Step to the Beat

I really liked this study:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743500906340 Abstract: Twenty-two sedentary college-aged women walked up 199 steps – more than you’re likely to find at home, but doable in a high-rise – in 2.25 minutes, a “brisk but comfortable” pace which shot their heart rates up to 90 percent of their predicted maximum. They progressed from one ascent per day during the first week to six ascents per day, for a total of 13.5 minutes over the course of a day,during the sixth and seventh weeks. By the end of this modest exercise program, the women were measurably more fit: Heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate levels during climbing were reduced, and their HDL (”good”) cholesterol levels had increased. Another article on stair climbing here:http://gymequipmentinformation.com/stair-climber

I should have listened to my own advice and stepped on the scale on my usual weigh-in day - Thursday, instead of today, the day after a two-week vacation. 
Fourteen days of double desserts and carb-o-licious feasting put on an astounding six pounds. I'm oddly okay with that though. I'll have this back off and dip below my normal weight within two weeks. You can hold me to that. :) I'll be back to tell you how I did it too, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, enjoy the latest 125 bpm beat and please... have a piece of cake for me. I won't be eating any for a little while.
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Hope you're workouts are going well! 

I've been tearing into the kettlebell lately and mixing jogging into my morning walks. For the kettelbell, my 35/30 23 rep/14 set routing with the 20 kg bell was getting monotonous, so I changed it up a bit and do 100 reps in a row, followed by a one minute rest, then 50 swings, another minute rest, another 50, then four sets of 25 with 30 seconds in between each set for rest. Also been using the kettlebell to tighten my external oblique abdominal muscles. I'll shoot some video on this soon and post it. Seems to work well - sore today :)
Today's link is to my buddies over at Fat2Fit Radio. You can download their podcast from iTunes and buy their inspirational book HERE. Thanks Russ and Jeff for keeping me motivated and honest during my weight loss journey! 
Share your exercise motivations with others on the STTB Facebook Page!

Thanks for subscribing in iTunes or directly from our feed HERE.

Follow Step To The Beat on Twitter.

Play this episode by clicking HERE.
Hope you're workouts are going well! 

151 BPM


Okay - I'm stepping up my workout routine this week and adding walking back into the mix. Yes, walking. I know that running was there before, but I need to build some base miles on my legs, stretch out my Achilles and calf muscles and condition these bean poles in some way to "accept" running as an activity at which I'm destined to succeed. Beat them into submission, so to speak.


So...How was your week?


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Follow Step To The Beat on Twitter.

Play this episode by clicking HERE.

While building up my mileage in regular heel-strike running, my Achilles/calf seized up last Saturday at .6 miles into the run. So discouraging. I'm tired of injuries. I cycled for decades and never had one injury. I run for five months, and have six of them or three in different forms, depending on how I decide to count. 


On a positive note, my kettlebell routine is going great. 20 KG for 16 mins 3x/week now, with 23 Reps on a 35/30 work/rest set schedule. Gotta keep looking at the stars, not the road ahead, I guess.

132 BPM

Just recently, I've set a couple of fairly lofty personal fitness goals. One of them has to do with the Kettlebell, and I'll talk about that in the next couple of posts. The other one is related to running.

Since I started back into running, I've begun thinking about what it would take for me to break a five minute mile. Well, we could start with the math - shaving three minutes off my current pace. But what about physically and emotionally. What an amazing journey this could turn out to be.

So, I'm giving my self a little over a year to attain this. My birthday is June 8th, and I'm setting a goal to break a five minute mile on my 47th birthday - 14 months from now.

There - it's out there. Published on the Web, so you KNOW it's true. :)

Anyone else care to join me?

Do you already run a sub-five minute mile? If so, what are some tips you can share?

It might not take a year to train for this, but I'll tell you one thing - if I apply myself to this goal, I'll make it happen sooner or later. It's how I roll.