>>1539869Coming from a former fatass who got in shape (but is still not advanced-tier), I can offer my own observations and what I found worked.
1. bad shape: I resolved this by making walking a part of my life: I do 3-6 miles a day, plus I run 1-2 times per week. This adds up to about 35-70 miles per week. My walks are basic 3mph walks, but my runs are torturefests (I hate running, but the benefits it brings are indisputable) averaging 8:30 pace (~ 7mph). I'm not religious, but most of the time I meet or exceed that.
2. hydration: i've still got more mass than the average, and this means I sweat like a fat fuck. gatorades are not enough for me. I buy cheap Mexican electrolyte packets (that are like 2x as concentrated as gatorade) and mix them up with my quarts. Tastes awful, but much more effective. I learned this because my first few uphills (5 mi up, 4000 feet gain) I'd get terrible cramps, hallucinate, and just feel tired. Even with Powerade I'd still need 3-4 quarts for a 5/4000 hike. With powder, I only need about half as much. Also, I noticed that when properly hydrated, I recovered quickly the next day, but on poor hydration days, I might not get cramps, but i'd sleep like shit and the next day or two I'd feel like an old grampa.
3. hrm: i'm a level 9 measurement nerd, so I learned to carry my heart rate monitor and measure my pulse uphill. I chose the HRM because it was what helped my fat ass get back to running, as I always overdid that too. The HRM can show you your current heart rate, and if you know what is your highest SUSTAINABLE heart rate, just don't exceed that and you'll make it long distances. What is your sustainable rate? that depends on age/fitness but I keep it at 20bpm below my running sustainable pace (because I run 1 hour and hike 4+). There is more I could explain, but I'm not sure if this is what you want to learn. if so, let me know.
pic: an old Polar RS300x (since discontinued) and a sustainable [for me] pace
