OK, so I'm wondering if my exercise plan is enough. I've got the WATP videos, and I've been alternating with the 2 and 3 mile. I've also got a Gazelle and I've been doing 20-30 minutes on it at a time. I'm trying to exercise everyday, but realistically, it doesn't always happen. I've been getting 5 or 6 days a week in. I bought an Urban Rebounder (personal size trampoline) but after trying it out, I'm thinking it's going to be something to add to my routine later, after I drop some of the initial weight. Using it causes my foot (which I've had problems with in the past) to really hurt. I've decided I feel much more comfortable exercising in my own home. There is a walking path at my local park (no longer underwater, yeah.) but I don't feel real comfortable walking there. To be completely honest, if I had someone to walk with, it would probably be better, but I really don't have any friends available. So, I'm wondering if I'm doing enough.
Christy
Im really not sure. Im just starting out myself. My husband is thin and muscular. He never has to worry about what he eats because he works out every day. He does 4 miles on the exercise bike and then does wieght lifting as well. For me to loose wieght I have to strictly watch what I eat and exercise. Ive been exercising everyday even if its just a little because if I do not create a habit out of it, I wont do it at all. Good luck with your journey.
There is no hard and fast rule about what is an ideal amount of exercise. I believe the general recommendation is 30 minutes every day. Just starting an exercise plan is wonderful and as you progress, you will want to progressively make your exercise more intense.
One thing I would recommend working on including in the future is strength training exercise. You can use your own body weight for many exercises or you can invest in some dumbbells or resistance bands.
Also be careful not burn yourself out. If you do to much to soon, you will get burnt out, and quit. I have been there before. Just make sure YOU feel like you are feeling better, and more healthy. That's what is important.
For me, this may sound lazy, but i exercise just enough to still lose 2 pounds a week.
But really, it is not because i am lazy but because of what pinkhoodie said...BURNOUT...that is a big one for me.
Right now i am doing 30 minutes of intense cardio (kickboxing) a day. For now, that is enough. I know i will have to up this, but i dont want to up it now. I want to wait until i need to up it...such as a weight loss stall. If i am giving all i have to exercise in the beginning, is it realistic to be able to add MORE exercise when i stall? Not for me...just not practical.
So my advice, is do whatever YOU have to do, to lose 1-2 lbs every week. No more, no less.
At your weight, it sounds like you are doing too much and you are really risking being totally burnt out in a month or two...which is when you are likely to have your first stall too.
Keep in mind, this is a lifestyle, not a diet...can you keep this up for a lifetime? In my opinion, you could get away with 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week for a while, then up the intensity of that cardio before you move on to more time. That is what works for me anyway. Baby steps.
I started very slowly with exercise. Maybe a 20 minute walk, 3 or 4 times a week and some sit ups and stretching. I gradually increased as I was more fit. I do remember though right from the very beginning the more I exercised, the better the weightloss would be, so pretty quickly I upped it. I figured if I'm eating every day, I should also be doing some sort of exercise every day. And it has been a big help to my weightloss.
I also made sure though to add in just some plain old ACTIVITY. Meaninig if I was watching TV, I'd get up at every single commercial and move around, I'd take out the garbage instead of asking the kids, I stopped using a laundry basket and would walk back and forth from the bathroom to the laundry room with the clothes. I would be washing the dishes and move around a bit more instead of just standing there. I basically "snuck" in some added movement at every opportunity.
As you start dropping pounds and weighing less, you'll need to increase your exercise because you won't be burning calories at the same rate as you used to. So even doing your everyday things, such as brushing your teeth will burn less calories then they used to.
I just started doing 30 minutes a day of cardio (treadmill) in the morning, five days a week. If I do nothing else, I'm fine with that, but I occasionally meet up with friends for active social gatherings like going for a walk, a yoga class, or the like.
I'm new to exercising so I like to keep it simple and easy, at least until it becomes a comfortable habit.
At your weight, it sounds like you are doing too much and you are really risking being totally burnt out in a month or two...which is when you are likely to have your first stall too.
Keep in mind, this is a lifestyle, not a diet...can you keep this up for a lifetime? In my opinion, you could get away with 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week for a while, then up the intensity of that cardio before you move on to more time. That is what works for me anyway. Baby steps.
I'm confused. I am pretty much already doing 30 minutes of cardio 6 (sometimes 5) days a week. Well, except the days I do the 3 mile WATP tape, since it's about 40 minutes. So, are you saying I'm doing too much, or saying what I am doing sounds right? I'm also admittedly quite a bit hurt/offended by the "at your weight" part of your comment. I thought this was a place for support, and since we've all (apparently, anyway) been on the receiving end of so many nasty comments, I would have assumed something like that would have been more thought out and perhaps reworded. Maybe it's petty on my part, but I really feel like that could have been stated so much better. But thanks for your input.
I think we all have different opinions on exercise, mostly based on our own experiences and perhaps the fitness levels we started at. When I was near my highest weight, I worked out 5-6 times per week for an hour or more. I really loved it. As time and my own situation changed, I also changed my exercise plan. I was exercising for an hour every day recently but now I'm down to 30 minutes every day, with an extra 1-5 hours hiking every week if the weather cooperates. Also at my highest weight, I thought nothing of taking a 5 mile walk on fairly flat terrain. Now I think nothing of taking a 5 mile walk on very hilly terrain.
Fitness levels have more to do with our own endurance rather than our weight. I wouldn't recommend working out below your fitness level but I also wouldn't recommend trying to work way past it. I think pushing yourself each time helps increase your fitness levels. Some people may view exercise as just a means to lose weight but I think it is part of the overall means to being healthy which is more important to me than "just" losing weight.
ChristyDM, I'm sure that Stacy did not mean that as a hurtful comment. Realistically, at 261, I could not do the things I can do now at 163 because I would hurt myself. My joints were already bearing 100 lbs. more weight, which was a stress on them.
I like the response of if you're losing weight, then you're doing enough. As you lose, you will have to increase your exercise just as you'll have to decrease your calories in order to lose the same amount of weight.
WOAH, i am absolutely sorry that you were offended by my typing "for your weight", honey...take a look at my weight. I am in the same neighborhood. I would NEVER in a million years say that in a bad way. I am just not good at candycoating i guess. But realistically, someone who weighs what we do has a totally different exercise/calorie range than someone who is 140 and wants to be 120. But again, sorry doesnt even express my emontions. I honestly just meant that our weight requires different things than the weight of a 150 pound person.
This is definately a place of support, but it is also a place for honesty. If you ask a question about what is best for *you* then i am going to answer what i think is best for *you* and unfortunately, someones weight is the major factor in regards for what is best for them....calorie and exercise wise.
But what i was saying is that at your weight, you might be better off taking it slower, so you dont do too much too quickly and get burnt out. Everyone is different. But for me, i am at a weight that it doesnt take that much exercise for me to lose weight. I dont need to do 90 minutes of cardio to lose 2 pounds a week. BUT the important part is that i might need to do 90 minutes of cardio as i get closer to goal. So if i start out doing 90 minutes, then i stall about 40 pounds into it, that doesnt leave me much room to increase exercise to get the rest of the weight off.
So looking at it that way, if my highest weight is 150 and i wanted to get down to 135, then i would probably have to do a lot more than 30 minutes of cardio to get going. But at our weight, we dont need to do what the 150 pound people do. Yes the more exercise we do the more weight we lose, but i, personally, would rather have wiggle room as i get closer to goal. I want to be able to add another 30 minutes without it being a huge deal. If i am already doing 90 minutes, then an additional 30 minutes is a big deal.
So all i was saying is be careful of burnout. Too much too quickly burns me out. I have lost 100 pounds before and by the time i got there i was SO SICK of exercise, i gave up...gained most of back. At my highest weight i was 308, all i needed to do was a brisk 20 minute walk 3 times a week. Now i am down to 260 and i have to do 30 minutes of intense cardio to get the same amount of weight loss. When i get down to 220, i will probably have to be doing an hour of cardio, etc. Does that make more sense?
All i was saying to you is one 30 minute cardio session 5 or 6 days a week should be enough for now. Give your body time to adjust and get used to exercise before you go full throttle.
[QUOTE=Sheila53;1771743]ChristyDM, I'm sure that Stacy did not mean that as a hurtful comment. Realistically, at 261, I could not do the things I can do now at 163 because I would hurt myself. My joints were already bearing 100 lbs. more weight, which was a stress on them.
QUOTE]
I understand the point that was being made. And, while I am sure it wasn't meant to be hurtful, it did bring tears to my eyes. I just wanted to point out, for future reference for all of us, that it's usually a good idea to read over things before you hit submit reply. Sometimes looking back can make you change a "at your weight" comment to a "since you are just starting out" or a "For a beginner". But then again, I know I am the type of person that, if I don't speak up and say "hey, you just hurt my feelings" (be it about my weight or ANY OTHER thing) I will end up stewing about it and end up much worse off than speaking up in the first place.
Christy, it sounds to me like you are doing just fine in the exercise dept. You will know when it's time to increase it. You'll WANT to increase it. And if right now you feel that you want to/should decrease it a bit, by all means. A lot of this is trial and error and it is a VERY individual thing.
I could be wrong, so please forgive me. I think Get n Healthy didn't mean to offend you. I think she may have meant the heavier we are the more calories we burn just doing ordinary every day things, like brushing our teeth and even sleeping. So therefore when we are heavier, we don't require as much exercise.
Good for you, Christy, for knowing that not speaking up could cause problems! It's so hard when you're typing responses and you can't see body language or hear voice inflections. I hope that everyone feels safe enough to be able to share their feelings. For many of us, stuffing our feelings is what got us here in the first place.
What is Enough Exercise?
