Due to work and family responsibilities I am unable to do aerobic exercise such as walking or jogging more than 20 minutes at one time. If try to do this twice a day, morning and late afternoon. It this beneficial or do I need to get 60 minutes in at one time in order to see the most benefits? I know you are suppose to get your heart rate up for an extended time. What is that time amount? I am new to 3FC. Just started a structured exercise and diet plan the first part of March. So far I have lost almost 14 pounds so I know what I am doing is working for now. I just wonder when I start hitting plateaus will I need to find a way to exercise more at one time rather than splitting up my time?
I read somewhere that it is recommended to do 20 minutes of activity at your target heart rate five or six times a week. Your target heart rate is based on age and weight and is different for everyone. At 27, my target heart rate is 154. The article said that you can split it up however you like, as long as you total 20 minutes by day's end. However, that's only for health purposes and to maintain weight. If you want to lose, you'll have to do more. So twice a day is awesome. You will, eventually, hit a plateau and extra exercise will be needed to bust through them. When that time comes, maybe you could try jogging? It will get your heart rate going more quickly so you can keep within your 20 minute limitations and still pump up your workout.
Good luck!
Last edited by gaarmywife2007; 04-15-2009 at 03:33 PM.
I'm sure you'll get lots of answers to this question...My opinion is that dividing it up is better than not doing it at all. I think it's admirable that you're finding time to do it with such a busy schedule.
If you end up hitting a plateau, you could try a workout dvd. There are lots that are geared towards people who are pressed for time. One i've tried is Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. It takes under 30 mins, and it will definitely get your heart rate up. I only did it once a day and still saw results.
As long as you are losing and feel great, keep on keepin' on. Your 20-minute walks will probably slowly morph into jogs that will eventually morph into runs that will probably morph into full blown sprints. I think if at the beginning you can throw in a walk with a thirty or sixty second sprint every few minutes, you will see a huge difference. Congrats on your weight loss. I think the only thing that feels as good as the first ten pounds to go are the last ten. Walking that morphed into running is how I lost all my weight, with softball thrown in. So that means I did a lot of sprinting around bases last summer. I picked up rock climbing this winter and love it! It helped me lose the last ten like you wouldn't believe.
This article/study is from 2007, but it showed that exercisers got better results if they worked out for 30 minutes, then took a break.
Disclaimer: there may be other studies done after this which refute this study.
From WebMD.com
Fitness Plan: Rest to Burn More Fat
Taking a Break During a Workout May Help Fizzle Fat
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
July 20, 2007 -- Looking to burn fat through exercise? Resting during your workout may help, Japanese researchers report.
Here's the fat-burning fitness plan they tested: Exercise for 30 minutes, take a 20 minute break, and finish with another 30 minutes of exercise.
That revs up fat metabolism even more than a solid hour of exercise, note the researchers, who included Kazushige Goto, PhD, of the life sciences department at Japan's University of Tokyo.
Goto's team studied seven healthy, physically active men who were 25 years old, on average.
At the researchers' lab, the men pedaled stationary bikes for an hour without taking any breaks.
On another day, they rode the stationary bike for half an hour, sat in a chair and rested for 20 minutes, and then pedaled for 30 more minutes.
For comparison, the men visited the researchers' lab one more time just to rest for an hour, without exercising at all.
The researchers monitored the men's fat metabolism and hormone levels before, during, and after each session. As expected, an hour of pure rest was a dud when it came to fat metabolism, compared with the fat-burning effects of exercise.
But resting during exercise revved up fat metabolism during and after exercise, compared with a solid hour of exercise with no breaks.
The findings, published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology, may mean that to burn fat, you're better off budgeting a breather into long workouts.
But the study was small, and the men weren't new to exercise, so the researchers plan to test the theory in other groups of people.
Meanwhile, if you're ready to start exercising, check in with your doctor first.
Visit our Exercise and Fitness message board and ask your questions of WebMD expert Rich Weil, MEd, CDE.
SOURCES: Goto, K. Journal of Applied Physiology, June 2007; vol 102: pp 2158-2164. News release, The American Physiological Society.
How much walking at one time is enough?
.... Do whatever works for YOU !! Good luck !!
