAA!