Friday, August 16, 2013

Get out your best suit and lets mow that lawn!

DAY 17
50 minute walk with Sasha
4 mile run in 53 minutes

I run a lot. I like running; it's good for me and it's good cardio but it helps me clear my head. I had so much on my mind today that at one point as I was running it was like I had lost 5 minutes of my life. One minute I was on Libbie and the next minute I was on Grove Ave running by Cafe Caturra. Running clears my head, wipes the cob webs out and after a run I just feel like I have clarity. It's probably as much mental health as it is physical health. 4 miles is not uncommon in the summer but during the bitter winter season I'm generally in the gym and I cannot run for a straight hour on a treadmill. It's boring and I feel like a lab rat. I usually try to break it up between the treadmill and the elliptical. So I was thinking today (during my run) if one or the other is better. Clearly the elliptical is lower impact which is good for the knees and back but is there a difference?

The Internet machine says this: "the difference is in the way they make your body move. The fluid, gentle elliptical is better suited for light or medium-intensity workouts while a treadmill works for a high-intensity session." (Read more here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/180979-difference-between-treadmill-elliptical/#ixzz2cATXa26r). So there is a bit of a difference. Elliptical machines also have those nifty poles that help to work your upper body and if you go backwards in your stride you work completely different muscle groups than you would if you were going forward. So I guess it boils to numero uno...you and what you're looking for.

Tomorrow my work out will be in the yard. The grass needs to be cut before it starts raining this weekend and while it's not a jungle, it needs a good trim. Livestrong.com indicates that depending on how much you weigh and the type of work you do, you can actually burn 240 to 448 calories per hour doing work outside. Mowing the lawn with a power, push mower burns about 270 calories per hour. Not bad...

Hey everyone! Get your two piece suits on and let's go mow the lawn!
 
 

Thoughts for the day: Weigh in is tomorrow...

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