How long before exercise gives you more energy?

sangela71
sangela71 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm sure we all know that one of the benefits of regular exercise is supposed to be that it gives you more energy. I am just starting back to a daily walking program (approx 2 miles a day) after a few years of being mostly inactive, apart from a few failed starts at exercise.

Based on your experiences, how long will I have to exercise daily before I feel a difference in my energy level? Thanks in advance. :smile:

Replies

  • harrybananas
    harrybananas Posts: 292 Member
    Every one is different. Only you will know.
  • fifijoaney
    fifijoaney Posts: 21 Member
    I wouldn't say it gives me more energy. It gives me more stamina, I can do daily activities for longer without getting tired or out of breath. Things are generally easier. I do love the endorphins after exercise though they make me feel like I can do anything.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited March 2016
    About 1-2 weeks on average . If you're getting too tired, you can shorten the distance, take breaks, or walk slower. Then gradually build up as you are able.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Personally, I felt a difference virtually immediately but I was also never completely unfit, so yes everyone's different.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    its a state of mind. exercise doesn't necessarily give me more energy, in fact it tires me out. But taking care of my body makes me feel wonderful and eager to jump out of bed in the morning to enjoy life.
  • CindyFooWho
    CindyFooWho Posts: 179 Member
    I don't get more energy in the way you're probably thinking about it. I'm stronger with more stamina. So I can do all the things I want to do without struggling physically. But after a good workout, I actually get quite relaxed and sleepy!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Exercise giveth, but exercise taketh away. Let me rephrase that: there's a benefit to every workout you do, but there's also a cost.

    Over time, you should have more stamina and energy from the exercise you do. Each workout also makes you tired. Which can hide the more energy part. Maybe it's still there, you're just using it up?

    Imagine your fitness improving over time thanks to your exercise. But your "freshness" is another matter; you're less fresh after a long walk, and more fresh after a rest day.

    Stressing your muscles tells them to get stronger, but the actual getting stronger happens when they're at rest. Which means that rest/recovery should be an important part of any exercise program.

    I don't know if that's what's going on for you, if "energy level" means how sleepy you are or how difficult it is to walk your miles, etc. But I hope this is at least a little bit useful in a general kind of way.
  • sangela71
    sangela71 Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you all for your responses.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It's never really worked that way for me.
  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
    Are you taking about that wonderful post cardio rush of endorphins? I get it the morning after as I wake up.

    If anything over time the effect decreases if I'm doing the same exercise, so I have to change it if I want to keep having it.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Six weeks, in my experience. The time it takes to establish a new habit, so that you feel worse when you don't work out, instead of feeling worse when you do.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    Once your body adapts to that exercise, and it no longer becomes challenging.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    How often are you exercising? Rest and recovery is just as critical as the exercise itself. This is when all of the real benefits happen.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Perhaps it's all relative to what your 'norm' is, but I personally wouldn't feel any increase in energy levels from walking just 2 miles, but I would certainly feel sluggish if I spent the day sedentary and didn't get any exercise or fresh air at all. I typically do around 6-9hrs exercise a week and don't count walking into this.
  • akboy58
    akboy58 Posts: 137 Member
    edited March 2016
    I was completely sedentary for almost 20 years. I started losing weight and working out in the fall of 2013, and for MONTHS what I mostly felt was pain as my body gradually got used to regular physical activity. Only in the last year have I felt that long-promised increase in stamina and energy, but I have to say it's been worth the wait. I look forward to every workout; no amount of daily running around seems to faze me; getting winded takes real concentration and serious effort; and while I still have aches and pains, I feel 27 these days a lot more often than I feel 57. So don't worry -- it'll come!

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