nelie --I know it doesn't seem like a lot more, but just be aware, you upped your goal by over 30% from last month! (from 30 to 40 min/day) I don't know about anyone else (and it honestly may just be me), but I am finding it much more difficult to do around 40 min/day than around 30... again, that just may be me. After all, I started all this nonsense because I find it hard to get myself to exercise any other way!

Thank you so much for setting this all up. I am going to set my goal for September to be 1000 minutes.

I'm going to try for 900 again, even though I didn't make it in August.

I am over 2100 again this month so I am going to "up" mine; instead of 1200 I am going to make it 1500 again. Even with the pool closing I still think I can make it, and I want to feel challenged.

Ok so I am new to this as well. I think I will set a goal for 30 minutes a day. So 900 minutes for the month. So basically we just check in daily and add up the minutes?

michelle

Michelle -- you got it! If you want to see it in action, see the August exercise thread stickied at the top of the page!

BUT, if you are just starting this and aren't sure about your fitness (I've been reading your info on the other thread), I would recommend starting lower. 30 min a day every day is a lot when first starting out, and can be daunting if you feel you aren't making your goal.

The first 2 months I exercised I managed to get in only 450 minutes or so. And the first month I set a goal here it was 500 minutes. Now, other people seem to be able to jump in with both feet and exercise like gangbusters, but you sound like you're just starting out... Ultimately, the choice is yours, but this is not a competition, we are all at different places and you should set the right goal for you and your fitness etc...

Wyllenn~ I was figuring proably about 15 minutes of walking maybe 20. And then I do housework and thats a good 15 mintues running around the house. But yeah I for sure am not going to try to over do it! Thanks for the suggestion!

This will be my first full month (only did half of august) so I need to get an idea of myself first. My workout days are monday, wednesday, friday, sunday, and I would like to do an hour each of those days. If I only did 3x a week, 60 minutes it is 780 so I'm going for 820 minutes total. Goal : 820 minutes

Good Morning all, I've sat here and read the posts and would like to try for a goal of 450 minutes...I'm just starting out and I would like to do more eventually.

That's great, Ziggy! Glad you are joining our exercise thread. I agree it is good to set a reasonable goal and not try to go too high when you are first starting out! And it's not about how much we do but rather setting the goal and sticking with it on a regular basis.

Quick Question~does anyone else count house work? I figured I could at least walk 15 minutes a day hopefully. But I honestly am up on my feet running around the house cleaning for 15 minutes a day. I had originally said 900 minutes. But I am going to aim for 450. Thanks for everyone suggesting to start lower! I don't want to start too high for sure either!

Michelle

Michelle -- What you count as exercise is up to you. I try to count things that are what I think of as "intentional exercise" -- so in additional to weight lifting and treadmill, I count walking my dogs and doing my back and ab exercises. All of those are intentional and at a certain intensity. Some other walking counts for me -- but only if it registers as "aerobic walking" on my pedometer -- meaning that it lasted at least 10 min and was at a certain pace. So, walking around a downtown area for several hours might net 30-40 min of aerobic walking, but I wouldn't count the time spent shopping in stores or whatnot...

I also count some yardwork, especially if I keep the intensity up. If I work in the yard for an hour, I may count 30-40 min of it, depending on how much I really worked at it... I don't generally count housework, cause I don't do it at enough intensity or duration... and it shows in the cleanliness of my house!

So, we leave it up to you. I would recommend you set some guidelines for yourself. I think it would be great to count housework as exercise... especially if it motivates you to keep moving! But if you start dusting the cat to get in the minutes, it may defeat the purpose!

Also, your criteria may change over time and as your fitness increases!

Wyllenn,
I don't do intense housework either but I should. I'm excited about my mom coming to visit in November, she is such a clean freak, I know in a couple hours she'll clean things that I've missed. Sad but true One time she told me that I didn't clean behind the toilet basin and I needed to. Who would've thought? If I don't see dirt and dust, it is hard for me to think about cleaning it.

I do agree though that intensity varies for people. For some people, walking a few minutes is intense, for others it is stair climbing, for others it is jogging. As you become more fit, you can increase your workouts and intensity to match your fitness level.

Well, I am going to be boring and aim for 1200 minutes again. I know that for the last few months I have actually done over 1500, but I don't want to have to push myself to do that. Anything above 1200 is a bonus. I tend to overexercise, so I have to watch myself.

It is great to have so many people setting goals. I truly find that having this thread to post to keeps me going just that little bit more when I would sometimes cut a workout short.

Thanks Wyllen for setting this up each month.

Zelma

Zelma -- It's great to hear that this thread helps motivate you, because I think of you as this exercise GURU! After all, by the time you got here, you'd lost most of your weight and had a real exercise routine going!

This thread certainly motivates me!! Those of you who've been around for a while know that this thread started as a way of keeping myself accountable -- and Valerie (nolifewithouthorses) asked to join me. I find tons of excuses not to exercise, but knowing I have a reasonable (for me) goal to make keeps me on track!