Cardio or exercise suggestions?

I have been losing wait at a moderate pace since my surgery 6/6/07.  I have been following diet and trying to walk and keep things moving.  Damn the luck, I broke my toe/top of foot this morning and will be unable to walk for awhile.  Any suggestions?  How long on a stationary bike has the same benefit of 30 minutes of walking?

That would depend on the intensity.  I see many people who get on and really do nothing.  They don't get much out of it.  I see others *****ally pu****  It depends on how high you get your heart rate and for how long do you keep it there.  If you get your heart rate to the same beats per minute as you do walking then 30 min = 30 min.

Sorry to cut in.. What is a good heart rate?  When I am stationary biking I am normally around 145-150.. when I am walking on the tread I am 150-160 Thanks Amanda

Take 220 less your age to determine your theoretical maximum heart rate. Here's some info:

Target Zone Exercise The most effective way to reach your fitness goal is to exercise in your target heart rate zone. There is a target zone that's right for each day's workout. For example, if you want to improve aerobic fitness you need to be working at 70-80% of your maxHR, for 40-60 minutes per day, 3 to 4 times per week. Without this information, you would get on a treadmill and not know how hard or how long you should be exercising. In most cases you may be going too easy or too hard. There are 3 key target zones that help you achieve specific goals.

   60-70%  Lose Weight or Recover    70-80%  Improve Aerobic Fitness    80+ %    Increase Athletic Performance  I work out at 70%-95% of my max for 30 minutes or more pretty much every day. I try to average 80%-85% of my max for the entire workout.  You are probably getting some bogus heart rate figures If you are relying on the heart rates spit out by the treadmill or cycle. A nice Polar heart rate monitor is what I use and it seems to be very accurate. 

Okay.. Thanks for the info.. but I am alittle confused. 220-29 is 191 To lose weight.. which is what I want to do I need to be around 60-70% which is 114-133.  So am I on overkill with 140-160 on the bike and treadmill?

Even if the machines are off somewhat.. I can't believe they are that far off that I am actually in the 114-133 zone.

Amanda

 

85% average is 162 so unless you have a heart condition, you're right where you need to be. By the way, I've seen differences of 20% or more between my Polar heart monitor and the lousy machine ones. Just my opinion and experience.

Thanks for the help! I will look into a Polar!