Day 28!

I can't believe it's been a MONTH! A whole month of this working out today.

Yesterday was the same old thing. I jogged on the elliptical for 30 minutes with 3 Liters of o2 coursing through my nose. I got off the machine and checked my HR. 145.

Well today was different. Because today I finally have my pulse oximeter! So I decided to work out without the o2, just to make sure I really needed it. And the answer?

YES!

I worked out for 30 minutes at a jog pace. My o2 sats were steady at 90/91. Anything under 94 is NOT NORMAL. It's no wonder gasping for air! When I'm healthy and resting comfortably I sat in the 96-99 range, which is beautiful!

During my workout today my sats briefly dipped to 89 for a few spot seconds but the majority of my run on the elliptical machine, the last 25 minutes they were pretty darn steady at 90%. My HR was also a lot higher than I expected. You see when I take my HR at the end of my workout it slows dramatically during that 1 minute. So I knew I wasn't getting an accurate count all this time, but I had to be close. Although it turns out I was pretty far off! My HR was about 162 for most of my jog. Sometimes higher, up to 165 and sometimes lower, about 155. I think this means I need to see if the o2 brings that old HR down a notch tomorrow. And hopefully I can keep my sats up w/ the o2 tomorrow as well.

I found this information interesting, from the American Heart Association.

"How should I pace myself?

When starting an exercise program, aim at the lowest part of your target zone (50 percent) during the first few weeks. Gradually build up to the higher part of your target zone (75 percent). After six months or more of regular exercise, you may be able to exercise comfortably at up to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. However, you don't have to exercise that hard to stay in shape."

My target zone is 93 - 158. And since I've only been "actively working out" for 4 weeks, my target should be in the lowest end of that zone, about 93-100 bpm. I'm clearly over doing it! Maybe I need to slow down considering I'm above the highest target zone for my body. I either have a heck of a lot more stamina than I thought, like I'm a super trained athlete already, or I'm actually doing damage to my body.... hmmmm.