For all you gym-goers out there. How much time do you actually SPEND at the gym? Right now I normally only do about 30 minutes of cardio - stretch and go home. And the thing is - I know that's not NEARLY enough (btw, it's about 4 or 5 times a week).

When I lost 60 pounds 3 years ago - I was at the gym an hour a night 5 times a week and it's SOOO hard to get back into that rhythm.

Also - WHAT do you guys do? What's your gym plan / routine?

Cuz I'm thinking of doing my normal 30 minute high cardio routine and then adding a normal paced 30 minute walk (no running or jogging - just walking) on the treadmill...then working my way up to 45 minutes of high cardio.

But I'm wondering - what is your gym routine?

I spend 60-75 minutes on the actual workout. That includes warmup, rest times and stretching. If I talk to someone, it takes longer.

I alternate cardio and lifting days. On cardio days, I do 40-50 minutes of cardio, then stretching, then some shoulder range-of-motion exercises. On lifting days, I do 5 min warmup, the lifting routine and stretching. I'm usually too tired to try any cardio afterwards. Cardio days take longer than lifting because of the extra shoulder exercises right now.

I work out for about an hour around 3x/week. I go to aerobic/cardio classes, some of which include a toning segment. Occasionally I stick around for a pilates or yoga class after cardio.

I do 45-75 min cardio on the elliptical 6 days a week and tuesday and Thurs I do weights with a personal trainer who works me HARD!! I am only into my 3 week so i can not tell you how great its been till I hit 12 weeks but I can give you this...My trainer says make sure you do Cardio after weights because that will just be a tottal fat burn and not just a heart raiser....I feel great doing this and also make sure not to push your heart rate past your target for Fat burn if that is what you are going for. It's long and complicated but our bodies are really tricky when it comes to how we work out. Also...as most of us know by now Nutrition is 80% of what we are aiming for and I personally am still struggling with this...3oz for a peice of fish, steak or chicken is freaking me out...

Hang in there and have fun with it!

Harley B

My general routine consists of 2 gym days a week where my primary purpose is weights which take me about 40 minutes for full body and then I hop on the bike for Xtraining for 20-50 minutes or until the daycare calls me and tells me my workout is done.

I run 4 days a week not at the gym usually 40-60 minutes 3 days, 60-120+ minutes the 4th

If because of weather or timing I do a 3rd day at the gym, then cardio is my primary purpose so I do that first and then I might do weights on "other" body parts that I dont usually get time to do - small muscles.

And I am a cardio junkie, if, like last week I only get 2 workouts in the whole week then they are cardio first, then weights.

I agree! 3 oz is not enough chicken or fish. I rarely eat steak, but I eat chicken and fish all the time and my standard serving is 6 oz. I'll sometimes cut it down to 4 oz if it is part of a stew, stir fry, or casserole with a lot of veggies, but rarely less than that. 3 oz is usually plenty of pork for me. I keep my calories limited to 1500 per day and don't have a problem fitting a 6 oz serving of chicken or fish into that limit.

As for my workout, I am in the gym 6 days per week:

• Two days a week I do 15 min on the stair machine, 25 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes running on the treadmill, and 15 minutes of abs. Total time is 75 minutes, not including 5-10 minutes of stretching at the end.
• Three days a week I do weights with a personal trainer. This workout is an hour. If I have to cancel my session with my trainer, I will do half on hour of cardio (divided equally between two machines), about 30 minutes of weights (combination of free weights and some of the machines) and 15 minutes of abs. Total time is 75 minutes not including 5-10 min stretching at the end. I hate to do weights on my own; when I do them with my trainer it takes less time and it is a way more intense workout.
• Normally I swim for an hour on Saturdays, but right now my trainer is offering free group sessions on Saturday mornings (they usually go an hour to an hour and a half) so I am doing that and replacing one my standard cardio days with swimming. This means I only have to do full cardio on my own one day a week, which is a huge relief cause it's the most boring thing I do.
• On Sundays I complete a 5-mile run outdoors. It's a refreshing change of pace to the gym.