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NB: If anyone actually read this before 12/8/11, please note that I had messed up in reporting the heart rate I was using to indicate sufficient rest (said it was 120, when it is actually 100. This would make a huge difference if you were trying to do what I've been doing! 120 is the rate I use, rather arbitrarily, as a indicator that I am exercising aerobically, so I can monitor the time spent doing so.)
I, too, am a former athlete, and so far, truly unable to not overdo it. Even after 18 years of ME (Giving this name a try; I just can't get comfortable with any term for this illness). I am not as devastated by the illness as many, though I've been much worse at times. I've also been much better (I used to be able to work full time). Intrigued by the heart-rate controlled exercise concept, I decided to incorporate some of the ideas when I finally got back to weight-based exercise. My goal was to avoid aerobic type exertion as much as possible, which makes me feel ill when I do too much. I failed at avoiding aerobic exertion, but I am doing much better at not hitting the "sick" zone
A couple of principles are helping me exercise without making me sick. One is to focus on increasing the load (my exercise terminology is lacking) per rep, rather than doing more reps. I set a fairly arbitrary heart rate threshold of 100. I use this heart rate as a marker for my rest periods. I do a set of reps (I'm working out with kettlebells), for example, 10 squats, then rest until my heart rate returns to below 100 bpm. Regarding the load vs rep dichotomy, for example, this week I discovered I could do 12 box squats using a 10" stool with a 20# kettlebell! Oh boy! Then, I realized, oops, what I should do instead, is find a lower stool or use a heavier weight, not do more reps.
Resting until my heart rate drops to a certain level is key, I think, to avoiding immediate relapse. Two years ago, I starting using a video workout and followed along faithfully, taking only the 2 minute breaks between sets indicated on the video. This was clearly not enough, and I would end up shaky, with my head feeling plugged up and generally fluish, clear signs of overdoing it. I was able to push through for a couple of months like this, but inevitably it was a bad idea and I ended up not exercising again for 2 years. Just started again this past summer and with the new methods, am still at it.
Why 100 bpm? I wanted a heart rate that I knew I could rest and achieve in the middle of a workout. Given that merely standing up would make my heart rate jump to 90+ (from the 70s sitting), I couldn't set it much lower. With 100, I end up resting during a session the same amount of time that I work, or often more than I work. Over a couple of months, I've found that my heart rate drops faster from its highs when I stop exercising and that I can achieve a higher heart rate. Both of these are supposed to be good signs. I also have developed some very nice muscle tone. If only I would lose the overlying fat, I might look pretty good!
The problem with all this is: this is all I can do. When I'm doing this exercise 2 days out of 3 or more, I have nothing left to do anything else. I alternate hard days with easy days: 25-30 min on a hard day (half of the time is rest) and 15 min on an easy day (still 1/2 rest). Because I am building muscle and strength, I am OK with that, as I feel like I'm doing something of value. I believe that I am building strength that will be useful if, say, I get to go back to work, for example. I suspect that if I dropped the ego need to really work it, I would still improve my general fitness and not destroy my ability to function the rest of the time. On the other hand, the workouts are a boon to my self-esteem. I am grateful to Dr. Klimas et al for the heart rate control concept, although I'm not really being a good example; it is still helping.
Thanks for letting me share.
