Women
in Motion
Newsletter
enhancing female performance
Vol 1. Issue 5
December 1999
WOMEN
IN MOTION NEWSLETTER - December 99
Vol. 1, No. 5
This Month Contains:
~Articles
Weight Loss
and Running
Calculating Target Heart Rate
~From
Around the 'Net
1.
Running in the Cold
2.
Caffeine!
3. Dressing
for Comfort During Cold Weather
4. Exercise
to Quit Smoking
5. Use The
Treadmill?
6. Watch
Out, It's Dangerous Out There!
7. Runners
Outrun Cancer
8. Lose
Weight
9. Thinking
About Modifications to Your Running Program?
~Words
of Inspiration
~The
Running Woman Board
Weight Loss and Running
Calculating Target Heart Rate
There have been many posts on the Running Woman Board regarding Weight Loss and Running and regarding what is Target Heart Rate that this newsletter will attempt to cover both topics.Hi, I have responded many times on several boards in iVillage.com to the question of 'Why is the weight not dropping anymore', or 'Why is it changing so slowly'. Finally it was decided to produce an article on the subject.
1 . Weight Loss and Running
With exercise, it is a
matter of burning off calories to lose weight. Whether
walking or running, fast or slow, the average person will
lose approximately 100 calories for every mile walked or
run. Some sources state 93 calories for a 100 pound
person. The speed that you walk or run does not make any
difference.. As each pound is equal to 3600 calories, you
need to cover 35-36 miles to lose one pound. So even if
you walk a marathon, you will not lose a total of one
pound.
When you begin a weight loss program through exercise, weight drops off quickly due to water loss. Marathon runners will lose 7-10 pounds due to water loss, but only up to one pound due to the activity. This explains why it is important to hydrate as you run.
Calories burned while running is directly related to the distance covered, the faster you walk or run translates into a greater distance. Some individuals think that if they run 5 miles as opposed to walking the 5 miles, they burn off more calories. This is not correct. Long runs ( 22 km or more) may increase the metabolism, but only for a short time.
Muscles will tone up and can increase in mass, thus adding to your weight. Competitive runners also weight train and this produces the weight gain. Again you need to diet carefully, be concerned with sugar content, but also fat content.
Just carry on running, watch your diet, check the amount of calories you are consuming, and don't weigh yourself. As soon as your clothes feel loose, buy a smaller size.
Walking Vrs Running
Walking does burn a greater percentage of its calories from fat. The reason for this is because walking a a purely aerobic activity, meaning oxygen using. Running burns a lesser percentage of calories from fat. But it burns so many more calories than walking, that a greater weight loss is possible from running than walking. Walking is great for losing weight if you have 4 hours a day to walk. Walk for 4 hours or run for 1 hour. The choice is obvious.
Weight loss comes from burning more calories/day than you consume. There is not other way to lose weight, than burning more than you consume. Where the calories come from, carbs, sugar, or fat, is not that important. The after burn from intense exercise is more important than how many calories are burned during the exercise as your metabolism is boosted much higher after a bout of intense exercise than from moderate exercise. If you burn all of the carbs/sugars in your body during the run, the calories for normal metabolism come from the only thing that is left, fat. Fat will always be your body's last choice for energy.
I would say that walking is great for the average person who needs to do something. Walking involves much less effort mentally and physically so more people are willing to stick with it.
Research regarding fitness and exercise shows that intense exercise is much better than moderate exercise. The longer and more intense a workout is, the more benefits you get from it. That means less body fat, lower chance of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and in the end you live longer.
Older people who walk are at least doing something. Many people have bad experiences of running laps in gym class. It takes time to overcome a mental dislike of a sport
The body runs on certain fuels: fats, carbs, and sugars. When these are not present, your body can also break down muscle tissue to supply energy needs. That is why runners need to make sure they get protein in their diet. When your muscle mass diminishes, so does your metabolism. Your body will break down muscle before fat to feed the body's energy needs if it has to do so.
Generally, you burn calories based on transporting weight over distance. So if you use the same muscles to transport the same weight over 10K running vs. walking you burn about the same number of calories - only you do it much faster running. You burn more calories when you involve more muscle groups (i.e.racewalking as it uses more muscle groups than walking or running).
To lose fat you need to eat fewer calories than you expend each day. It also helps to be building muscle at the same time.
For an increased lifespan and prevention of heart disease, walking a half hour to an hour a day at an easy pace is good. More than that is better - various benefits have been shown from moderate exercise.
2. Calculating Target Heart Rate
Basic Method:
You can use 226 (for females) minus age to equal the maximum heart rate (MHR). This is the upper most level that the heart should be pushed
Let's take a female runner who is 31 years of age.
Maximum Heart Rate is calculated as follows:
226 - 31 = 195. Therefore the maximum heart rate is 195 beats per minute.
To calculate Target Heart Rate for runners, we take 70 to 80% of max.
70% of 195 = 136.5
80% of 195 = 156.0
For runners who use a heart rate monitor, it can be set with 136.5 as the lower limit and 156 as the upper limit.
You can definitely increase your aerobic endurance and lose weight at the same time. Total calories burned is the key to weight loss and by training at the higher end (80%) of your training zone you achieve two important goals. You challenge your aerobic system which improves endurance and you burn up more calories.
To base your training heart rate on fitness level you use the Heart Reserve Formula.
For this you need to know your resting heart rate. This is your heart rate, before you get up in the morning. While lying in bed, place your fingers across your wrist and count your pulse for 15 seconds. Multiply this amount by four to calculate your RHR for a minute.
Calculations for an 80% level can be done as follows:
Training HR = (.80) (Max HR - Resting HR) + Resting HR
For example a 31 year old with a resting HR = 50 beats per minute:
Maximum HR = 226 - 31 (age) = 195.
Training HR = (.80) (195 - 50) + 50(resting heart rate)
Training HR = (.80 ) (145) + 60.
Training HR = 116 + 50 = 166.
Remember when you take your heart rate, there are factors that may cause the rate to fluctuate so measure each day for a week and take the average. Your resting heart rate is also an example of your overall fitness.
Gord - Women in Motion
FROM AROUND THE 'NET
1.
Running in the Cold
Now it starts, icy roads, it is getting darker earlier,
fingertips freezing, and frostbite.
All that winter brings can create special
concerns for winter runners.
A little common sense and planning for the
elements can make any winter workout safe and
comfortable.
- Dress properly - use layers.
-Take the time to warm up adequately.
- Start your run very slowly. Increase the intensity in
relation to the conditions: the colder the day, the less
intense your
workout .
- Run the first half of your workout into the wind, so it
will be at your back
for the second half.
- Wear reflective clothing, keep yourself visible to
others around you.
- Take enough water with you. Remember that dehydration
is possible on a cold day.
- Apply petroleum jelly or a lip balm on the exposed skin
of your lips..
- Turn corners slowly and it will help you avoid a spill
on the ice.
- Let someone will know where to look in case you run
into trouble.
- If you are really ambitious twist some short metal
screws into the soles of your
running shoes. This will improve your
traction.Come
spring, they can be popped right out with very little
trace of their
winter holdings.
adapted from 'Running Start to Finish', by John Stanton.
2. Caffeine!
Don't get
into a panic about caffeine: Energy gels and sports
drinks now come with
caffeine, which can give you a boost during those long
runs. But will that
caffeine also increase urine production? That
depends on whether you drink coffee or other caffeinated
beverages on a
regular basis, says nutrition expert Ellen Coleman, R.D.,
author of Eating
for Endurance. If you do intake caffeine regularly,
caffeine
probably won't bother you. If you don't, you may be more
sensitive to the
caffeine's effects. If you want to give these products a
try, consume them
during a run where you have easy bathroom access.
3.
Dressing for Comfort During Cold Weather
The primary function of clothing is to
control evaporative, conductive and convective heat
transfer.
Remember that from you high school physics?
Layering is the key
Runners seek the balance that sufficiently keeps the
elements out while
providing adequate warmth and allowing our moisture
buildup to escape due
to the breathability of the garments.
Remember, if you step outside the door and are perfectly
warm and
comfortable, you probably are overdressed. Turn
around and go back in,
and remove some clothing. The act of running is
similar to standing
motionless in a temperature that is 20-30 degrees
warmer.
As the temperature rises or your activity level
increases, you can take
off layers; add layers as you get colder or the
temperature drops. Taking
off your hat or gloves is a quick way to vent.
How do we transfer heat?
1.
Conduction - transfer caused by direct contact. Considerations to keep in mind looking for running gear.
2. Convection - transfer caused by the movement of
air.
3. Evaporation - transfer caused by perspiration
turning to vapor.
4. Radiation - transfer from the rays of the
sun.
5. Respiration - transfer from our breathing.
* Water protection - ability to prevent water
entry.
* Breathability - ability to allow heat and
moisture to pass through.
* Wind Protection - ability to prevent wind entry.
* Warmth Retention/Insulation - ability to trap a
layer of
warm air between you and the cold.
* Moisture Management - ability to pull moisture
away
from the skin and push it through the fabric's surface
for evaporation.
Layer One: Bodywear next to the skin that wicks
away moisture..
This moisture wicking layer gives elemental winter
protection.
A good base layer helps transport vapor and moisture away
from your
skin. It enables you to more effectively utilize
the heat that your body
produces and reduces or prevents chill because damp skin
through
conduction loses body heat over 20 times faster than dry
skin. This
clothing may be in bras, brief, socks, shorts, or tops
and pants.
Coolmax, DriFit, and Polypropylene,
are some of the materials that help transfer moisture
from
the skin.
Layer Two: The insulating layer. It may be
thermalwear.
It continues to move moisture to the outer layer, but
it also traps warm air. Moisture moving and heat
retention are
priorities. Shirts, pants, and tights are commonly used.
Layer
Three: Protects you from wind, rain, and snow and
completes
moisture transfer by releasing perspiration into the
atmosphere. Jackets,
vests, and pants made of Microfibers, PolarTec and
Gore-Tex are
some of the materials used.
Accessories:
In conjunction with the other layers this layer protects
specific body parts by wicking moisture and retaining
heat. Gloves,
Mittens, Headgators, Hats, Caps, and Headbands are used.
4. Exercise to Quit Smoking
Exercise
can help maximize your odds of quitting
smoking and minimize weight gain while you're at
it, according to a study of nearly 300 women
smokers.
5.
Use The Treadmill?
When you're
on a treadmill, set the elevation to 2% to account for
the lack of wind resistance and the aid of the
treadmill's motor. The workout will
approximate running outdoors on flat terrain.
6.
Watch Out, It's Dangerous Out There!
Anybody
who's run on the roads for a little while has dodged
something
while running, from puddle-splashes to objects thrown
from cars, even cars.
Presidential Candidate George W. Bush proved he does
everything
Texas-sized by dodging flying debris from an overturned
trailer on his
daily run in Austin.
7.
Runners Outrun Cancer
Women who
exercised for 7 or more hours a week had a 20
percent lower breast cancer risk compared to those who
worked out for less
than an hour a week, according to a recent study.
8.
Lose Weight
A recent
study of 2,900 adults found that people who consumed
more fiber weighed about 8 pounds less than those who ate
little fiber. Try
to eat about 30 grams a day from whole grain cereal and
bread, vegetables,
fruit, and beans.
9.
Thinking About Modifications to Your Running Program?
If you're
making big changes to your running program, do it
gradually and
change only one aspect at a time. Otherwise, you are
liable to risk
injury. For example, increase your mileage (slowly), or
the intensity of
your speed sessions, or the frequency of your runs.
But not all three at
once.
Words of Inspiration
"On the
way to our goals in life, it's important to celebrate
small
victories. They help maintain our momentum, build
confidence and keep us
moving toward our objectives. If we only celebrate when
we achieve our
summits, we may be disappointed."
-- excerpt from
"The Power of Passion" by
Alan Hobson and Jamie Clarke
The Running Woman Message Board in Diet and Fitness
The Running Woman Board is the One and Only!
As of last week, I noticed that the 'Running" message board in allhealth was gone from their list of boards. Upon checking, I found the board still on the net, but the last message was mine posted as a reply several weeks ago. So it seems, the Running Woman Board is now the only board in iVillage.com for the female runner. Thanks to everyone for making our board such a success..
Good Luck and Good Running
Gord
- Women in Motion
About This Newsletter
A reminder that experts - we are not. Information presented here is a collection of research with a taste of experience and opinion added for flavour. I don't get upset if someone disagrees with anything that has been said or written. In our experience with running groups here at home, it is difficult to get agreement on most anything. If it works for you, then it works.
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If you have any suggestions for topics or questions please email us. We would like to publish a monthly newsletter that reflects the interests of the female runner.
Gordon
Samson, Editor
Women in Motion
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Women in Motion
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Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
-Fariyal Samson, B.PE, B.Ed
© Women
in Motion December 1, 1999