<p>just chiming in to say I agree that for a regular person who is not a racewalker, 4 mph is really booking.</p>
<p>I used to walk at 4 mph, but now my pretty fast walking speed is 3.5. I’ve checked the distances on google and they seem to jive with the treadmill’s idea of how fast I’m going. I do find once the treadmill is cranked up to 4 mph it’s easier to jog than to walk. It’s really sad - back when I ran regularly I ran about 9 minute miles and remember wondering how my parents couldn’t possible run so slow, but now that 15 min mile feels fast enough thank you! I don’t run much anymore though, mostly I used the elliptical or walk outside. Sometimes I run outside for a change and if I get on the treadmill I alternate running a walking with a lot more walking.</p>
<p>As we say in my aging athlete circle “The older I get, the better I was!”</p>
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<p>But this is all the treadmills at my gym – like, 20 different ones. I know that I’m not sprinting when I’m on the treadmill; I’m really fast jogging. I just can’t envision (at this point in my fitness evolution) ever running 6 mph. </p>
<p>That said, I now jog for 25 of my 30 minutes on the treadmill, at an average pace of 4.5 over the 30 mins. Two years ago, 3.8 mph felt reeeeeeeally fast to me. </p>
<p>So, there is progress, and I suppose one day I could handle 6 mph – but not for a couple of months at least.</p>
<p>Ooooooo – I have a new goal.</p>
<p>gotta agree with you, veryhappy on the 4-4.5 mph on the treadmill. It would be much easier for me to break into a slow jog than to walk that. Lately, I’ve been doing 3.3-3.5, but with an incline (varies as I do a random program) and I definitely have been getting my heart rate up.</p>
<p>So, while I have not given up the Frosted Mini Wheats yet, I did eat a couple of bites of the fish that H fixed tonight (if you remember in my previous posts, I spoke of how much I dislike fish). He bought some tilapia and coated it in a rub of fresh cilantro ground up with some garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and red pepper flakes. There was so much cilantro that I really couldn’t taste the fish, so this is a start for me. He found the recipe in one of our South Beach cookbooks. The reason I only had a couple of bites is because I had picked up a small chili at Wendy’s on my way home from the gym, thinking he was working late tonight (obviously he ended up not doing so), so I was already rather full. But there are leftovers, and I might eat it for lunch tomorrow. Now THAT’S progress!</p>
<p>teri -oooohh, can I have some of that tilapia? It sounds delicious! Great job!</p>
<p>Hubby is traveling, so no cooking for me. Tonight I ran our usual distance, and I’m feasting on smoked herring, red wine and multigrain bread. Not the most low-calorie combo, but I need to maintain my current weight since I just bought a fabulous designer skirt!</p>
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<p>As my friend says, “You don’t have to become faster to qualify for Boston, you just have to become older!” LOL!</p>
<p>I can’t walk faster than 4.0 mph, going all-out. If I am alternating between a walk and a jog, I often use 3.9 mph. I jog at 4.5, 4.7 or 5.0 pace on my couch to 5k program. Today calls for a 25 min. continuous jog for the first time, so I will do that at 4.5 mph. Then the next time, will do 4.7 and the third time 5.0 mph. When the time increases, I will drop the speed down again. The program stops at a 30 minute run and obviously at a 5 mph pace, I will be nowhere near finishing a 5k in 30 minutes so will just keep slowly adding time until I hit the 5k at 5 mph and then start increasing the speed, probably topping out at 6 mph at best and am probably six months away from hitting that.</p>
<p>H has qualified for Boston; S1 doesn’t run regularly but is fast when he does. There is a 5k race at S’s college held at parent’s week-end and the two of them won the father/son category in each of the three years they competed. That is never going to be me.</p>
<p>I have been strict with my eating for about a month now. Yesterday was my birthday and I had no desire for cake or to eat out, so H bought me flowers. I put veggies and boca burgers on the grill (no buns). Despite being as diligent as it is possible to be, my weight is only down half a pound in the past week. I’ve been here before and know I’m doing everything right, so it’s just a matter of being patient.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst - I feel ya. My weight hasn’t budged for about a week now. I know that it will soon. Just have to keep my attitude up. If anything, I am maybe not eating enough. I am writing everything down - but not adding up calories or counting WW points. May have to do that to see what is going on. Also was on steriods for a week due to back crap. Anyway - whatever the reason - I just need to keep taking good care of myself and eating healthy and burning those calories at the YMCA.</p>
<p>eddie, it sounds like you are doing great. Just keep doing what you are doing and it will work eventually, in my experience. </p>
<p>I track what I eat but don’t track points or calories either on a routine basis. I follow the old WW core plan guidelines, which didn’t require you to track points except for noncore foods. Other than wine once a week I almost never eat a noncore food. I have now layered on Pollan’s goal of clean foods as much as possible, although we are still getting processed foods out of the house. I don’t think the boca burgers would meet Pollan’s guidelines. I also noticed there was corn syrup in my fat-free sour cream, so didn’t buy more of that. However, things like spray butter, spray salad dressing, and fat-free sour cream have always been staple ingredients. The clean food thing is a pretty big adjustment.</p>
<p>eddie, the steroids might have messed up your weigh loss a bit (although they are not the same steroids as the ones abused by cheating athletes, they might make your body retain water). Keep following you doctor’s advice and don’t give up on that weight loss - you will get there!</p>
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<p>[Risks</a> and side effects - Corticosteroids for Arthritis.](<a href=“http://www.orthop.washington.edu/uw/medications/tabID__3376/ItemID__73/PageID__42/Articles/Default.aspx]Risks”>http://www.orthop.washington.edu/uw/medications/tabID__3376/ItemID__73/PageID__42/Articles/Default.aspx)</p>
<p>Since you are not taking them on a daily basis, you will lose that water in no time.</p>
<p>"4 miles per hour is 15 minute miles which feels like a VERY fast walk when I do it. I’m not the greatest walker, but 15 minute walking miles is booking it! "
- Naah, I have been doing it every day (except for summers, too hot to walk) for about last 25 years. I am pretty good walker, but not the fastest, and it is not my favorite exercise either, but it is a nice way to spend an hour with my H. every day.</p>
<p>I am eager to shed those pesky pounds that appeared in the last few weeks. As I have said, mine had nothing to do with the holidays - more to do with having a schedule driven by doctors’ appointments. In fact, one of the problems is that my folks love to take me to lunch when I drive them somewhere. I know that you can eat healthy at a restaurant - but I realize that I manage my health by what I stock in my house. When I go out to eat everything is prepared with more salt, fat, etc., than I use. Salads are good - but the places my parents like to go for lunch are not really geared towards good salads.</p>
<p>I am thinking this through today because we are headed for an appointment this afternoon. I must be prepared with a game plan. I know I could eat before I see them, but they look so hopeful when they ask me the question," Do you want to go for a little lunch?"</p>
<p>Reading through others comments on another thread about losing a parent, I know that I will never regret the times I answered yes to them.</p>
<p>Okay - I stay away from the grilled swiss cheese sandwich with a side of chips!!</p>
<p>I am so impressed with everyones activities!! When I am on the treadmill, I usually alternate between running (at 5.6-5.8) and walking (3.8-4.0). I figure if I can stay on for about 20 minutes or cover about 1.5 miles, thats a good thing. I hope to increase that. I have a group of friends who work out on the weekends. We will use the treadmills together and it helps to keep me going, but I get a stiff neck from turning to listen or talk to them!</p>
<p>How much does size play into speed? I’m a taller person, a bit under 5’ 9", and while 4 mph is a solid pace for me - it’s not my “booking it” walking pace. I know that my much shorter (and younger and heavier and out of shape) sister has to work pretty hard to keep up with me. She obviously has to take more strides to cover the same distance. But my longer stride takes a little longer to execute. Is there a sweet spot height range for optimal walking speed utilization? All I really know is that I would be better served to think less and walk more! </p>
<p>I’ve been “walking” for almost a year now, with a move to bumping up the intensity a couple of months ago. I think I’m seeing a bit more toning going on in the core area since I’ve increased the jogging amounts. I’ve added a very very light upper body weight circuit of sorts but I think it’s too early to notice much from that yet. Slow, steady and deliberate. I’m really enjoying feeling fit. Much room for more improvement still, but miles (literally - I know how many I covered last year!) ahead of a year ago.</p>
<p>Regarding treadmill speed: If you can carry on a cell phone conversation while on the treadmill without ever getting out of breath, the speed is set too slow!</p>
<p>(Can you tell that the folks who carry on lengthy cell phone conversations on the treadmill next to me are a pet peeve?)</p>
<p>I notice that cell phones are not allowed in the Health and Welness center at our YMCA. I like it that way.</p>
<p>Teri – Pat on the back for trying fish, but bad news about tilapia (and catfish). They don’t give people the health benefits they expect from eating fish, i.e., an increase in omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that tilapia contains low levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and, worse, high levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids (the acids that are bad for the heart). </p>
<p>How about salmon? Many fish haters find they like it, especially if it’s been grilled. </p>
<p>[Popular</a> Tilapia Might Not Help Heart - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2008/07/11/popular-tilapia-might-not-help-heart.html]Popular”>http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2008/07/11/popular-tilapia-might-not-help-heart.html)</p>
<p>"When I am on the treadmill, I usually alternate between running (at 5.6-5.8) and walking (3.8-4.0). " </p>
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<li>Please, keep in mind that walking on treadmil is much much more difficult than outside. That might explain a diff. in speed. I cannot walk on treadmill, makes me extremely tired. It is better to walk outside anyway. Inside air is much more polluted and having daylight on your skin is very important. I cannot swim indoor either.</li>
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<p>The running community is divided as to whether a treadmill is “harder” than outside or not. I feel that it is, but others think it is easier. Same for walking. It doesn’t let you vary your pace at all (unless you adjust the settings)- that makes it hard in my opinion.<br>
MiamiDAP- If you are walking 15 minute miles, either you are really getting your HR up high and sweating, or your course is short.</p>
<p>I have exercise asthma ( [yet</a> another thing that I have in common with some Olympians](<a href=“http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/why-do-so-many-winter-olympians-have-asthma/]yet”>Why Do So Many Winter Olympians Have Asthma? - The New York Times) 
The gym is much better for me in terms of air quality- in the city, we have exhaust and dirt and in the woods, we have tree pollen.</p>
<p>I don’t like the treadmill, because I am so uncoordinated I am afraid to fall off- but I use the rowing machine, the bike, the stair machine and the eliptical trainer.</p>