On 12/3/2015 8:33 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/03/2015 04:16 PM, Don Y wrote:
It's not just exercise. I (rapidly) walk 4 miles/day. I.e., "exercise".

What is needed is exercise that strengthens the muscles and ligaments
surrounding the knee, "holding it together".

5 or 6 miles up and down a mountain will do the trick even if the trail isn't
too gnarly. Throw in some rocks for an additional workout and balance improvement.

I'm not fond of walking on cement/asphalt -- but am leary of walking on
"open trail". Too easy to twist something. Given a choice, I try
to walk on the "lawns"/hell strips on either side of a sidewalk.
No grass here so you can get a good idea of what your feet will experience
if you keep an eye on the ground in front of you. No "hidden holes"
that are so common in grass lawns!

I walk a mile or two at noontime but it's not that great for cardio. On level
ground I have a problem getting my heart rate up above 120 bpm and to do that I
have to get up close to 4 mph, which is well above my natural pace.

4mph is my "natural pace"; 3.8 miles in 56 minutes. But, it doesn't bring
my heart rate well enough into the cardio region. The 10-15 seconds it
takes me to get in the house and grab a stopwatch is enough for my
pulse to return to "resting".

Asked my MD about this and he suggested jogging. WTF?! No thanks, I'd
like to keep my KNEES a while longer!!

I *have* noticed that a few minutes with a SHOVEL is enough to bring me
well into the cardio zone! But, that's usually *work*, not "exercise"!
(how many holes can you dig in a lifetime?)