ENDURANCE

By Lynn Difley

Endurance. What does it mean to you? Triathlons, ultra marathons, madmen and demented women racing for miles across a scorching desert and over mountain peaks with no respite? Does the word conjure up images of swimmers, oblivious to jellyfish, freezing waters and battering waves to complete a 24-hour nonstop swim? Or maybe the fabulous feat of Cliff Young, who, at the age of 61 ran 535 miles in five and a half days. Maniacs, maybe, but these extremes of endurance are only an example of what the human body can do, given time, training, and a certain amount of insanity.

For most of us, endurance has to do with being able to perform our chosen daily round of fun and chores with energy to spare. Something along the lines of a brisk walk in the park, mowing the lawn without collapse, or playing a round of golf without petering out. Maybe your endurance goal is hiking a trail to get to the secret fishing hole, or walking the Grand Mall nonstop. All these are indeed endurance feats requiring stamina (remember that outdated word?)

If you have noticed that grocery bags are getting heavier, stairs getting steeper and walks getting more difficult, take heart, endurance training is all you need. As we age. Everyday requirements often demand all our time, and maintaining our long lasting abilities, (endurance) seems to fade into the background. Endurance can be built, or reestablished with a regular program individualized to your special needs Endurance work is very satisfying. In this day of upheaval and uncertainty it is pleasing to know that there is a tangible reward for effort expended. Endurance is one case where hard work pays off and the reward for consistency is measurable.

Whether you want to play a third set of tennis and hold your own, or line dance all night, endurance is the secret to long lasting physical capacity. With regular training, the blood supply to the heart becomes greater; meaning the heart is able to pump more blood faster. You know how it feels when you try to surpass your endurance level. Your legs feel heavy, heart pounding, lungs are burning. What's happening? Your body is expending more energy, using up more oxygen and the blood is not delivering it fast enough. The fuel stores become depleted, and you feel tired and your performance drops. Heart rate is directly correlated to endurance level. A gradual, well-planned program will result in better endurance and lasting power. As we increase our time in any activity, the body makes the necessary adjustments, allowing us to perform the activity with less strain and effort. Training on a regular basis improves the blood circulation, breathing and muscular activity systems. The heart is the chief source for blood circulation. When the heart is made to perform more work then usual, it responds by pumping more blood faster through the heart and the body. The heart of an athlete is trained to beat more slowly, and more efficiently. As one trains, the muscles used to breathe also develop greater strength and endurance and the skeletal muscles respond to increased demands. The individual cells of energy producing muscles become more numerous and the density of capillaries that supply oxygen to the muscles increases. Whew, all this, and you'll be running across the desert, clutching your Power Bar in your hand. All these changes mean that your body becomes more efficient, allowing you to do more with less difficulty.

You've experienced how this works. When you first started a new exercise, it seemed difficult and exhausting. As you continued to practice and increased the time involved, you noticed it became easier, until you could go further for longer with less strain. This is the endurance training principal. Let's break it down to a walking program. Suppose you are currently walking on a hit or miss basis, sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for 20, walking the dog, or playing a round of golf. You want to be able to walk for half an hour nonstop; both to lose weight and join friends in their daily fitness walk. How do you go about this?

Start from where you are. To make the transition from couch potato to superathlete, inactive to energetic, you must make a gradual and consistent effort to increase your regular activity level. The secret of increasing endurance is to work out for longer times until the body makes the necessary adjustments to demand and becomes the fuel efficient, unflagging athlete you are meant to be.

If you are currently not exercising at all, begin with a 10 or fifteen minute walk, and see how you feel. If you are exerting yourself in a comfortable way, but feel like you're definitely working, this is where you should be. Continue for a week and let your body adjust to this daily ration. Now increase; the rule of thumb is 10% per week. Make this gradual increase to the time, without changing difficulty or pace. Slow and steady wins the endurance race. You are conditioning your heart, muscles, and circulatory system to perform at peak efficiency for longer and longer periods of time. You can apply this same principle and practice to accomplish any endurance goals you would like to set yourself, from joining a fund raising walk to keeping up your garden.

Whatever you want to do, you can train your body to accomplish, within reason, if you apply the principle of gradual, consistent increase. Reach your endurance goals one step at a time. We have a lifetime to improve our stamina and keep our endurance level high enough to enjoy every moment of our busy active lives.