Question for Stef .....
 

Hi Stef, hope you don't mind me posting a question here for you but your posts are always so helpful.

I have just started going to the gym again and I read somewhere that you need to do 20 minutes of continuous cardio exercise to get any weight loss benefits. Do you think then that I should do 20 minutes continuously on the treadmill/bike/cross trainer, rather than say 10 minutes on one then 10 minutes on another?

Forgive me if you have answered this elsewhere!

Thanks.

Phoebe :)

Phoebe,

The jury is out on the physiological benefits of this one! BUT if you are just returning to exercise you should start at a level you are comfortable at and build up to more time etc over a few weeks.

The government recommendations are, and have been for about 6 years now, that you should do at least 30 mins of low to moderate exercise on most days of the week. It makes no mention of what kind of exercise as it is recognised that ANY type of exercise is good. It also pspecifically says that the 30 mins does NOT have to be done in one go but will still be beneficial if accumulated in shorter periods through the day.

Don't let anyone tell you that doing less than 20 mins at a time is useless, it just isn't true. Governments and health authorities all over the world use thse same guidelines - USA, Australia, most of Europe etc.

Ask me more when you need to, Stef

Thank you Stef :)