Hi Seth,
I am a 7-11 hr. a week aerobic excerciser. I teach aquacise 7 of those hrs. and I'm not talking about a bunch of old ladies walking around in the swimming pool. I'm talking about serious marathoners who cross-train by running in the pool with and without weights. I read a study out of Harvard about 10 yrs. ago that concluded 30 min. of running in armpit deep water was equivalent to 1 1/2 hrs. of training on dry land. Anytime I can knock out that much excercise in 30 min....sign me right on up! I've been doing it ever since. 2 yrs. after OHS, I'm doing more than I ever was before b/c I feel so fabulous now. I have always done alot of yoga b/c the breathing helped me feel better when I was younger; it also masked the problem of my deteriorating valve. I read alot of studies from many excercise papers, read some blogs, some journals of medical osports related studies, etc. and there is not one that won't tell you that 30min.-1 hr. daily of aerobic excercise is good for you. I thought my cardio guy would freak out when I told him recently how much I was working out and what I was doing...I mean, seriously, 11 hrs. is fairly excessive (I thought), and he just looked at me and told me to keep it up. I listen clsoely to my body and how I feel so definitely pay attention, but try to do a little something that is heart elevating every day, unless, of course, your dr. tells you not to. All of the studies point to the fact that excercise is the fountain of youth and it boils down to quality of life as we age. Pacing yourself is one of the keys. There is a fabulous book called "Younger Next Year" by Dr. Henry Loge and Chris Crowley that I think should be mandatory reading for everyone no matter what your age, b/c the younger you start the better you will feel. It is funny, entertaining, informative and inspiring. They point up the same things I read from the American College of Sports Medicine to the journals out of the medical world, that you have to not only work out but be aerobic enough that it does you some good.
Three cheers for you doing a 5k; keep up the good work. Listen to your body, talk to your dr. and think about some cross training to avoid burnout. Weight lifting does incredible wonders in a short period of time, but be careful to start with a lot less than you think you can and move up very slowly. No one wants sore muscles. Feel free to email me if you want more info. I am 11yrs. certified through the Aquatic Excercise Association (AEA) and recently finished a course on weight training for people over 50, however what I learned about weight training could be applied to anyone and weight training is very very important as we age, beginning at any age. We ski and bicycle too, although I was told not to after my OHS b/c of coumadin. Thanks to people's good advice here, I am doing what I want and what makes me feel good and excercise is one of those things that if I can't do it, then what's the point of getting my valve replaced?
heartfelt
