I am 61, female, in good health...

Question
I am 61, female, in good health (albeit with medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol) and have been walking for exercise, weight control for about a year. We walk for about 45 min. about 4 times per week. Our route is up and down hills of varying degrees of steepness. I have definitely improved in my muscle tone but I am still winded (to the ppoint that conversation is still possible but difficult)by each hill, gain my breath on the down side and lose it again on the next incline.
What can I do to improve that issue?
Thank you for your time

Answer
PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING OR CHANGING ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM.

Sally,
Cardiovascular fitness takes time.  Walking for 45 minutes on uphill terrain 4x per week is a great workout!  Keep doing what you are doing and start monitoring your heart rate.  Often times it is the intensity that makes the difference.  To get the full benefit of your cardio workout you must consider walking for 20-30 minutes at 60-90% of your maximum heart rate.

To determine your max heart rate, subtract your age from 220.  To determine you target zone multiply that number by 60% and 90%.  Example, if you're 61 yrs old and a beginner multiply 159 by 60% (159 X .60=95) This means you need to keep your heart rate at 95 beats per minute for at least 20 minutes.  The best way to improve your cardiovascular fitness is to gradually increase to the higher end of the range.  BEING THAT YOU ARE ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN.  YOUR MEDICATION MAY CAUSE YOUR RESTING HEART RATE TO BE LOWER; THEREFORE THE ABOVE FIGURES WOULD NOT APPLY.

While exercising you can determine your heart rate by taking your pulse for 10 seconds.  Multiply this number by 6 to get your 1-minute heart rate.  you can also determine your heart rate by wearing a heart rate monitor.  I recommend using a heart rate monitor.  Being able to see your intensity throughout your workout is very helpful and also can keep you from overexerting yourself.  Some heart rate monitors have added features such as target zones with alarms and calorie counters.  The basic model runs about $50.  You can checkout a variety of monitors online at www.walkerswarehouse.com

You may also want to consider a weight training program.  Weight training can help improve cardiovascular fitness.  In addition, increased muscle mass will boost your metabolism.  As muscles grow in size, the amount of metabolically active tissue increases, leading to a higher caloric burn.  This means you will burn more calories, even at rest!

I hope that I have been of some assistance.  Please let me know if you have any further questions.  

Debbie Dee
Fitness Pro