Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

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Old 10-27-2008, 07:22 AM   #1  
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Question A couple of questions about exercising

1- What are some of the best ways (activities) to burn 500 calories a day?
2- Does exercise have to be done all at one time to be effective or can it be divided up throughout the day and still be just as effective?
3- Is there any kind of monitor that will monitor calories burned kinda like those pedometer thingies that monitor distance walked?
4- Share with me what kind of exercises you do and how much time you spend each day doing them and how is it working for you?

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Last edited by InnerChild; 10-27-2008 at 08:34 AM.
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Old 10-27-2008, 08:26 AM   #2  
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I got this off of an exercising website:

The number of calories you'll burn during aerobic exercise is affected by your body weight, the intensity of your workout, your conditioning level, and metabolism, so burn rates are only an estimate. But here are ten aerobic activities and exercises that blast about 500 calories per hour, based on the weight of a 130-pound woman.


Rowing (vigorous effort): 502
Running 5.2 mph (11.5 minute mile): 531
Ice skating 9 mph: 531
Kickboxing: 590
Rock climbing (ascending): 649
Cross-country skiing (vigorous effort): 531
Swimming laps freestyle (vigorous effort): 590
Bicycling 14 - 15.9 mph (vigorous effort): 590
Walking up stairs: 472
Running up stairs: 885


Those are some great starts. I personally walk, which if you are new to exercising then this is a great start. Put on some headphones and walk for as long as you can.

For your 2nd question, no you don't have to workout all at once for it to be effective! If you are shotting for an hour a day, you can break your work out in to 4- 15 minute workouts!

Right now I'm only walking for usually 30 minutes a day and I'm losing slowly, but when I walk for an hour everyday I do lose weight, of course while staying on a good eating plan as well.
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Old 10-27-2008, 08:30 AM   #3  
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1 - I burn around 500 calories on the elliptical trainer at my college's gym. It takes me about 50 minutes to do that. But then again, I weigh 146, and the less you weigh the harder it is to burn more calories while exercising. Also, a class such as kickboxing or stepaerobics or jazzercise or a cycling class will get you to 500 calories or around there. That is usually a good number for which many fitness instructors aim.
2 - You know, I think it is best with as many straight minutes as possible of elevated heart rate. But I can't say for sure.
3 - Well, my advice would be that if you can get to a place where they have an elliptical, and arc trainer, a stationary bike or even a treadmill that you could speedwalk on, you grip your hands around a little heart-rate monitor handle, and it tells you your heart-rate as well as calories burned. It's very helpful.
4 - On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I do 45 or 50 minutes on the elliptical in the cardio room. I may, if I reach a plateau in weight loss, mix it up with some stationary bike or treadmill some time soon. But the elliptical has always just been my favorite. It's so easy on the knees, but you really get a good workout anyway. And I make sure to crank the resistance up.

On Tuesday evening, I attend a kickboxing class. This is pretty high-intensity and includes jumping rope, squats, punches, high kicks, etc. Then it is followed by a 45-minute strength training (free weights, legs, abs, etc.)

On Saturday mornings, I attend a stepaerobics class. There are leg lifts, knee lifts, arm-waving, the whole nine yards, and then another 45 minutes of sculpting.

Really, all of this has done wonders for me. I love the feeling of being sore, and after a good toning session the next morning I can really feel those muscles building (and I'm in search for a more toned, defined body, so that's a very good sign). I have so much more energy than my peers, and when I treat my body right, it makes me a lot more motivated to eat right. So, really, I'm in love with all the benefits of exercise.

If you have any more questions, go ahead an pm me! And best of luck to you!
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Old 10-27-2008, 08:48 AM   #4  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InnerChild View Post
1- What are some of the best ways (activities) to burn 500 calories a day?
2- Does exercise have to be done all at one time to be effective or can it be divided up throughout the day and still be just as effective?
3- Is there any kind of monitor that will monitor calories burned kinda like those pedometer thingies that monitor distance walked?
4- Share with me what kind of exercises you do and how much time you spend each day doing them and how is it working for you?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
1. When DH and I go for a walk around our neighborhood, I burn about 450 cals in 45-50 minutes. This is just a moderate pace with some hills thrown in. Likewise I burn about 400 doing the cross trainer at my gym for 30 minutes, but this is at a higher intensity than walking.

2. I don't think it has to be done at the same time, especially if you are starting out with moderate walking. Walk for 15 minutes on our lunch break, take the dog for a 30 minute walk, walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes... the key is just getting your heart rate up.

3. I use a heart rate monitor which tells me my heart rate plus calories burned based on my height, weight, gender and age - much more accurate than the machines at the gym. You wear a chest strap and something that looks like a wrist watch. I have the Polar F4: http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/produc...osstraining/F4

4. Depending on the day, I do 20 minutes of weight training and 20ish minutes of cardio, then the next day I'll do about 40 minutes of cardio. I try to do this at least 5 times a week, but it varies.
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Old 10-27-2008, 09:55 AM   #5  
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Hi Fat Pants,

Thanks for the link to that monitor. It seems uncomfortable to me. I have a large chest and it seems like it would be restricting. Do you wear it above or below the breast line? Is it something that could be worn all day long to measure calories burned or is it more for just short periods of time when a work out is the objective? Do you know if it's accurate? And one more question.....this is a hundred dollar model and I find that quite expensive, do you think a less expensive model would be just as good?
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Old 10-27-2008, 10:07 AM   #6  
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I have another question?

Where is the best place to purchase a heart rate monitor? At a place like Wal-Mart or at a sporting goods store?
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Old 10-27-2008, 10:08 AM   #7  
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I bought my heart rate monitor online.
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Old 10-27-2008, 01:09 PM   #8  
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Hi Fat Pants,

Thanks for the link to that monitor. It seems uncomfortable to me. I have a large chest and it seems like it would be restricting. Do you wear it above or below the breast line? Is it something that could be worn all day long to measure calories burned or is it more for just short periods of time when a work out is the objective? Do you know if it's accurate? And one more question.....this is a hundred dollar model and I find that quite expensive, do you think a less expensive model would be just as good?
It's not uncomfortable at all - I wear it under the breast line because above the breast line would definitely NOT be comfortable. Once I get going I hardly notice it. It is very accurate because it takes into account your heart rate for the entire period of time you start your workout and bases the calorie counts off of age/gender/height/weight and calculates it based on your heart rate. Very accurate. I wear it only while working out but if you wanted one that you would wear all day - try the body bugg. They wear those on the Biggest Loser. I suppose you actually could wear it all day if you wanted to, though.

I don't really know if there are others that do the same job - the census around here is that Polar is best. I got mine at Amazon for $90 I think - it was a birthday gift. You could try eBay, too. I haven't had any experience with other brands so if someone else uses another brand or type, they can chime in!
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Old 10-27-2008, 01:40 PM   #9  
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Quote:
1- What are some of the best ways (activities) to burn 500 calories a day?
Best is going to be highly subjective. What's best for me might not be best for you - because if you don't like it and won't continue doing it, then it's not going to help. I personally combine 30 mins of weight lifting with 30 mins of ss-cardio 3x a week. 2 other days a week, I do HIIT cardio, which doesn't burn off 500 cals at the gym, but provides an "afterburn" effect.

Also I don't concentrate on how many calories I burn exercising, as much as making sure I get in a good solid workout. I know that by building muscles, I'm creating more metabolically active tissue in my body, so even if I don't burn 500 cals at every workout, I'm creating a situation where I will burn more calories on average per day, because I'm building more muscle.

Quote:
2- Does exercise have to be done all at one time to be effective or can it be divided up throughout the day and still be just as effective?
There are a lot of theories about this and information from both sides that is valid. IN order to gain any cardio-vascular benefit from aerobic exercise, you need to do at least 20-30 mins of it at a time and maintain your heart rate. Also when lifting weights, you'll find your workouts much more effective if you continue the work for a 20-30 minute period, vs. doing a few lifts here and a few lifts there. When lifting, you need to work your muscles almost to exhaustion, and it's hard to do that if you're spacing things out too much.

Quote:
3- Is there any kind of monitor that will monitor calories burned kinda like those pedometer thingies that monitor distance walked?
As others have mentioned, a good Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) is worth it's weight in gold! I got mine at Target - it's a Polar F6 and cost me about $85 (after a coupon and a sale). I use it at every workout, more to monitor my heart rate than to calculate calores, but it is nice to get a rough idea of what I burned at each workout.

Quote:
4- Share with me what kind of exercises you do and how much time you spend each day doing them and how is it working for you?
I actually posted this on my blog a while back:

On a normal week I hit the gym 4-5 times. I do 30 mins of weights (I’m using sort of a modified version of the New Rules of Lifting for Women plan) 3x a week, followed by 30 mins of ss-cardio on either the elliptical or the treadmill. The other 1-2 days I do 20 to 30 mins of HIIT cardio on the elliptical.

Also every morning when I get up before I shower I do a set of mat stretches just to get the blood flowing (sort of a combination of some Pilates type stretches combined with a short set of Tai-Chi stretches that a friend of mine who’s an instructor taught me), followed by 50 crunches on the swiss ball and 50 pushups on an incline off of my cedar chest (not full *real* pushups yet - but I’m working on it).

Every once in a while I throw in a workout DVD on a non-gym day, but lately I’ve been slacking on those.

.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:05 PM   #10  
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Photochick said it all already!

The key to it all is finding stuff you enjoy and can make a habit of. I don't think there is anything wrong with splitting up into 2 half hour sessions, just know that warm up time and cool down time adds a little more time. Again - it's all about what works with your lifestyle.

I'm into biking and spin especially (go figure considering the avatar) but I also enjoy weight training and just going for a walk. I also have a Polar F6 and it works great! I got it online...but I've seen them on sale at Target every once in a while.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:31 PM   #11  
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I was checking out some strapless heart rate monitors on line and was wondering if anyone is using one or can comment on their accuracy. I feel quite sure that I could not wear a chest strap for comfort reasons. I know it would drive me crazy and eventually end up on a drawer somewhere, and if I'm going to spend that much money on one, I'd like it to be as comfortable as possible.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:43 PM   #12  
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I use the strapless monitors. Mine is a watch and I just measure my heart rate on the watch. It is not as accurate as the chest strap monitors but I am just trying to get a picture of my heart rate it. ie am I getting into target heart rate- yes- could it be off by a couple of points maybe but it doesn't matter. The reality is that it seems fairly accurate, when I measure resting HR and exercise HR. I have used the MIO and I had to replace them, they aren't as waterproof as they say they are. Just buy from a place where you can return it. Now I am using Sportline, and I love it.
The key to any exercise for weightloss is to make sure you exercise hard- even if you are doing it as intervals ie 1 min really fast on the elliptical and 3 min at a lower pace. You want to make sure you are getting breathless and your HR is up. Elliptical, treadmill work well- it is harder to get intensity on the bike. I use the bike for more endurance longer exercise sessions but not for my core cardio.
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:50 PM   #13  
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I use the strapless monitors. Mine is a watch and I just measure my heart rate on the watch. It is not as accurate as the chest strap monitors but I am just trying to get a picture of my heart rate it. ie am I getting into target heart rate- yes- could it be off by a couple of points maybe but it doesn't matter. The reality is that it seems fairly accurate, when I measure resting HR and exercise HR. I have used the MIO and I had to replace them, they aren't as waterproof as they say they are. Just buy from a place where you can return it. Now I am using Sportline, and I love it.
The key to any exercise for weightloss is to make sure you exercise hard- even if you are doing it as intervals ie 1 min really fast on the elliptical and 3 min at a lower pace. You want to make sure you are getting breathless and your HR is up. Elliptical, treadmill work well- it is harder to get intensity on the bike. I use the bike for more endurance longer exercise sessions but not for my core cardio.
This sounds nice. Does it measure caloric burn as well? I suppose I should have mentioned that I'd like one that does.
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