Just completed a recovery week of no walking but still managed to lose a pound and a half. Doctors office called on Friday and wants me to come in today (Monday) to review the results of my recent Echocardiogram. Dr. Bhakta received the video from the Cleveland Clinic of my heart catheterization and also of the 'Echo'. His estimation of the blockage was a little higher than the doctor at the Clinic, but he still feels that my approach of diet, exercise and medication is a sound one and worth trying. I was hopeful that we would be able to get some blood work done and start adjusting the dosages down on my medication. He didn't want to do that yet. His reasoning is that it takes at least 3 months for the medication to have a significant effect and 6 months for the diet and exercise to have a marked effect. We scheduled the next followup for December 23rd.
Cleared to Run.
I told the doctor of my desire to run in next May's Cleveland Half Marathon and the Bridges 5K at end of October. I outlined an approach of working running into my daily walks, starting with 1/8 to 1/4 mile intervals of running. He approved, now I'm geeked about expanding the workouts to a new intensity level. Hoping to gradually increase the running distances weekly over the next six weeks so that I'll be able to at least jog the entire 3.1 miles of the Covered Bridges 5k.
First running workout. Walked the first mile of one of my usual 5 mile courses keeping the heart rate in zone 1 (Less than 114 bpm), a painfully slow pace of about 20 minutes per mile. Once I reached the mile mark, I escalated the pace up to towards the 130 mark which was going to be where I would take off on my first jog. As my heart rate approached 130 I felt like a horse at the starting gate waiting for the bell to ring. My strategy was to jog 1 block then walk till my heart rate returned to 130, then to jog another block. Once I reached the intersection of West 13th and Norwood Ave, I took off. I felt strong with nice long strides, it took me back to "Glory Days" of high school cross country competition. It felt great to be running again, for about 30 seconds! My first jogging session went two blocks instead of 1 and my heart heart shot up to 167. The physiological max for my age is supposed to by 173, so that took me up to 97% of max heart rate (probably a little too much intensity for my 1st day). I decided then to stop each jog at about 90% of max which is around 150. Throughout the rest of the walk/jog I would jog until my heart rate reached 150, then walk till it returned to 125. I did this seven times till I was withing a half mile of home, then did a cool down walk the rest of the way.
The workout didn't go as planned, in fact it took me 3 minutes longer to do this course than my previous best time which was all walking. The big difference between this time and the last time was that first 20 minutes of zone 1 walking which took 20 minutes.
Bypass? After my 1st workout I'm thinking to my self that I've been walking 4-5 miles a day for two months now and still can't go a 1/4 mile without being gassed. Maybe I should consider the bypass surgery after all. Nah, I'm going to stay the course at least for now.
The Day After: Felt muscle soreness for the first time. I attribute this to the sixty minutes of zone 3 work yesterday. Zone 3 is a heart beat range of 80-90 % of max. In this range the body is calling for more glucose than can be delivered from the blood stream, so it draws energy from muscle tissue. I never knew this before I had my heart disease diagnosis and started reading up heart rate training. Just going to walk today and do another walk/jog on Wednesday.
Early morning walk/jog: Got up early this morning to get my walk/jog workout in. Only spent 5 minutes in zone 1 and started my first jog at the seven minute mark. Strategy today was to walk seven minutes then jog to the next 1/2 mile mark. My previous best pace had been 16:21 per mile and I was hoping that this approach would get me under 15 minutes per mile. I got close finishing up the 4.07 mile course at 1:02:22 or 15:19 per mile. Too early to start thinking of a goal to try for in the 5K, but 13 minutes per mile I think would be reasonable, I'd be ecstatic with 12 minutes.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Slow Steady Progress
Cut my training down a little this week, but still reached targets for zone 1 and 2. Zone 1 is the optimal fat burning zone of heart rate between 98 and 113. This zone is 60-70% of maximum heart rate. Maximum heart rate is your age subtracted from 220. In this zone you burn primarily fat. Zone 2 (70-80% max) is more intense and still burns a lot of calories, but your brain is telling your body that it needs energy FAST, so it draws from glucose reserves. Above 80% your energy actually comes from breaking down muscle tissue.
Finally broke through the 190 pound barrier weighing in this morning at 189.6, 22 down with 17 more pounds to go till I start my training for the Rite Aid Half Marathon in Cleveland next May. I just can't imagine how I managed to gain over 90 pounds since high school. I have no delusions of getting back to high school weight but 150 is a reasonable target.
Starting a recovery week with now walking, hopefully the diet part of the program will still be effective on its own.
Finally broke through the 190 pound barrier weighing in this morning at 189.6, 22 down with 17 more pounds to go till I start my training for the Rite Aid Half Marathon in Cleveland next May. I just can't imagine how I managed to gain over 90 pounds since high school. I have no delusions of getting back to high school weight but 150 is a reasonable target.
Starting a recovery week with now walking, hopefully the diet part of the program will still be effective on its own.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Half Way There
Five weeks into the program and I'm halfway to my 13 week goal of 39 pounds. Hit the scale at 191.4 which is 19.6 pounds total lost.
A very good week of training with both zones 1 & 2 goals reached. Only lost 1.8 pounds this week but continuing to improve.
Reward for all the hard work: 5 ounces of steak. First red meat in over a month. It was ok, but I think I'll do fine without it.
Pushed a little too hard on Saturday with 3 workouts totaling 13 miles. I was beat by the end of the day and after golfing Sunday morning (walked the course) I felt totally warn down. Laid on the couch watching baseball most of the day.
Weekly Summary
Total Exercise Time.....10:27:28
Zone 1....3:17:00
Zone 2...5:55:24
Zone 3...0:26:11
Total Calories Burned 4,217
Pounds lost: 1.8 (191.4)
Total Miles logged 42.11
A very good week of training with both zones 1 & 2 goals reached. Only lost 1.8 pounds this week but continuing to improve.
Reward for all the hard work: 5 ounces of steak. First red meat in over a month. It was ok, but I think I'll do fine without it.
Pushed a little too hard on Saturday with 3 workouts totaling 13 miles. I was beat by the end of the day and after golfing Sunday morning (walked the course) I felt totally warn down. Laid on the couch watching baseball most of the day.
Weekly Summary
Total Exercise Time.....10:27:28
Zone 1....3:17:00
Zone 2...5:55:24
Zone 3...0:26:11
Total Calories Burned 4,217
Pounds lost: 1.8 (191.4)
Total Miles logged 42.11
Monday, August 29, 2011
One Month Down
One month since the cathetrization and 3 full weeks of training. I need to focus more on the zone 1 work. Total time in zone 1 was only 44 minutes. On the plus side, I exceeded Zone 2 work by over 2 hours and cut my zone 3 work in half.
Splurged and laid out $20 for a couple of pieces of Alaskan Salmon, but to tell you the truth I might just like our Lake Erie Walleye more.
I was a little disappointed with last weeks weight loss total of 1.6 pounds so I wanted to step up the workouts a little bit. I added 3 cycling workouts to the daily walks.
Weekly Summary:
Total Exercise Time: 8 hours 15 minues
Zone 1:....0:43:49
Zone 2:....5:17:57
Zone 3:...1:28:44
Total Miles Logged: 43.87
Calories Burned: 4,183
Weight Lossed: 2.8 pounds (193.2)
Next weeks goal: Improve Zone 1 work.
Splurged and laid out $20 for a couple of pieces of Alaskan Salmon, but to tell you the truth I might just like our Lake Erie Walleye more.
I was a little disappointed with last weeks weight loss total of 1.6 pounds so I wanted to step up the workouts a little bit. I added 3 cycling workouts to the daily walks.
Weekly Summary:
Total Exercise Time: 8 hours 15 minues
Zone 1:....0:43:49
Zone 2:....5:17:57
Zone 3:...1:28:44
Total Miles Logged: 43.87
Calories Burned: 4,183
Weight Lossed: 2.8 pounds (193.2)
Next weeks goal: Improve Zone 1 work.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Exercise Program in Full Swing
Been on the Ornish Diet for three weeks now with pretty dramatic results. Weight at time of heart catheterization was 211 and at the start of this week is down to 200. Well on my way towards my goal of 39 pounds in 13 weeks..
My program calls for 5 hours and 10 minutes of exercise per week split into two heart rate zones. Zone 1 is low intensity walking at 60-70% of maximum heart rate(98-113 bpm). Zone 2 is moderate intensity of 70-80% MHR. Since my first goal is weight loss the program calls for 2 hours per week in zone 1 and 3 hours and 10 minutes in zone 2. Zone 3 80-90% of MHR is will come into play in phase 2 of my program.
Fell a little short in zone 1 work with only 53 minutes of my 120 minute goal, but came a little closer to zone 2 goal with 2 hours and 45 minutes being only 30 minutes shy of my goal. Zone 3 which isn't even part of this program accounted for more than half of my exercise time.
Overall thou, I'm pretty happy with the results. Six hours and 27 minutes of exercise with 3,194 calories burned on the week.
Weekly Summary
Time by Zone:
Zone 1... 53:36
Zone 2... 2:44:34
Zone 3...3:38:10
Miles Logged: 26.42
Weight: 196 -1.6 pounds this week.
This weeks goal: More zone 1 & 2; less zone 3.
My program calls for 5 hours and 10 minutes of exercise per week split into two heart rate zones. Zone 1 is low intensity walking at 60-70% of maximum heart rate(98-113 bpm). Zone 2 is moderate intensity of 70-80% MHR. Since my first goal is weight loss the program calls for 2 hours per week in zone 1 and 3 hours and 10 minutes in zone 2. Zone 3 80-90% of MHR is will come into play in phase 2 of my program.
Fell a little short in zone 1 work with only 53 minutes of my 120 minute goal, but came a little closer to zone 2 goal with 2 hours and 45 minutes being only 30 minutes shy of my goal. Zone 3 which isn't even part of this program accounted for more than half of my exercise time.
Overall thou, I'm pretty happy with the results. Six hours and 27 minutes of exercise with 3,194 calories burned on the week.
Weekly Summary
Time by Zone:
Zone 1... 53:36
Zone 2... 2:44:34
Zone 3...3:38:10
Miles Logged: 26.42
Weight: 196 -1.6 pounds this week.
This weeks goal: More zone 1 & 2; less zone 3.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Dr. Bhakta
Met with Dr. Bhakta today and got great news. He reviewed the transcript from the catheterization and the previous stress test. I've been walking 3-4 miles per day for more than a week now and sticking to the diet. Dropped the weight from 211 to 200 and feeling great.
Along with my test results, I gave the doctor a copy of my spreadsheet of my workout log. Since the stress test showed plenty of blood getting to all areas of the heart he felt it was perfectly fine for me to resume playing baseball He said that playing ball was less stress than the walking I've been doing. I was so happy to get that news, I forgot about asking him if it was OK to do the horizontal mamba again.
Dr. Bhakta was very familiar with the Ornish diet and thought my course of action was a good one. He also said that bypass surgery did very little to reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. He told me of a recent study where half the patients received bypass and the other half were treated with drugs. Incidents of heart attacks were nearly identical in the two groups.
An echo-cardiogram was ordered and it was agreed we would review progress after 90 days.
Along with my test results, I gave the doctor a copy of my spreadsheet of my workout log. Since the stress test showed plenty of blood getting to all areas of the heart he felt it was perfectly fine for me to resume playing baseball He said that playing ball was less stress than the walking I've been doing. I was so happy to get that news, I forgot about asking him if it was OK to do the horizontal mamba again.
Dr. Bhakta was very familiar with the Ornish diet and thought my course of action was a good one. He also said that bypass surgery did very little to reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. He told me of a recent study where half the patients received bypass and the other half were treated with drugs. Incidents of heart attacks were nearly identical in the two groups.
An echo-cardiogram was ordered and it was agreed we would review progress after 90 days.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Test Results in
Met with Dr. Patel today to review the results from last Thursday's catheterization. Test showed 60-70% blockage in the left main coronary artery. We discussed options and he felt that bypass surgery was my best option. I asked him if he had ever heard about Dr. Ornish's reversing diet. He didn't and his main concern was that the type of plaque I had was a softer plaque that could break loose and cause a heart attack.
In discussing the diet and medication option, he felt that most people don't have the discipline to follow such a stringent diet. He doesn't know me! After all I was so obsessed with running in high school that I had a streak of running at least 2 miles per day with an average of 6 miles per day over a 800 day period. That's not missing a day in nearly 3 years, rain, snow, blistering heat and numbing cold.
He prescribed a beta blocker to lower my heart rate, aspirin and cholesterol lowering medication and was ok with waiting a couple months to see what affect the diet, exercise and medication program has.
I was leaning toward taking the doctors advise and scheduling the surgery and even went as far calling the Cleveland Clinic to get on the schedule, but told the Doctor I wanted to get a 2nd opinion and asked him to refer me to a good cardiologist. He recommended Dr. Bhatka at UH Geneva. Appointment next Monday.
Ok to start walking, but no sex or baseball. Bummer, the team was starting to win and I was really zoned in at the plate.
We've been on the Ornish program for almost a week now. Did cheat a little bit when we shared a grilled chicken breast in a salad. It's not too bad, grocery shopping takes a lot longer because we find ourselves reading the labels on everything. Pretty shocking that crap I've been putting in the temple all these years.
In discussing the diet and medication option, he felt that most people don't have the discipline to follow such a stringent diet. He doesn't know me! After all I was so obsessed with running in high school that I had a streak of running at least 2 miles per day with an average of 6 miles per day over a 800 day period. That's not missing a day in nearly 3 years, rain, snow, blistering heat and numbing cold.
He prescribed a beta blocker to lower my heart rate, aspirin and cholesterol lowering medication and was ok with waiting a couple months to see what affect the diet, exercise and medication program has.
I was leaning toward taking the doctors advise and scheduling the surgery and even went as far calling the Cleveland Clinic to get on the schedule, but told the Doctor I wanted to get a 2nd opinion and asked him to refer me to a good cardiologist. He recommended Dr. Bhatka at UH Geneva. Appointment next Monday.
Ok to start walking, but no sex or baseball. Bummer, the team was starting to win and I was really zoned in at the plate.
We've been on the Ornish program for almost a week now. Did cheat a little bit when we shared a grilled chicken breast in a salad. It's not too bad, grocery shopping takes a lot longer because we find ourselves reading the labels on everything. Pretty shocking that crap I've been putting in the temple all these years.
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