How intense does cardio have to be?

[Verena]

Hello ladies!

I have started doing cardio a week ago. I am walking 5-6 days a week on a treadmill at 5 km/h (3.1 miles/hour) for 60 min. In the beginning my heartbeat went up to 130 bpm, but now already it stays under 120 bpm and I think it will continue to drop as I'm getting fitter. Is that still a good way to do cardio with regards to my sway? Are there any criteria like heartbeat has to be above xy? I know that there are no real studies about this ;-) but just a recommendation would help me to get a feeling what I should be aiming at. And would it make a difference if I only walked 50 min? Sometimes my motivation isn't that high and an hour feels like forever ;-)

Some days I only have 30 min. Should I skip those days (as long as I still get in 5 days a week) or is 30 min better than nothing?

Thank you in advance for answering :-)

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[HGmama]

Good question! Following!

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[ksmom]

Please don't obsess over heart rate. It doesn't need to be any particular number, just do cardio that gets your heart rate up a little. Even just walking will do that. I can't say if doing 50 minutes is still as good. We just know that 60+ minutes has gotten good results for pink.

[ABC.2606]

I haven't conceived yet and so obviously don't know if my sway will work but I can share how I've done it over the past 8 months (yea... I've been swaying for that long now!). Basically I always aim to keep my heart rate during exercise between 60-70% - which for my age is around 115-130. From everything, I've read this is an ideal a "fat burning" range, but also not so high that you can't sustain it for an hour. And yea after all these months, I have found that over time I've had to intensify the workouts to stay in that range as I've gotten fitter (which is just an awesome thing in general though!). I do a combo of brisk walking & exercise bike. As far as length, in the first several months I pretty much never went below 60 min. I felt guilty if on a rare occasion I did 55!!! I only did 5 days a week though. But yea - after 8 months, I've loosened up on this. I do 50-60 min, 5 times a week (occasionally 4). On a rare occasion I'll do 30-45 but most of the time if I can't get 50 in I'll just skip it. It's a pain to have to get an hour in at a time but atomic thinks that amount is pretty important. I have PCO tendencies/ possible insulin issues so the exercise for me is something that I really feel (or at least hope!) has improved my blood sugar levels. I really think for blood sugar control the exercise part is really important. But do the best you can & don't beat yourself up if it's not perfect!!

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[Verena]

That's really a good idea to try to stay in the fat burning range! I really hope I don't have to increase the speed auf the treadmill too much because then I would have to run instead of walking and it would be more boring because I don't think I can type on my phone while I'm running ;-)

I know exactly what you mean when you say you felt guilty if you only did 55 min! Each time I start walking, I tell myself that today I only will do 50 min (because an hour feels like forever). But then, when the clock shows 50 min, I just can't stop. But well, if betraying myself works that fine, I will continue to do it that way ;-)

I wish you all the best for this cycle! I sometimes have a look at the 2ww thread but we have not started trying to conceive yet. So I will join the thread later, but keeping my fingers crossed that you will only be a visitor and not a member of the thread anymore at that time :-)

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[ABC.2606]

Thanks Verena! I feel like I will be on the tww board forever :( Hopefully not.

For increasing intensity on the treadmill you can also add an incline - that's what I've done when I don't want to increase the speed more :)

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[ksmom]

That's really a good idea to try to stay in the fat burning range! I really hope I don't have to increase the speed auf the treadmill too much because then I would have to run instead of walking and it would be more boring because I don't think I can type on my phone while I'm running ;-)

I know exactly what you mean when you say you felt guilty if you only did 55 min! Each time I start walking, I tell myself that today I only will do 50 min (because an hour feels like forever). But then, when the clock shows 50 min, I just can't stop. But well, if betraying myself works that fine, I will continue to do it that way ;-)

I wish you all the best for this cycle! I sometimes have a look at the 2ww thread but we have not started trying to conceive yet. So I will join the thread later, but keeping my fingers crossed that you will only be a visitor and not a member of the thread anymore at that time :-)

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The reason why I said to not worry so much about heart rate is that by obsessing over little details like that, it can actually sway blue. Trying to get small things "perfect" in a pink sway can produce disastrous results. I'm just letting you know that. I've been part of this website for long enough to see it ruin good sways and after having swayed for about a year myself, I can tell you how important it is to not worry yourself over things like keeping your heart rate in the "fat burning range." Like I said, even just walking for an hour is great for a pink sway. It doesn't need to be some insane cardio session.

[ABC.2606]

I don't obsess over it I just hold the hand sensors on the treadmill a couple times during my workout and if I want my heart rate higher, I up the speed or incline. Outside of checking it a few times during the workout, I don't worry about it. I was much more obsessive initially about getting a full 60 minutes in every single time and realized that was not worth beating myself up over :)

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[ksmom]

I understand. I was directing my comment more at Verena (and at others that may stumble upon this thread). I just didn't want her to think that she needs to worry about a target heart rate but should just instead focus on doing some type of cardio for the full hour. My worry is there will be pink swayers that will suddenly panic thinking their cardio isn't good enough and start checking their heart rate all the time, worrying themselves over it for nothing. Just wanted to clarify that. :)

[Verena]

For increasing intensity on the treadmill you can also add an incline - that's what I've done when I don't want to increase the speed more :)

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That's such a great idea! Thank you. I feel stupid for not finding this solution on my own. I guess this shows that I would never step on a treadmill if it wasn't for swaying ;-)

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[Verena]

Thank you for the obsession hint, ksmom. I am indeed a candidate for obsessing, but in this case I just want to check once in the beginning that I'm doing the right thing so that I don't have to think about it from then on anymore. So it's actually my way to make sure I don't start obsessing :-) I don't plan to check the heartrate constantly and go crazy about it :-)

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[atomic sagebrush]

Yeah, I see ks already tried to explain this but I am not liking the "control freakiness" of this question.

I do not want you guys tracking your heart rate EVER. Not even ONE TIME. Don't even do it. I know you want me to tell you a number. But i don't KNOW the number and just you sitting around thinking about the number as much as you have is bad for your sway. Just exercise 60 min. 5 days a week and yes if you can get in 30 min. the other two days great, if not that's ok too.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you for the obsession hint, ksmom. I am indeed a candidate for obsessing, but in this case I just want to check once in the beginning that I'm doing the right thing so that I don't have to think about it from then on anymore. So it's actually my way to make sure I don't start obsessing :-) I don't plan to check the heartrate constantly and go crazy about it :-)

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That's not how it works. You are checking off items on your "swaying to do list" and that all sways blue. dont even entertain thoughts of what your heart rate is or what it should be because this is all exactly the control-freakiness that I warn you guys against. IT IS obsessing. Whether you think you're doing it for a good reason or not, it's not a good thing to do. Just do the 60 min. of exercise and don't think about your heart rate, ever.

[atomic sagebrush]

I haven't conceived yet and so obviously don't know if my sway will work but I can share how I've done it over the past 8 months (yea... I've been swaying for that long now!). Basically I always aim to keep my heart rate during exercise between 60-70% - which for my age is around 115-130. From everything, I've read this is an ideal a "fat burning" range, but also not so high that you can't sustain it for an hour. And yea after all these months, I have found that over time I've had to intensify the workouts to stay in that range as I've gotten fitter (which is just an awesome thing in general though!). I do a combo of brisk walking & exercise bike. As far as length, in the first several months I pretty much never went below 60 min. I felt guilty if on a rare occasion I did 55!!! I only did 5 days a week though. But yea - after 8 months, I've loosened up on this. I do 50-60 min, 5 times a week (occasionally 4). On a rare occasion I'll do 30-45 but most of the time if I can't get 50 in I'll just skip it. It's a pain to have to get an hour in at a time but atomic thinks that amount is pretty important. I have PCO tendencies/ possible insulin issues so the exercise for me is something that I really feel (or at least hope!) has improved my blood sugar levels. I really think for blood sugar control the exercise part is really important. But do the best you can & don't beat yourself up if it's not perfect!!

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Agh you guys, seriously please don't do this tracking of your heart rate.

No, no, no. This is not what I want you to be doing.

Just exercise for the alloted amount of time. No heartrate stuff. No measuring cals burned or fat % or any of it.

Please.

[ABC.2606]

Oops - well I guess my sway is screwed then!!

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[HGmama]

Oops - well I guess my sway is screwed then!!

Sent from my SM-G900T using TapatalkIt's alright abc.2606, I've always watched my workout calories and heart during workout. And I'm only doing 30 mins. Whoops. Doubt I'll change when we actually start TTC. Sending pink dust your way.

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[Verena]

Oops - well I guess my sway is screwed then!!

Sent from my SM-G900T using TapatalkThat's exactly how I feel right now! If this already is too controlfreaky, then I can forget having a working sway. I step on my scale everyday for example, to me that feels way more controlfreaky.... My mobile phone counts my steps everyday and I feel good if it shows a high number in the evening.... It seems I'm even way more of a control freak than I already knew

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[atomic sagebrush]

The reason why I said to not worry so much about heart rate is that by obsessing over little details like that, it can actually sway blue. Trying to get small things "perfect" in a pink sway can produce disastrous results. I'm just letting you know that. I've been part of this website for long enough to see it ruin good sways and after having swayed for about a year myself, I can tell you how important it is to not worry yourself over things like keeping your heart rate in the "fat burning range." Like I said, even just walking for an hour is great for a pink sway. It doesn't need to be some insane cardio session.

:bowdown:

We're really, really trying to help you guys pointing this out. Take it from people who have had failed sways (both of us)

It doesn't require hours of endless worry to mess up your sway. It doens't require constant feelings of obsession. It's the whole thing where you get a boost from hitting the right number on the heart monitor, hitting the right amount of caloires, taking your temp every day, measuring tiny fluctuations in pH, whatever, that sensation of ticking things off your to do list every day for your sway.

It's just better to avoid it. Even if you don't feel super stressed about it, it's not worth the risk.

[ABC.2606]

Ok atomic. I get what you're saying, it just feels a tad critical. You're saying that we shouldn't try to be "perfect" in our sway, but then pointing out that by looking at the number on a screen right in front of me (which pops up automatically whenever I hold the treadmill's handles), I'm not doing the exercise thing "right". Doing this much exercise this frequently for this long now, I can say it definitely gets BORING. I try to mix things up - I do the treadmill, exercise bike, sometimes a YouTube aerobic video, I listen to music or watch Netflix shows - but still that much exercise gets really dull after awhile! Challenging myself a little by intensifying my workouts, keeping my heart rate high, seeing tangible improvements in my fitness level - it all helps a little in keeping me motivated to keep doing it - and I do it probably for that reason more than for my sway. BC I likely have IR/PCO tendencies, it seems to me that the benefits of keeping up with my exercise routine outweighs the risks of having what I guess is a slightly "control freaky" aspect of the exercise.

It is what it is. I've been control freaky about several things in my sway - mostly my diet and timing attempts. I've also lost 40+ lbs, done the diet and exercise for 8 months, lots of coffee & alcohol, and Clomid - I've given it my all and yet I know very well it hasn't been perfect. I've struggled and cried and had good moments and bad. I've also had several non-controllable life stress factors throughout the past several months (including a m/c, family, money, & job issues), so at the end of the day there are all kinds of factors that are going to influence the gender of my baby and if control freaky heart rate checking is what's going to decide it, then so be it! :) :) Honestly I've done the best I can, but I can't totally change my personality and what I know works for me in order to sway and stay sane :) :) And after 8 months I can say that keeping myself sane is becoming a bigger and bigger factor now haha!!

Verena - ks and atomic really know their stuff so I'd listen to their advice over mine. Not only do I not know if my sway worked, I'm not even pregnant yet :) I was just trying to be helpful in offering my thoughts about what I've done, in response to your question. I'm on the exercise bike now typing this post so that's distracted me from checking my heart rate!!!! :-)

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[Hopefullmummy]

Guys I was so insanely obsessive at the start of my sway. I saw it all like an equation. If I do a b c and d then I’ll get a girl. It really doesn’t work that way. I had the most perfect sway 6 months before ttc ( I was probably swaying for 3 months at that stage ) and I still wonder if I would have got a girl then. I just know my frame of mind was so intense. Life happened and we couldn’t ttc until 6 months later. I still
Continued my sway but far less intense. I actually had to drop the exercise ( I know that is not recommended ) but I did. Because when you’re nearly swaying for a year you just can’t afford to care enough anymore. And when it came to a time to ttc I desperately wanted a baby that little details didn’t matter. I’m
On this site and I nearly swayed on and off for a girl for a year so i promise I desperately wanted and want a girl. There was just a shift in my mind of frame. I just didn’t have that intense obsession about the whole thing. Because I just couldn’t anymore. It was too tiring. When I ttc I still did the one time only, hubby did frequent release, I lost heaps of weight lead up to it, I took femara and did a lot of intermediate fasting. But it was more a way of life for me rather than swaying because I did it for so long ( I also had weeks on end that I just ate anything and everything) So now we re expecting a girl.

I also misscarried on the first cycle of ttc. And fell pregnant on the second. Was it a shift in my frame of mind, was it the miscarriage, was it the diet, was it the femara. Or was it all of those combined together in just the right formula. Who knows. But I’ve seen lots of mums around me with very girl friendly diets and lifestyles have heaps of boys because their personality is so boy. So I think that plays a huge role in things. How do you not obsess by not obsessing about obsessing ? I don’t know. But it just happened for me. And I can Clearly see when in that time frame a shift in my intensity changed in that last year. Just a general calmness about the whole thing.

Just my two cents.


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[ksmom]

Ok atomic. I get what you're saying, it just feels a tad critical. You're saying that we shouldn't try to be "perfect" in our sway, but then pointing out that by looking at the number on a screen right in front of me (which pops up automatically whenever I hold the treadmill's handles), I'm not doing the exercise thing "right". Doing this much exercise this frequently for this long now, I can say it definitely gets BORING. I try to mix things up - I do the treadmill, exercise bike, sometimes a YouTube aerobic video, I listen to music or watch Netflix shows - but still that much exercise gets really dull after awhile! Challenging myself a little by intensifying my workouts, keeping my heart rate high, seeing tangible improvements in my fitness level - it all helps a little in keeping me motivated to keep doing it - and I do it probably for that reason more than for my sway. BC I likely have IR/PCO tendencies, it seems to me that the benefits of keeping up with my exercise routine outweighs the risks of having what I guess is a slightly "control freaky" aspect of the exercise.

It is what it is. I've been control freaky about several things in my sway - mostly my diet and timing attempts. I've also lost 40+ lbs, done the diet and exercise for 8 months, lots of coffee & alcohol, and Clomid - I've given it my all and yet I know very well it hasn't been perfect. I've struggled and cried and had good moments and bad. I've also had several non-controllable life stress factors throughout the past several months (including a m/c, family, money, & job issues), so at the end of the day there are all kinds of factors that are going to influence the gender of my baby and if control freaky heart rate checking is what's going to decide it, then so be it! :) :) Honestly I've done the best I can, but I can't totally change my personality and what I know works for me in order to sway and stay sane :) :) And after 8 months I can say that keeping myself sane is becoming a bigger and bigger factor now haha!!

Verena - ks and atomic really know their stuff so I'd listen to their advice over mine. Not only do I not know if my sway worked, I'm not even pregnant yet :) I was just trying to be helpful in offering my thoughts about what I've done, in response to your question. I'm on the exercise bike now typing this post so that's distracted me from checking my heart rate!!!! :-)

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I don't think Atomic meant for her comments to be a personal attack on you. She's saying all this because she doesn't want pink swayers suddenly deciding they must track their heart rate and then end up worrying about the small details that truly do not matter. You have a good sway going for you, please keep it up. She just wanted to warn that there's no benefit to tracking anything while exercising. Just simply doing that hour of cardio is great for pink. I think what Atomic is pointing out (and what I agree with as well) is that the whole needing to track little details or "check" things off mentally are what can ruin otherwise good sways because it feeds that competitive nature a lot of us boy moms have. It's so easy to fall into that trap and it gives us that false sense of security that like Hopefullmummy pointed out, makes us feel like our sway is a guaranteed success.

Regarding the boredom, I get it. I totally do. I did cardio for 11 months and I tell you, there were times I got so bored. In the first couple of months I kept thinking to myself "how the heck am I gonna keep this up?!" lol I got into the habit of watching sappy romantic B-movies lol because it was something to keep my interest while on my bike. It's just that the checking of calories burned, or heart rate, or speed, etc. that feeds the competitive side in boy moms. It's like a "I need to outdo myself if I want to better my sway." I'm not saying that's how you think or anything, it's just what checking things like that can do to a person. I've seen so many ladies here get so carried away with every little detail of their sways or worrying themselves silly over stuff that just. does. not. matter. and then they end up getting an opposite. A person can certainly get sway obsessed and still get a girl (I've seen it happen) but overall I feel like it does more harm than good. Like I said, none of this was to point fingers at anyone here. We just want people to get their desired gender. Seriously, it makes me so happy to see people get the boy or girl they swayed for. Many of us are just looking out for one another, that is all. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm sure it does. I'm sure it feels critical to the person who has brought it up. I'm not trying to be critical. It is not personal, it is simply that the topic came up and I have to answer it. I apologize that it happened to be your post ABC, the subject came up and I have to respond to what is written.

After all these years one thing I do know is that I have to keep things like this under control, because these ideas spread like wildfire. People read the idea and if I am anything less than absolutely firm and crystal clear about not doing it and why then people think "well, that's kind of a good idea, and I can do it without obsessing" and more often than not I find myself getting blown off while everyone listens to someone else's idea. So I have to answer to the point of overkill the very first time I see it. And I run the risk (as has ahppened here) that then the person who posted it in the first place is like "hey don't pick on me" but I'm not trying to, I just use your post as a jumping off point to explain my concerns. It isn't personal, ever, and I apologize if it appeared that way.

Once my concerns have been voiced if you decide it's worth it to you to continue, by all means. Everyone reserves the right to have your sway, your way. I drank sugar in my coffee because I wanted to and didn't care how it swayed. But I still have the obligation to chime in when I see something I think is not going to give people optimal odds, that's all.

[Verena]

I had to think about this for a while because I felt unjustly criticised as well... But this point really made me change my mind:


It's just that the checking of calories burned, or heart rate, or speed, etc. that feeds the competitive side in boy moms.

You are not only describing my habits while excercising but me in every second of the day. I always say I like to optimize everything, but yes, the reason for this is probably that I have a really strong competitive side. This swaying thing is like a project for me and the reason I follow it with so much passion is not that I am so much wanting a girl. A girl would be nice but a healthy little boy as well. The reason is that there is so much to optimize in this project and it makes me feel good to do it right. I'll continue with swaying anyway because the result doesn't matter that much to me but I really have the feeling that I will get one of those "perfect sway, but too strong boy mom personality" opposites. Maybe it's a good thing that I started swaying so early before actually starting ttc, so that at that time hopefully everything will be routine and not something to optimize anymore. Any suggestions what else I could do?

For now I'll send that fitness tracking bracelet back that I had just ordered [emoji85]



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