Lisa's cardio stairs

Lisa and Trix go bush

Eek my pants have been a little tight lately so I think I'd better get that under control before I have to move up a size. My top half is growing too but I think, hope fingers crossed, that its muscle. I have been doing cardio to keep the fat at bay, but you know me and my love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with cardio, I admit not putting too much intensity into it.  I usually walk Trixie twice a day with one of those walks usually at an off leash area where she gets a good run around - maybe I should run around with her.  I have been doing 3 x 30min stationary bike a week while watching Top Chef or Ramsay's kitchen nightmares, but you know, I put in the effort but probably don't really push myself too hard.  I'm sure I'm burning the calories but perhaps not the rate I should be!

So I've decided to get back into some sort of serious cardio. I find doing cardio on machines at gym or home really tedious and I'm constantly checking how long I've been doing it.  My intensity probably isn't that great either as my heart isn't pounding out of my chest, which is what you want when doing cardio and getting into that aerobic and then fat burning zone. The only cardio that I 'enjoy' (as enjoyable as cardio is) is doing things outdoors and using my own bodyweight as I find the machines take too much of the work from you ie making things easy.  For the past couple of weeks I've been doing alot of hill walk and stairwork. I've found this really nice off leash dog park in hillsborough which has nice undulating slopes and also a great set of stairs through the bush which takes my mind off the pain.   Plus Trixie can go crazy and run through the bush and she gets her cardio as well.
	Doing stairs really gets my heart racing straight away. I don't run the stairs - don't be crazy! - just walking them at a reasonable pace is enough to get a great cardio workout while burning my calves, glutes and quads.  Walking down is just as hard.  After my second walk down my legs tremble a little but it feels great. I'll do about 20min of stairs and then another 15-20min walk around the track of the park so its a nice enjoyable cardio workout. Hopefully by putting in the effort into my cardio and fat burning now, I won't have to slog it out too hard when I do decide to compete. I'll have to slog it out with the diet! which is the key to fat loss.
Doing stairs is a great calorie, here are some examples of what a 65kg person would burn during various stair climbing sessions.

Running: stairs, up:
Running up the stairs is a great, relatively-low impact form of exercise.
1,305 calories per hour

Stair climbing:
Stair climbing exercises may be undertaken by stepping up and down a flight of stairs, or using a stair climbing machine.
592 calories per hour

Stair Step Machine - general:
Exercising on a stair stepping machine has become a mainstream activity at gyms and fitness clubs because of its effectiveness in burning calories. Depending on the individual's body weight and the stepping pace, stair stepping expends approximately 3.2 calories per hour, per pound of body weight. For example, a 115-pound woman exercising at a moderate pace would consume around 368 calories in an hour.
592 calories per hour for an average

Stairs (Walking Up & Down):
Walking up and down the stairs, even incidentally, is a great way to burn some incidental calories during the day. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator helps introduce additional physical exertion into your day, which is healthy for your heart -- and your calorie goal!
531 calories per hour 

If you're also getting bored with the gym then you should check out what reserves and tracks are around your area.  It'll be a great mental change from your normal cardio, you never know, you might just burn a few calories more in the process!.

Lisa, Go Figure
31 Mar 09