When you 1st started out with exercising, did you work-out every day or did you calm yourself into it and workout every other day or just a few days a week and then work up from there?
I am just wondering if I should be working out every day or what? I just started working out yesterday and have a structured plan(from a trainer). I start off with doing a 5 min warm up on the bike, then doing 4 different weight machines with 1 set of 12 reps each except the one for my legs which is 3 sets at 12 reps each(working different muscles each set), and then doing 15mins on the treadmill plus the cool down after the 15mins.
I am not going today as I am sore from yesterday's workout and I have a pretty nasty headache(I think I suffer from migraines as I get a lot of headaches and am going to talk to my doctor about it next week)
It is very important to give your body a rest once in a while. Training every day may provoque exausthion and perhaps loss of motivation in the long run…
What i usually do is 3 to 4 times a week of relatively intense exercise (Laps at the pool, cross-country skiing, mountain hiking). On the non-training days i simply take walks aound the block.
As for your headaches, do you drink enough water? As you describe it your training routine seems relatively intense, and headache is a symptom of dehydration
It is very important to give your body a rest once in a while. Training every day may provoque exausthion and perhaps loss of motivation in the long run…
What i usually do is 3 to 4 times a week of relatively intense exercise (Laps at the pool, cross-country skiing, mountain hiking). On the non-training days i simply take walks aound the block.
As for your headaches, do you drink enough water? As you describe it your training routine seems relatively intense, and headache is a symptom of dehydration
That is probably the problem then...I know I don't drink near enough water as I should be, and yesterday my headache started a bit after I got home from the gym.
I have a somewhat different opinion (with all due respect to fpb!), but as it's based on just my own experience, take it with a grain of salt! When I first started working out, I had never exercised regularly in my whole life, so I knew that I was going to have to create a new habit. To do that, I decided I would need to make exercise a non-negotiable part of my daily routine, so I made a commitment to myself to go to the gym 6 days a week. Now, within that very rigid structure, I would do exercise of different types and intensity--in those early days, sometimes I would be so tired that all I could do was 15 minutes on the elliptical or bike. But I still got there, and wonder of wonders, I did create a habit. When I can't exercise now for one reason or another, I really, really miss it.
Again, you really need to find what will work for you. But for me, it's all about teaching myself new ways to live on a daily basis. Even if you decide that going every day is nuts for you, I would encourage you to try to pick days and stick with them, so they become integrated into your weekly routine.
If I can do this, anyone can (believe me, I was always the most un-athletic person around)! I'm proud of you for getting started!
I am with teapot on this one. I also really pushed myself to go on a regular basis in the beginning until it is completely part of your routine and you don't even think twice about it. Right now I am freaking out because I am sick and can't go. I tried to go last week but the next day I felt sicker so I'm not going again until I am completely well. I know you feel sore right now but you can try just going to do cardio and if you want to do weight training do some leg work as they aren't sore. Technically you are supposed to work out muscle groups only once every 48 hours. But frankly I think you could do a weight training everyday as long as you aren't pushing it too much just to get into the habit. When I have been going to the gym I will go about 3-4 times a week and do 40 minutes of cardio and then about 20-30 minutes of weight training. I probably started out doing about 30 minutes on the treadmill and then have just worked up so that I am doing about 25 minutes on the elliptical machine and 15 minutes on the treadmill for my cardio. For the weight training I do a fullbody workout about 9 machines in all. I don't do it every time I'm at the gym, probably only 2 -3 times a week.
I think for you most important right now is getting into the habit of going to the gym and not to get too wrapped up in how long you are doing on what machine or whatever. If you can go everyday and do 30 minutes on the treadmill than that would be a really good start. You don't have to go super fast or have it at a huge incline. It is always best to start slow and work up. Then decide how many times a week you want to do your weight training. If you go to the gym say Monday to Friday then you could do a full body weight training workout Monday, Wednesday, Friday in addition to your treadmill and then on Tues and Thurs you could just do the treadmill.
I started out doing three days of aerobics classes a week, then added walking, then added weights. Now I'm doing four water aerobics classes a week (or WATP tapes when I can't get to the gym), weight lifting twice a week and walking plus light weights the last day, and I stretch every day. So, I've worked up to 7 days a week of exercise, usually 1 hour to 90 minutes a day. I never do weight lifting two days in a row because I do a full body work out. I'd rather do splits, but time doesn't allow it.
I have to agree with making it a habit. I'm at the point where I just can't not exercise, which I think is a pretty good place to be. While you need to rest muscles between weight workouts, you can do cardio every day as long as you're not overtaxing yourself.
For me (I am just starting out but was an avid exerciser up until a few years ago), I think it's important that I have a mindset of "I'm an exerciser." My approach is 2-pronged: 1) I aim to do my structured workout everyday. That way, I end up doing it 4-5 times a week. If I'm sore, I try to do another type of workout (if my legs are sore, I'll do a pilates ab video, for example), and 2)I try to fit in daily life opportunities to be active in addition to my structured workout. So I try to walk to the store or during my lunch hour, take the stairs once in awhile, do SOMETHING every chance I get.
BTW--I've read that you should wait at least 36 hours between weight lifting sessions to give the muscle fibers time to heal. I don't know if that's the most up-to-date recommendation--maybe someone here knows?
I can see all sides on this issue, and what it boils down to really is what works for you. This is just me taking a wild guess, but the more you work at it, the easier it will be to gain your stamina. What I tried to do is go every time I could. Honestly, I've been a gym member for about 5 year snow, on and off, I was just never regular about it. And you know, once I started seeing the same people in the same routine I got more motivated, because I knew it was just what I needed. So I think it's up to you to decide- I mean, it could havea completely adverse effect and discourage you if you go every day and don't like the results- but you really have to take it with a grain of salt and relaize that it's a long process, a lifestyle- not an overnight change.
Also, don't forget to rest your muscle groups for at least a 48 hours in between weight training sessions. If I know I'm going pretty much every day, I split between upper and lower body machines by day. It saves me some time and I can do more cardio this way. Whatever works for you, just make sure your muscles are okay! And stretch, it helps!
Last edited by djs06; 01-11-2005 at 01:35 PM.
Reason: forgot something!
I started out by walking 2 miles every day. Then after a week I added Curves 3 or 4 days a week. After about 2 months I started adding other things (balance ball, bike, Pilates, and Yoga) on the days I didn't go to Curves. On the weekends I increased the number of miles I walked. There is a part of me that says sometimes it's too much and that I should give myself at least a day off every week. Unfortunately, as I learned in December, if I don't exercise everyday I reach the point where I let it completely slide.
But you have to listen to your body. It will tell you if you're doing enough or not enough.
I totally read you on the fact that exercising too hard may cause lack of motivation in the long run....I've had the same training routine for the past 10 years and feel great about it....The hardest thing for me was to change my eating habits, as fast-food binge, just made the training sessions worthless....
for me.. I got a trainer at the Y..
worked out 4 days a week. The important thing was that I didn't pick what everdays I felt like.. it was the same 4 days a week. They didn't start me on weights until I was 4 weeks along.
Just don't go when you "feel" like it - because I never "felt" like it
Over the years, I have had different methods to insure that I exercised "enough". One method that works well is "if you didn't exercise yesterday, you must exercise today and at least make an effort to exercise today even if you did exercise yesterday". I used that for about a year. My current routine is "weight lifting on a different set of body parts 4 times a week, other days optional". My routine last year was "some form of exercise every day, with at least 4 days of weight lifting". I plan to get back to "some form of exercise every day" but I need to calm some things in my life down first.
In general, I do highly recommend working up to doing some form of exercise every day, but as you are starting, do what you are comfortable with, perhaps 3-4 times a week?
Here's what I am going to do(I will run it by my trainer though as well).
I will do the full workout(strenth and cardio) on the mon, wed, and fridays. I won't do strength training tues, thrus, sat, sun....which works out for me for my availability to get to the gym. I will do some sort of cardio on Tues, thurs at home or the gym(I have a gazelle at home here, I might even get a video or so of either Tae Bo or Walk Away the Pounds), and possibly do cardio on sat or sun depending if we are doing anything on those days or not and what time is available those days.
I see this soooo much in life (and in 3FC). We become these "all or nothing" women that either go to the gym everyday and never stray from our routine or we give up completely.
Last week I had this moment. I missed the gym. I said I would go and I didn't. I stayed up too late and I couldn't. It ruined my whole day. I was depressed and I ate bad foods because I had already screwed it up, hadn't I? I beat myself up. And where did this get me? Deeper in debt with my own self-esteem? That's no place to be.
We are not "all or nothing" women. If you drop the ball, pick it back up and start where you left off.
My best advice hun, is to do what you're comfortable with! Yes at first, you are going to be sore and exhausted... and that's why you're body needs a break.. Maybe try going every 2nd day to start...and within a few weeks, it WILL get easier - trust me!
Jessica - "We are not "all or nothing" women. If you drop the ball, pick it back up and start where you left off." - Thank you for these words... you really just made that click for me! Seriously, thank you - its exactly what I needed to hear right now!
When you 1st started out with exercising...
