Before I even knew about my autoimmune diseases, I had contacted a trainer to help me. As we worked together, my trainer realized that I was so weak in the hips and surrounding areas that I needed to train with help. That is when we started working on the Boost Treadmill. This treadmill reduces the amount of gravity on your body as you walk/run.
As we started working on this treadmill, my trainer also determined that we needed to work on the efficiency of my body. How much oxygen was I taking in, how much carbon dioxide was I expelling? So we started an Active Metabolic Assessment (AMA). However, there was a slight snag. No one has ever done that on the Boost Treadmill. There is no protocol. So, we are pioneering this method! I did my first assessment in November 2019. This is the baseline. The computer actually creates a workout for me based on the data. Three months later, we did another one (featured above in picture). Normally, this would show any improvement. However, I did not have improvement. We do not consider this a bad thing. You see, we do not yet know how the Boost effects the results of the AMA. Now that I have two AMAs, we have some data to work with. So, my trainer is now getting other trainers to do AMAs on a regular treadmill and then on the Boost. We will take that data and see how the Boost effects things. Then, we will take that info and apply it to my training.
We also do not consider the lack of improvement in the numbers as a bad thing because I can now do more things at home. I couldn't do the laundry, or walk for very long, or sit for very long, or really do very much at all. This was because my hips and lower back were so stiff and in so much pain. They would literally just give out. I can now do most things around the house (although I have hired a cleaning company to do cleaning twice a month). I can walk as long as I need to during the day and I have no issues sitting in a car.
So, for now, I am doing the new AMA workout based on my new data and we will see how the data pans out with the trainers. I'm becoming "famous" for this as all the trainers now know who I am. They have named me "the science experiment!" I don't mind. I'm used to being the odd ball medically and physically. My hope is that what we are pioneering helps others with similar issues as me.
My current plan keeps me in Zones 1 and 2 (fat burning) with an occasional bump into Zone 3 (between the fat burning and the carb burning zones). The plan has me doing this 5x a week with a 12 minute warm up. The total workout is usually 35-45 minutes. Each day is slightly different. I also change the heights. When I am in zone 1, my height is 1. When I am in zone 2 my height is 7. All this info is based on my AMA.
I usually don't make it every day to the gym. At a minimum, I am doing 3 days a week. For now, it is important to focus on fat burn, as I am considered obese, and oxygen efficiency, as my doc said that was of the utmost importance right now for my muscles.
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