Cardio-ing

I dun like the word ‘cardio’ as I had this 1^st impression that it had to do with sumthing that will make Leong frown again. He loves to make face whenever I failed to achieve his certain target, but when I managed to do it, he clapped. So, that one night, I go thru the bodyguide kit. And I found out that cardio involved exercising with the treadmill/stepper/cycle/cross trainer/rower and others that can strengthen heart and lungs.

Huh, this is not easy after all. The fact that I still haven’t achieved 1.6km within 10 minutes I might be getting the frowning face after all. So, as expected, I started with fast walking on the treadmill, I started with 5.5 and increase the speed but as I reached 6 I started to hold on the handle, thus I decreased the speed until at 5.7 which I can moderately tolerated for the rest 5 minutes (that was a bit too low rite? Aihh..) Next station was the cross trainer. I used to train at level 2, but the trainer now expecting me to be at level 6 while maintaining 120spm, a bit tough for the first time but I think I’ll be getting used to it soon. 10 minutes cardio-ing with the x-trainer, we headed to the stepper. I’d purposely set it at level 3, as I thought I was ok with that level but halfway to the ten minutes, I started to catch up my breath and began to bent down a few times in order to alleviate the pain at the knee. So, at the end of the 5 minutes, I was instructed to start from level 2 and slowly increase the level (and to maintain good posture while on stepper). From there, I continued with the rower. With resistance at level 7, I was required to row at min 550cal/hr, still a bit challenging for me, but I still managed to survive that 10 minutes before the last part of that day; stationary bike. To cycle at level 2 with min 75 rpm, was manageable by me though was not that consistent throughout the cycle duration. Yeay! Finally I completed my 1^st true cardio session that day, though I’d to hear the trainer’s nag much more than before.

Before the session end, I sat down with leong at the lounge and he gave me the lecture again (but with much serious tone) and it did make me feel bad. Part of his talk was straight aimed to me as it was about my attitude (the kind that sometimes serious sometimes play2 during non training session), but for me, I was not the kind who goes to gym to be so tied up with all the work out, sometimes I want to be a bit relax, have a chit-chatting session wif frens, or sometimes I just wasn’t in the mood to work out seriously. If I am going to be the kind that was expected to give 100% undivided attention to all my work out session, I believed 100% by end of this month, my trips to gym will be half than usual. As much as I wanted to shed of this unnecessary fat, I also want to enjoy my work out session. Anyway, it must be that I’d gone a bit overboard, till leong had to point that out to me, well point taken, I’ll try to cut out my leisuring time at gym as much as I can.

Aside from that, he also gave me some important tips and instruction so that I can manage my own cardio session. First to drink lots2 of (warm) water, next to warm up before a cardio session by running on the treadmill at my comfortable speed for 15 minutes and while cardio-ing, always reached at least 50 burned calories for each machine and last but not least levels today is expected to be increase and improve not just to remain constant as it is.

Lower intensity level – cardio

Treadmill – speed 5.7, targets: to increase speed and gradient.

Stepper – level 2, target: to increase level

Cross trainer – level 6, 120spm, target: to increase level

Cycle – level 2, 75rpm, target: to increase level

Rower – 550 cal/hr resistance 7, target: to maintain and achieve more than 550 cal/hr