Quote: Cindy Easton Rhodes

I also want to add that in addition to keeping the fat at bay ....

If you mean dietary fats too: just the bad fat .... the sat fat and trans fats.

You need the good fats, you know! (Unlike our canine friends, you may prefer odorless, pharmaceutical quality versions of fish oil.)

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632

anybody concerned with heart health should be taking fish oil to balance their omega 6 and omega 3 FA's. and there are a couple companies that make a good pure, unoxidized fish oil for very affordable prices. Don't go for the "prescription" stuff they have now, and I tend to stay away from pill omega's becuase their packaging and quality and freshness etc. Get a good liquid

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: cindy easton rhodes

I also want to add that in addition to keeping the fat at bay ....

If you mean dietary fats too: just the bad fat .... the sat fat and trans fats.

You need the good fats, you know! (Unlike our canine friends, you may prefer odorless, pharmaceutical quality versions of fish oil.)

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632

I began taking (quality) fish oil and E too, I figured if I was feeding it to my dog, well... I really believe it is a good step in prevention.

As for the workouts, I've read quite a bit about it too, as my father fell over from a massive heartattack at 55 one day when running! (talk about paranoid !!!) He was a "healthy" man. It was a light day and he was training for his 3rd marathon. Autopsy revealed he had had a silent heartattack previously in his life...no one knew.

Argh. So it seems from my reading, to get any real benefit from cardio, you have to get at least 20 minutes 5 times a week of increased heart rate--healthy increased rate for your height/weight/sex. I have not read that short intervals of increased heart rate is necessarily a bad thing, just that it doesn't provide the full benefit of strengthening the heart muscle(s).

There is so much information out there. I've just worked with my doctor and trainer at the gym to get a program that fits for me. (fast walking and weight training for toning).

If I do run, like my trainer told me--I'll die doing something I love!!! (just like my dad did!)

Cindy, I'm afraid your brother in law is absoloutely right...

I'd like to pick his brain.

 Quote: eric read

anybody concerned with heart health should be taking fish oil to balance their omega 6 and omega 3 FA's. and there are a couple companies that make a good pure, unoxidized fish oil for very affordable prices. Don't go for the "prescription" stuff they have now, and I tend to stay away from pill omega's becuase their packaging and quality and freshness etc. Get a good liquid

I couldn't agree more.

I settled on a liquid from small fish (deodorized, molecularly distilled).

Capsules can cover up rancidity. I treat the liquid very carefully indeed, refrigerating after opening and never heating it.

Also, the caps are ridiculously small doses, IMO. Even the packaging from a manufacturer that makes both makes that clear. The liquid mentions a teaspoon, and that's almost 5 of their caps. I believe that it may be a way to make the caps look worthwhile .....

Yes, the capsule stuff is usually made with little regard for keeping it fresh. Fish oil is relatively unstable and oxidizes easily, and becomes basically useless once ingested, that's why I avoid capsules, myself and dogs included.

and yes the doses are small, even if they advertise a 1000mg omega 3 pill, because most studies show that people need about 3 grams of fish oil or more per day (the DHA and EPA, there are other omega 3's that aren't needed in as much quantity). But in that 1000mg ill only between 100-maybe 300 mg are the good stuff, so you end up taking around 10 or more pills a day, no thanks, I take a shot of fish oil and call it a day. The good stuff doesn't taste so bad either. Some are even flavored and taste good. Bite into a capsule and you'll taste oxidized, rancid fish oil, nasty stuff.

liquid buying tips:
COLD water source of fish'
independantly assayed for contaminants and purity
high omegas in the form of DHA and EPA (total per day should be about 3 grams)

Another tip:

http://www.crnusa.org/o3group.html

It does include fish LIVER oil, so we want to remember that most of us do not want fish LIVER oil.

Crossfit's pretty cool for adding variety and keeping it fun. Be prepared to get some strange looks at the gym! LOL

 Quote: cindy easton rhodes

He told me if I am doing weights the "right way" I would not have to do cardio. YEAH RIGHT! first off, I am a middle aged GIRL... LOL He may not need to do cardio but I do in order to maintain my weight. I'm an easy keeper.

As a middle age gal myself I'd like to add the option your brother in law left out. WINE!! One glass, the fat just melts away; two glasses and you're SMOKING HOT

I think your two sessions a day should work nicely. If I am reading you correctly, you are doing a total of 45 minutes to 1 hour a day split in two sessions?

I focus on time vs. distance for heart conditioning. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise in your target zone which is explained in the following link from the National Institute of Health.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/exercise-heart/

Your terrain is ideal for interval training which is one of the best ways to burn calories and strengthen the heart. Running up and don't forget down (good muscle building) those hills and then onto straight stretches changes the intensity of the workout and is a very efficient way to work out.

So in a nutshell use one of your outings as your cardio workout and the other as your "time to smell the roses" or more aptly the snow since it is now November

And when all else fails, there is always the wine.......

 Quote: cindy easton rhodes

To give you an idea of his level of expertise, he used to design work out programs for the cadets at West Point when he was attending. ... He told me if I am doing weights the "right way" I would not have to do cardio.

And yet, those West Point cadets still run 2-8 miles 3 or 4 times a week.

Just keep in mind that cardio doesn't have to mean running.
Circuit training can encompass cardio and weight lifting quite nicely.