The Milestone Workout

My wife and I just returned home from a Caribbean cruise, a little warm winter break before Christmas.  The problem with the hap, happiest time of the year is massive consumption of the fat, fattiest food of the year, and nowhere is the massive consumption of food more evident than on a cruise.  Though the scenery was great, the weather was beautiful, and we had a blast, the problem with cruises, especially on the days at sea, is that the only thing you do is kill time between meals.  

Normally, my cardio workouts consist of long hikes or short runs, but there aren't too many hiking trails on ships, and running can be dangerous on an ocean liner when the wheelchair-per-passenger ratio is higher than George Bush's approval rating.  Besides, being confined to a ship, it is awfully tempting to do these three things to excess: eat, drink, and eat.  Somehow, Michele and I managed to workout twice each day and keep the inevitable weight gain to a minimum, but it wasn’t easy!  I think I ate my weight in smoked salmon and sushi!! 

In trying to keep the calories-out higher than the calories-in, I have devised a new workout, a workout perfect for winter, which is upon us beginning today, when the days are short and the temperature is low.  I call my workout the “Milestone Workout,” and it works like this:

When on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, stair climber, rowing machine, or any cardio machine with the typical features of timer, calorie counter, and distance, we often set our time goal first.  As we workout on a cardio machine, we always keep track of our time, no doubt, but we should keep track of distance and calories to make sure that our intensity is high enough to match the time spent and distance traveled.  In other words, you keep track of your milestones:  Time, Distance, and Calories. 

Here is how to work all three milestones so that you push yourself to the next level, literally and figuratively.

1. Jump on a cardio machine and set your time goal of, say, 45 minutes.
   

2. Once you reach your goal (milestone) of 45 minutes, see what your calorie count is.  Let’s say your calorie count is 325 calories.  At this point, push yourself to reach the next “milestone” of 350 calories (or 400 if you feel like a manly man!)
   

3. Once you reach your second goal (milestone) of 400 calories, check your distance covered.  Let’s say you have covered 2.75 miles. At this point, push yourself to the next “milestone” of 3 miles.
   

This very simple workout forces your mind to push your body to the next milestone, and allows you to push your workout to the next level. 

Let me know how it works.  And good luck!

Comments

[The Hiker]

Ah, yes, the Senate Seat Scandal. Corruption even before the new curtains are hung. Yes we can!

[Stephen Hull]

Did you right this for me? I know I am over weight but a public forum to let me know I need to excercise is quite a reach. Good blog but I was hoping to read on your take of the Il. Senate seat scandal. I am hoping that comes later in the week.

[The Hiker]

How great to hear from you! Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting...most people just send me an email with comments, so I'm glad you're brave enough to post. Yes, cruises are sometimes curses. My dad always say: You see a lot of fat people, and you see a lot of old people, but you don't see many fat, old people! But you damned sure see a lot of fat people and a lot of old people on cruises.

Stay in touch and keep commenting!

[Beth Foster]

This is very sad, yet true... cruises are an all out smorgishborg of gluttony.  Time and time again I have witnessed people (who have no business doing so) pile their plates as high as possible, go to their table, inhale the food and then return to do it all over again, sometimes consuming more calories in a seating than is necessary in an entire day.  It's no wonder obesity will be the number one cause of death by 2011.  I do what I can to resist the urge to join in on the calorie express because it makes me sad that in 5 or 7 short days of cruising the Caribbean I am able to put every single pound of fat back on my body I worked so very hard to keep off.  For that very reason I have been apprehensive about my Southern Caribbean vacation next week; probably more so than the possibility of being kidnapped while visiting Aruba.  After reading your workout plan I have hope.  I will most definately try your Milestone Workout next week with the hopes of returning home in the same condition in which I left.  Thank you for sharing and thank you for being such a wonderful history instructor, I really enjoyed the course.