I have been exercising now 5 days a week for about 9 months. My routine has been 45 minutes on the eliptical and 3 rounds in a circuit room. My concern is that I am having a terrible time keeping my heart rate down below 85%. I am 56 years old...still about 90 pounds overweight (that is another issue!), but am concerned as to why after all this time does it skyrocket so quickly. I really want to increase my stamina, but I feel that my high heart rate is holding me back. I do have hypertension and am on medication for that, but am hoping through diet and exercise that I can go off of my medication. After all of these months of exercise, do you have any idea as to why my heart rate still continues to run high? I exercise with my sister who is 10 years older than me and she really has to work hard to get her heart rate up. I am the opposite. I have to work hard to keep it down! Any suggestions?
You need to grab a copy of my book "To Burn or Not to Burn - Fat is the Question" where I talk a lot about this whole situation. I don't know if you are getting advice from a trainer or your routine is your own doing, but with the little information you gave her is the obvious.
- If you are 90 pounds overweight, you need to keep your heart rate below 65% of your maximum, NOT 85%, when you are doing "aerobic" exercise. Don't assume that aerobic exercise (eliptical machine) is triggering "Aerobic Metabolism"...More than likely you are triggering "Anaerobic Metabolism", which is stress producing and probably taking you out of your fat-burning mode.
- you are doing your Aerobic exercise above your "aerobic threshold", which is about 110 heart beats a minute. train as fast as you want, as long as you keep your heart rate below 110 beats a minute. If you train any higher than that is why you can't keep your heart rate down....You are Training Incorrectly.
- You could also be doing Too Much Anaerobic exercise, which is over stressing your body and inhibiting your abilty to lower your heart rate and lose those inches and pounds.
I have written about it on the Blog and Articles section, but it is most completely detailed in the book.
Thank you Dr. Len. I do have your book and I read it several months ago. I have worked with a trainer and have heard several conflicting opinions. Obviously in 9 months time, the fat is still hanging around, so what I have been doing has not worked. I guess it is time to do what you suggest! Is there ever a time when you would want to push yourself and exercise at a higher percentage of your target heart rate?
Yes, you can push yourself on occassion, but if your adrenals are exhausted and you are doing too much "anaerobic' training, which is overworking and overtraining your body, you may not get the results you are looking for. the simple fact that what you are doing isn't working, should answer what you should do next...go re-read my information on proper training. I do know that most of my athletes are difficult to convince that they need to slow down...eventually they come around, if injuries persist, or results do come....hope that helps,
I have been under treatment for adrenal fatigue for three years, and my last two ASI test have not shown any improvement. I eat no bread very little dairy, just some cheese now and then. A lot of veg. and some fruit and protein. For to five small meals a day. I was having digestion problems but i started on Xango juice twice a day and it has not been a problem. But I still have adrenal symptoms, fatigue comes and goes, headaches in the evenings (but I do have a neck issue, fusion a year ago of c4,c5. I am on Isocort and was told it could back fire on me, I take all kinds of vits, and progesterone cream and pregnetolone 30mg, yet my ASI test show high cortisol at noon (13)on there scale and low in morning (9) and low in afternoon and night is oK, low DHEA at that time, (April of 09) I oversize by walking 30 minutes in two segments and I do some aerobics (light) 30 min. Some days I us my total gym for 15 min on arms and abs. As you can see I'm a mess and really no Dr hear who understands problem. Mu age is 59 male and I weight 160 and am 5'7' very little fat but trouble building back muscle, but have some improvement. I can do 20 push ups now two months ago i could do none,MY insurance will not cover someone out of our PPO and I am unable to work for two years now, (nerve issue, but getting better). Can you help at all. God Bless you for what you do to help others. Bill
the fact that you have so much going on and have been taking stuff that should help you and are not getting better means, there is probably a lot of other stuff that needs to be addressed. So for me to be able to figure it out without a lot more history seems like an impossible task.
You need specific help, not general help, which this site is mostly for. I wish I could do more online for you, but considering these other doctors and yourself haven't figured it out without knowing all the history...I don't stand a chance. I would like to help you, you seem like the person I always get at my office. I hope you understand what I am talking about, I am not simply trying to get a consultation from you, but the fact that you also exercise and are still not there...there are things to look for and address.
