My wife as always thought that my walking boots are too heavy to do the six minute walk test. I have always walked trained in boots whilst in the military and so never really used trainers. Today my wife presented me with new trainers and tracksuit and I have just finished trying them out! The result....812.44m in six minutes.
The record will stop there for now for a number of reasons. The first being safety. I am now going a about 35% above the pace that I did when I did my ambulatory ecg and my blood pressure whilst exercising at this pace is mildly concerning, so until they are checked out and I am given the ok I am not going to push it anymore.
The second reason is that I have stopped gaining weight. I am having 120 gms of protein and 3000 calories plus a day. I struggle to do this so until I reach my target weight my plan is to reduce the intensity of my training.
Lastly I think chasing a longer distance may become an obsession so its time to take a step back and concentrate on exercise tolerance though the day rather than quick bursts of speed...Hope you all have a good day.
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Badbessie
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Good idea, as it has recently been publicised that short bursts of speed push your metabolic rate up. It is being pushed as a good tool for weight loss! You don't want to spoil the good work that you've put in to get yourself to a healthy weight. Good luck. 😊😊😊
I think you're right about it possibly becoming an obsession BB - I think that if i can get a good 6MWT result, then my condition can't be all that bad, even if I give myself atrial fibrillation in the process.
Badbessie sorry for really basic questions but how do you measure the distance? are you walking at your home or outside? also, do you stick to the 6minutes? how long have you been doing the 6minutes? (i got really concerned last week when i had the pulmonary rehab assessment, as i've been doing 20mins on our exercise bike at home, not getting that breathless at all, yet, when i did the 6mins fairly quickly (wasn't running), my oxygen levels/heart rate was all over the place so now i'm worrying that i've been doing things wrong & stressing myself etc) thanks!
Hi what I originally was use a measuring wheel which I borrowed from a mate and marked out distances along a marked route. However I then found 6 minute walk app on playstore which worked by GPS. I Tried it out against my marked route and found it accurate to within 10m
Before I started doing 6 mwt outside I built my legs up by doing chair raises starting off at 10 per minute and building up. I also did step ups. I stand at the bottom of the stairs and step up and down for six minutes as I built up I increased the time until I could do twenty minutes. I then built a step with a 12 inch lift and started the process again. Your muscles at the top of your leg and bum are very large and they require large amounts of oxygen the better they work the less oxygen you use.
Also I use purse lip breathing, As I lift up I blow out and as I go down I take oxygen in. It takes a bit of practice but once you have got it it lowers your pulse and blood pressure and maintains your 02 sats.
When I walk outside I started with slow 1000m walks and gradually built up the distance. Once I got up to 3000m I maintained that but on alternate days would do 1 walk test gradually building up until I could do 600m. Then I started to do two one after another but at a slower pace and gradually build until I could do two at 600m in 6 minutes. I then started doing 3 and so on until I can now do 5 at a pace of 600m in Six minutes.
On slow day I have built up the distance walked from 3000m to 6000m at a pace of 500m in 6 minutes. I now use purse lip breathing all the time. As you breath in your heart rate increases but as you breath out it slows. So by using Purse lip breathing it stops your heart racing which also helps your blood pressure and helps saturations. It takes practice but it works.
Before starting this I got checked over by my GP, I took advice from the physios etc. I regularly monitor my blood pressure pulse and o2 sats if I am going faster or I am doing a longer distance. Remember safety first. It as taken me 3 months to get this far. It as been a slow build up which is now having results. I use a slightly different techniques when breathing. Its a matter of finding out what works for you.
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