I did it!

After 17 months of a daily regime (A spreadsheet of what to do when, see below) I created a ‘cardio-vascular engine’ in my middle age with the guidance of a word class personal trainer. The ‘engine’ was needed as I wasn’t get rid of lactate fast enough after exercise.

This 17 months regime increased my ‘lactate threshold‘ and lowered my heart rate during exercise.

A person’s lactate threshold is when the production of lactate exceeds their body’s ability to clear it from the system. My threshold two years ago was poor and this hindered my ability to get fit in middle age.

My PT analysed my history of exercise since I was 16 years old and came to the conclusion at the age of 18 I hadn’t developed a fitness engine. The older you get without this the harder it is to get fit. This is very common apparently. I was never an ‘A’ team rugby player and shunned running as I was told ‘it was bad for your knees’ and anyone running was seen as an ‘ejit‘ (Idiot in Northern Irish slang).

Not clearing lactate fast enough is bad for your body.

I wasn’t able to get ‘fit’ despite being able to run 1/2 marathons and cycle for miles. Please read parts 1 and 2 below for more information on my journey to fitness. I was ‘redlining’ (overdoing it) like many ‘mamils’ (middle aged men in lycra) on bikes and on park runs.

The last part of my lactate graph was to perfect the curve (See green line below marked lactate on the key) so my lactate threshold of 2 mmol/L was not hit early after exercise. It has moved all the way from the red line through to the blues and purples to the green line at the right of the graph.

My heart rate at each exercise point has dropped significantly as a bonus.

My lactate measurement at rest is ‘gold‘ standard and in a couple of instances the measurements were less than 0.5 mmol/L which my PT hasn’t seen before. The machine could not register the result it was so low. This again was a shock to me that my body could be trained to this level.

Simply put this means my body can cope with exercise now. If you are going out with a beer belly and your heart rate is pounding into the red please stop and go and see a decent personal trainer for a personal training and diet plan.

Please also don’t use hacks on the internet or listen to beautiful confident youtube influencers. Most have no qualifications and are looking for your click, not looking to get you fit.

I’ve learnt the hard way….. getting fit is not a youtube hack, it’s a mindset approach of low and slow training and regular good habits when eating. There is no overnight fix.

Remember the story of the hare and the tortoise? Who won? Be the tortoise not the hare.