Any obese runners here?

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
Me and Eunice bought ourselves a new treadmill so we can start exercising. It says for my age and weight my target heart rate for burning fat is only 116! That's not very high, heck just getting up off the couch gets me close to that. I want to start jogging but if I do my heart rate goes up to 160 and the speed is barely fats enough to have to jog (we're talking 4 MPH). Does this mean I can't run and have to walk at a slow pace. Will I ever be able to run and keep my heart rate in the target fat burning zone? What happens if I jog and my heart rate stay up in the 150's. We spent 4K on this treadmill and I think it was a waste of money. Looking for some advice on getting started with exercise.

I'm not looking to run any marathons but it would be nice to be able to jog for 30 minutes with out blowing my heart out of my chest. My Doctor told me exercise would be good for me and he says my heart is healthy after my last stress test a few months ago.
 

UglyBear

Well-Known Member
For how long have you been using this treadmill?

I’m not a runner exactly, but have started running up to 5k several times in my life (with age, each time takes longer and longer). The key here is patience.

Put the treadmill in front of the TV, where you would normally watch it anyway.

Start doing exactly what you are doing — slow walking. Do that for 30mins, an hour, whatever you can handle without pain or discomfort. My “good” pace is 3.0-3.5mph, no more — walking, not running. Do that every day for a week or two, until it just feels comfy and normal. Don’t overdo it. Don’t skip this step, and definitely stretch before — especially your core. (Yes, it seems silly to stretch for a leisurely walk, but you just need to establish a happy comfortable routine here).
Then start adding a 1 min interval of running (at, say, 4.5-5mph, whatever feels not too hard), then 10 min walk again, then 1 min running, etc. Do 10/1 walk/run for a week.
Next week, make it 10/2, then after a week 10/3, etc. You get the point. At some point, maybe three months from start, you might be comfortably running half of the time.
You will have setbacks, you will plateau, etc. Don’t get discouraged — the point is to make this a comfortable routine, one you stick to, not to chase some silly numbers.

A thing about numbers: your comfortable speed of walk, jog and run is only yours — it depends on your height, weight, length of step, etc. Each mechanical system, such as your body, has a unique resonant frequency — speed at which the system uses the least energy to keep going. Try several different speeds that make you comfortable — and that speed might change as you lose weight! Just listen to your body and don’t push outside of your comfort zone.
This is just what worked for me several times, I’m in no way shape or form a fitness expert or a professional. Good luck!
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
We just started using the new treadmill this week. I think you have offered some sage advice and I'm assuming that as I lose weight and my body adapts to the exercise routine my heart rate will decrease and I'll need to work harder to burn the calories. I think it will be a very long time before that starts to happen. Me and Eunice are very fat and out of shape. I only used it three times and my legs are already sore.
 

gary_webb

Damned glad to meet you
We just started using the new treadmill this week. I think you have offered some sage advice and I'm assuming that as I lose weight and my body adapts to the exercise routine my heart rate will decrease and I'll need to work harder to burn the calories. I think it will be a very long time before that starts to happen. Me and Eunice are very fat and out of shape. I only used it three times and my legs are already sore.
My knees and hips are so shot from years of climbing utility poles that I'm lucky if I can walk a grocery store without pain. High impact exercises can take a toll on joints.

Just F.Y.I. Something to think about.
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
My knees and hips are so shot from years of climbing utility poles that I'm lucky if I can walk a grocery store without pain. High impact exercises can take a toll on joints.

Just F.Y.I. Something to think about.

Lucky for us we have lived sedentary lives so our joints are still in decent shape. We're just obese but have lost weight over the years.

We will take it slow. We did splurge on the treadmill and went with a high quality one with good shock absorption. It is actually very smooth to walk/run on.
 

Grumpy

Well-Known Member
Lucky for us we have lived sedentary lives so our joints are still in decent shape. We're just obese but have lost weight over the years.

We will take it slow. We did splurge on the treadmill and went with a high quality one with good shock absorption. It is actually very smooth to walk/run on.
Better off with a stationary bike rather than a treadmill.
 
Yes, as I get older I notice that the high impact exercises really do affect me more. Stationary bikes are great, and it's easier to deal with sore muscles than sore joints and ligaments.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Don't run. Walk. Walking is better for your joints. I'll be 62 this year, I have terrible ankles from spraining each one over the last 10 years, and I have very flat feet, so I don't want to run. Walking on the treadmill is good if the weather bothers you otherwise, fresh air is great for you, too. Get good, supportive walking shoes. Makes a big difference.

Walking every day, and increasing your distance each week, even a little, will build endurance Walking IS cardio exercise, and if you do it for about 20 mins to start every day - you can build your cardio endurance quickly. I will say, though, to lose weight -exercise is one side of the equation. Portion control is probably more important. :yay: Good luck!!!
 

lucky_bee

RBF expert
I would still strongly suggest not running for your joints' sake but I have had mild success with the Couch 2 5K app. Every week or two (or at your own pace) you add in longer running intervals.

I basically can't run do to some back issues but before I encountered that, it helped me run the longest I've ever run consecutively. I have a couple friends who had real success with it and weren't held back by physical issues like myself.
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
I'm on week 2 of using the treadmill. I walked 4 days last week and took the weekend off to allow my slightly sore legs to recover. This week I'm going to go 5 days and I've been walking for 30-45 minutes wearing the heart monitor strap. My heart rate stays around 120 if I maintain 3-5 to 3-8 (I'm tall so that's a good stride for me) walking pace and for the that's my fat burning zone. I did throw a few short and very slow jogging intervals in the there and boy it didn't take long for heart rate to hit 160+ and that was only putting the speed up to 5MPH. I guess old Bluebird is pretty out of shape. I'm feeling okay and I have shed a few pounds. I'll stick with it!
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
I need to to take the next three days off. My legs are pretty sore and fatigued. Just walking up the stairs is wearing me out! I may have over done it this week but I bet once my legs recover I'll see an improvement next week. The goal is to just keep moving.
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
Obese runners? That ain't how we roll.


I'm hoping I can start a new thread someday titled "former obese runners". A few years ago we went on a a diet and we both lost a significate amount of weight but I would stay consider myself obese due to my BMI. For the most part we've been able to keep most of the weight off by eating smaller portions and less junk food.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I need to to take the next three days off. My legs are pretty sore and fatigued. Just walking up the stairs is wearing me out! I may have over done it this week but I bet once my legs recover I'll see an improvement next week. The goal is to just keep moving.
Careful! Baby steps - but I'm rooting for you! Seriously :getdown:
 

BlueBird

Well-Known Member
Careful! Baby steps - but I'm rooting for you! Seriously :getdown:


Thanks. I actually took the week off because I've been doing a lot of physical labor around the house and don't want to over due it. Manual labor is exercise too and the important thing is that we keep moving everyday. I'm excited to get on the treadmill this weekend and see if I've improved t all. I'm feeling terrific!
 

Misfit

Lawful neutral
You should consider a desk elliptical. I’ve done three miles every day for years on mine. Here’s a picture of me putting in the miles!
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