i have been working out on treadmill for 3 weeks. going slowly to build up to longer and faster workouts. i have been walking about 2.8 mph and decided that i really need to change that.

today 50 mins: i boosted the speed of my walking and the incline - 3.6 mph and incline of 4, did 8 laps of that and 2 warm up and cool down laps. i burned 272 calories. i stretched afterward.

my legs feel tired, but stronger.

i kept up the faster pace and worked out at 3.6 mph with an incline at 4.0 most of the time, but i did get the incline to 6.5 just to see how i can handle it.

its a fast pace. i have no idea why they say people should walk at 4 mph - i can't do that, i am only 5'2" and can't walk that fast. it would be a jog/run for me.

i only stretched a bit afterward.

i repeated the 30 min/185 cal program from yesterday--with the exception that a fuse blew and my treadmill quit in the middle of my workout. i practiced more stretches.

will probably do an afternoon walk with dan and cora again.

tailoring my workout to suit me - not what the standard advice seems to be. i just can't walk 3 1/2 mph - i feel like i am hanging on for dear life and its too much. i think at 5'2" i am too short to do a standard pace.

so i knocked it down to 2.8 which is not too easy but a decent quik pace. then for shorter bursts i increased the incline to 3.0, 4.0 and 8.0. then i decreased the incline and then increased again. i did this for 60 mins. i burned 318 calories, felt great when i was done, stretched and felt in general more accomplished than in the past.

i had gotten a book from library - walking by prevention. they talk a lot of low-fat diet crap, but i can ignore that and take the exercise info and hope that is good info. they recommend the shorter bursts and walk at a pace more suitable to my body. there is a section on stretching and yoga.

my sister just mailed me 2 books and a video on yoga - i will start it soon. maybe this afternoon

i was going to work outside and rake all the downed branches and figured a day working in the yard was as good as working out on the treadmill. so i took a shower and got dressed, ate breakfast and it started to rain - its a cold rain.

now that i ate and dressed, i don't feel like the treadmill - maybe i'll try yoga instead, altho i feel like taking a day off. i have worked out almost every day for the last 4 weeks - except when i had the bad leg cramps. i hate not to work out - and i'll feel guilty all day.

luckliy yesterday some shred of motivation took over and i walked my dog for a long distance than we do every afternoon. she gets short yard walks (my yard is 10 acres) and then in the afternoon we do a long walk across the farm--which is almost a hundred acres. but i chose to go up one of the steepest hills and walked longer than usual.

today, i woke up feeling like i need a treadmill workout, so i jumped on my treadmill and made it one of the best workouts i have ever done. 335 calories burned off in 60 minutes. i walk a little slower now 2.8 and increase the incline in 30 sec to 3 min bursts. i change the incline from 3.0 to 10.0 and its making a big difference in my workout.

the biggest diff--is how i feel when i am walking around doing little things-my legs have such strength and the stairs are easier. my lung cap is low though--i am puffing quite a bit. hope this goes away in time.

another great workout, 336 cal/60 minutes. i am able to keep the incline higher for longer periods of time.

will take puggy for a walk this afternoon- its an extra 20 min over up-and down hilly farm. no, opted for a less hilly 40 min walk with dog and dh - windy whoooo but nice.

power out all day sat, terrible storms - no place to walk indoors or out.

sunday - treadmill 60 min, 334 or 5 cals.
monday - treadmill 60 mins, 364 cals.
increased incline for 5 minutes on level 10. feeling really great about that!

35 minutes on treadmill, 197 cals burned, upset tummy.

better workout tomorrow!

366 cals - 60 min workout on treamill.

hope to get a good afternoon walk outside today now that most of the snow is gone.

what a great exercise this is, i worked all afternoon in my garden and found out i could bend over easily. it was great and really motivated me to do more. the wheelbarrow when full lis very heavy and i enjoyed toting the 6 loads to compost which is a long walk--all the way out behind the barn. boy was i fatigued and sore last night.

thu a.m. - 35 mins treadmill 255 cals burned. hopefully more outdoor work today!

hi journal - wow i missed exercising - for a few days too. i felt pretty lousy and tired so i took off a few days. today was hard to get back to a workout, but forcing myself was for the best.

treadmill 30 minutes - 2.8 mph and 5.0 incline. 173 calories burned.

treadmill - 30 mins - went very easy today. i hope to walk later p.m. but only if rain holds off.