Addicted to cardio!

MrsC1st

Is it possible to workout too much or too long? I think the amount of exercise a person does should be based on what their comfortable with doing. My friend told me that I workout too long and hard. I believe each individual has different goals and timeframes set, so I believe in the old saying "To Each His Own". We all have to do what works best for the individual person, because there really isn't a one set approach; when it comes to shedding pounds. What do you think about this subject?

Flab2Fab27

To each his own is good as is mind your own business (in regards to your friends comment). Just don't overdo it and burn yourself out

snazzyjazzy21

It's entirely possible, I made myself quite sick by working out too much. It wasn't just clocking up a lot of hours, it was also doing very high intensity workouts back to back with cardio, and not giving myself enough rest. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

brianpperkins

It is possible to work out too much and too long. Without knowing what you're doing it is impossible for random people on the internet to know if you or your friend is correct.

43mmmgoody21

I despise cardio-- i am addicted to not doing it.

EmmaNilsson77

Overtraining is definitely a possibility. Look up the symptoms, keep them in your head, and pay attention to your body. If you're doing alright, there's no reason I can think of not to exercise as much as you want to. Just make sure you're eating enough for it.

wilsoje74

How long do you workout?

MrsC1st

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

brianpperkins

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

Seeing that just leaves me with one word ....

Why?

wilsoje74

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

if you believe in moderation I would take that into your workouts as well. There is no need to do cardio for 3.5 hrs per day. What is your goal???? You must have other things in your life? Job? Family? Hobby?

PunkyDucky

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

:noway: wow!
You don't need to overkill the cardio.
Your body needs at least ONE or even TWO days to rest?

LanceKarcher

Unbelievable.

MrsC1st

Overtraining is definitely a possibility. Look up the symptoms, keep them in your head, and pay attention to your body. If you're doing alright, there's no reason I can think of not to exercise as much as you want to. Just make sure you're eating enough for it.

Thanks

scrapjen

I'm actually similar ... I do an hour of elliptical pretty much every day. I've discovered Zumba and am loving that, doing it for an hour each morning. I'll also throw in a little treadmill, sometimes stationary bike as well. I also do a full body weight workout twice a week.

For me, yes, I love the exercise and the endorphins. I actually feel more tired if I don't work out. I also like to eat ... I struggle to keep calories around 2000 (my estimated burn for the day is often around 3000). Still, sometimes I'm not having much of a deficit at weeks end. I haven't been losing much lately, maintaining for a few months now. Not quite at goal but close (5'6" and 150 pounds). At least not in the "overweight" category anymore.

I guess some of it would depend on why you are doing it, are you enjoying it, and what intensity. I personally am more quantity than quality I know. I'm not "leisurely" when on the elliptical, I am working up a sweat. The bike ... that is pretty low intensity for me, it's my excuse to read my book and not feel guilty about it. My elliptical time is my TV time, it's the only time I watch. Zumba I completely enjoy (but I do really try to keep my heart rate up). Jogging ... that is only for a workout.

I would suggest getting some weights into your workout too. It is as important as cardio! Enjoy the exercise but stay in tune with your body's needs, and do take a rest day every now and again (I have to remind myself to do that too.)

MrsC1st

Unbelievable.

Shrugs, I was told that if you don't know something ask someone, so i guess now I know better lol

MrsC1st

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

:noway: wow!
You don't need to overkill the cardio.
Your body needs at least ONE or even TWO days to rest?

Hey, thanks for the advice. I'll consider taking at least one day off, maybe a Sunday.

MrsC1st

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

if you believe in moderation I would take that into your workouts as well. There is no need to do cardio for 3.5 hrs per day. What is your goal???? You must have other things in your life? Job? Family? Hobby?

When I spoke of moderation I was talking about my caloric intake. I recently started exercising, so I didn't know any better. lol
I guess I'll be cutting back now. I'm a stay at home mom, married twelve years, and my hobbies are reading/working out.

PunkyDucky

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

if you believe in moderation I would take that into your workouts as well. There is no need to do cardio for 3.5 hrs per day. What is your goal???? You must have other things in your life? Job? Family? Hobby?

When I spoke of moderation I was talking about my caloric intake. I recently started exercising, so I didn't know any better. lol
I guess I'll be cutting back now. I'm a stay at home mom, married twelve years, and my hobbies are reading/working out.

It's fine to have that as your hobby but just decrease it a bit and take a day or two off.......and maybe add in some lifts
Lifting is amazing and addicting also. Does wonders to the body :flowerforyou:

Good luck!

MrsC1st

To each his own is good as is mind your own business (in regards to your friends comment). Just don't overdo it and burn yourself out

Thanks for the info

MrsC1st

It's entirely possible, I made myself quite sick by working out too much. It wasn't just clocking up a lot of hours, it was also doing very high intensity workouts back to back with cardio, and not giving myself enough rest. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

My husband has been concerned about the dangers of over doing it. Thanks for sharing

MrsC1st

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

Seeing that just leaves me with one word ....

Why?

I had no idea of how much exercise I should be doing, so I'm glad to have a place to ask questions and get good advice.

tycho_mx

You definitely can overdo it. But overtraining is not that common. It takes a lot of work, discipline and motivation to dig yourself into such a big hole. Certainly possible.

I rode my bike 20 hours last week. 18the week before, and 15 and 17 the previous two. I do have a plan, built with the help of a coach. The longest single ride in that month was 6 hours. This is relatively common for competitive cyclists. Ironman triathletes require even more volume to be competitive! I don't take that many days off completely, but at least 1 or 2 days a week will be devoted to active recovery - very low intensity.

I love riding. MFP and weight management are simply accessories to ride better. So no lifting beyond some basic core workout and plyometrics to develop explosive power. Not a big deal - I simply found something I like doing. Seems you did, too. And for what is worth, the most amazing weight loss I witnessed was on a former manager at my work who found he loved riding a bike and lost about 100 lb in a year - iron will: a modest amount of oatmeal would be his breakfast every single day, and salad with tuna or chicken would be his lunch. He did not give up alcohol, though But he rode his bike lots, and that was the motivation he found.

3dogsrunning

Op you may want to check out this article.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

If you are training for an endurance event, I dont think a couple of hours a day of cardio is excessive, but that also assumes you are eating to fuel those workouts.
For weight loss alone, I really don't believe excessive cardio is the way to go, especially when paired with a lower caloric intake like you are doing.

So yes, I do believe that you can do too much under certain circumstances.

You mention it depends on the person and goals - what are your goals?

MrsC1st

I'm actually similar ... I do an hour of elliptical pretty much every day. I've discovered Zumba and am loving that, doing it for an hour each morning. I'll also throw in a little treadmill, sometimes stationary bike as well. I also do a full body weight workout twice a week.

For me, yes, I love the exercise and the endorphins. I actually feel more tired if I don't work out. I also like to eat ... I struggle to keep calories around 2000 (my estimated burn for the day is often around 3000). Still, sometimes I'm not having much of a deficit at weeks end. I haven't been losing much lately, maintaining for a few months now. Not quite at goal but close (5'6" and 150 pounds). At least not in the "overweight" category anymore.

I guess some of it would depend on why you are doing it, are you enjoying it, and what intensity. I personally am more quantity than quality I know. I'm not "leisurely" when on the elliptical, I am working up a sweat. The bike ... that is pretty low intensity for me, it's my excuse to read my book and not feel guilty about it. My elliptical time is my TV time, it's the only time I watch. Zumba I completely enjoy (but I do really try to keep my heart rate up). Jogging ... that is only for a workout.

I would suggest getting some weights into your workout too. It is as important as cardio! Enjoy the exercise but stay in tune with your body's needs, and do take a rest day every now and again (I have to remind myself to do that too.)

The endorphins is a major thing for me, and my body crave a good sweaty, heart throbbing workout. I don't feel right if I don't workout. I have recently started lifting five pound weights (ten sets of ten to be exact) and recently purchased a pull-up bar to do leg raises. My goal weight is one hundred and fifty pounds and I think that I'm a little to anxious to get back into my size 7/8. I will take the advice I have received and slow it down some, because the last thing that I would want to do is harm myself.

I have been doing 3.0 on the treadmill for sixty minutes ( usually burning three hundred calories), level five on the stationary bike for sixty minutes (burning four to five hundred calories), and a hour and a half on the elliptical (burning two hundred calories). Some days I eat back my calories, some days I eat half of my calories back, and some days I don't eat any of the calories burned back. Any advice is greatly appreciated Thanks

marcelo_templario

Check Dean Karnazes

3dogsrunning

Check Dean Karnazes

Karnazes was also eating 5000-7000 calories a day during his 50 marathons in 50 days.

MrsC1st

I despise cardio-- i am addicted to not doing it.

I used to be the same way, but now I get such an endorphin rush and sleep much better at night.

MrsC1st

Thanks for all of the replies to this question, as I'm new to exercising and could use all of the advise I could get. I use the elliptical machine for one hour and thirty minutes, stationary bike for one hour, and treadmill for one hour, seven days a week. I eat fourteen hundred and fifty to fifteen hundred calories on most days; on occasion I may go a little over by one hundred to two hundred calories. I don't believe in dieting, but I believe in everything in moderation and I try to choose healthier food options. I'm 5'4 and 192 pounds. Please keep the advice coming.

if you believe in moderation I would take that into your workouts as well. There is no need to do cardio for 3.5 hrs per day. What is your goal???? You must have other things in your life? Job? Family? Hobby?

When I spoke of moderation I was talking about my caloric intake. I recently started exercising, so I didn't know any better. lol
I guess I'll be cutting back now. I'm a stay at home mom, married twelve years, and my hobbies are reading/working out.

It's fine to have that as your hobby but just decrease it a bit and take a day or two off.......and maybe add in some lifts
Lifting is amazing and addicting also. Does wonders to the body :flowerforyou:

Good luck!

Recently started lifting five pound weights (ten sets of ten three times a week) Thanks for the advice

tycho_mx

Op you may want to check out this article.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

If you are training for an endurance event, I dont think a couple of hours a day of cardio is excessive, but that also assumes you are eating to fuel those workouts.
For weight loss alone, I really don't believe excessive cardio is the way to go, especially when paired with a lower caloric intake like you are doing.

So yes, I do believe that you can do too much under certain circumstances.

You mention it depends on the person and goals - what are your goals?

That's the best starting point. I come here and people say "I want to lose weight" when their real goal is often "I want to look better".
Weight loss is certainly a component of that, but they also want to be toned and shapely. Simply losing weight wouldn't be enough to achieve that.

Athletic goals are a different thing - I like athletic bodies but I would be the first to accept some look weird. As an example, elite road cyclists look weird very often. Pigeon chested, no arm musculature, insane tan lines and you can see the outline of every vertebra in their back and sometimes even the internal organs. Yikes. Look for a photo of Michael Rasmussen a.k.a. " the chicken".

For most of us there will be a point where that pursuit is no longer worth it. I want to get faster on a bike, but also want to be able to toss my kids up in the air.

MrsC1st

You definitely can overdo it. But overtraining is not that common. It takes a lot of work, discipline and motivation to dig yourself into such a big hole. Certainly possible.

I rode my bike 20 hours last week. 18the week before, and 15 and 17 the previous two. I do have a plan, built with the help of a coach. The longest single ride in that month was 6 hours. This is relatively common for competitive cyclists. Ironman triathletes require even more volume to be competitive! I don't take that many days off completely, but at least 1 or 2 days a week will be devoted to active recovery - very low intensity.

I love riding. MFP and weight management are simply accessories to ride better. So no lifting beyond some basic core workout and plyometrics to develop explosive power. Not a big deal - I simply found something I like doing. Seems you did, too. And for what is worth, the most amazing weight loss I witnessed was on a former manager at my work who found he loved riding a bike and lost about 100 lb in a year - iron will: a modest amount of oatmeal would be his breakfast every single day, and salad with tuna or chicken would be his lunch. He did not give up alcohol, though But he rode his bike lots, and that was the motivation he found.

Thanks, sounds great and inspiring.

MrsC1st

Op you may want to check out this article.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

If you are training for an endurance event, I dont think a couple of hours a day of cardio is excessive, but that also assumes you are eating to fuel those workouts.
For weight loss alone, I really don't believe excessive cardio is the way to go, especially when paired with a lower caloric intake like you are doing.

So yes, I do believe that you can do too much under certain circumstances.

You mention it depends on the person and goals - what are your goals?

That's the best starting point. I come here and people say "I want to lose weight" when their real goal is often "I want to look better".
Weight loss is certainly a component of that, but they also want to be toned and shapely. Simply losing weight wouldn't be enough to achieve that.

Athletic goals are a different thing - I like athletic bodies but I would be the first to accept some look weird. As an example, elite road cyclists look weird very often. Pigeon chested, no arm musculature, insane tan lines and you can see the outline of every vertebra in their back and sometimes even the internal organs. Yikes. Look for a photo of Michael Rasmussen a.k.a. " the chicken".

For most of us there will be a point where that pursuit is no longer worth it. I want to get faster on a bike, but also want to be able to toss my kids up in the air.

Thanks for the advice and I will look him up.