A woman I know was training for a long bike race. She was a recreational rider, not interested in anything but completing and enjoying the race. But she recognized that since the race was going to take her a few hours, she’d better train up to that level to get through the event. She lived in an apartment and so she invited a few of her friends over one night, told them to bring their bikes and their stationary trainers (devices that cradle the back wheel and basically convert the road bike into a stationary bike). They rented a movie, lined the bikes up in front of the TV and pedaled for the length of the movie (about two hours.)

I thought that was a great way to get in the work in an enjoyable way that made the time pass quickly. Many people prefer actually taking the bike out on the open road on a quiet Sunday. Still others think of a day tossing a Frisbee and splashing in the breakers at the beach pure heaven. One of my long-time clients doesn’t let many weekends go by without hiking one of the many picturesque trails in our area.

Whatever your choice of activities, it’s a terrific idea to include at least monthly (and maybe even weekly) a longer, lower intensity cardio workout. This is anywhere from 90 minutes to a few hours with your relative intensity level somewhere between 5 and 7 on a 1-10 scale. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Lots of calories burned, mostly from fat stores.
2. Building stamina for similar functional activities (cleaning out the garage, yard work, house cleaning, etc.)
3. If you pick activities you enjoy, perhaps the high point of your week in terms of pure relaxation and re-charging your batteries.

In the summer my kids and I love to go to the beach, the city pool and a nearby water park to ride the water slides for hours.

What do you do?

Learn more about how to get and stay in great shape? Contact Dan at Tri Valley Trainer