Exercise advice?

The_Hungry_Atheist

I have been trying to slowly incorporate exercise, tomorrow will be the start of week 3 for me. I am not used to doing anything but get up to eat, go potty or let the dogs out. I have been using a spin bike to exercise but I am having trouble doing more than 5 mins at a time. I will do 5 mins 6 times to get to 30 mins. Is that okay? Is it still considered a full 30 mins? I feel like if I stop and start I am not consistent as far as heart rate and calorie burning.

leggup

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

Veil5577

I'm the same way on my exercise bike, I have to take frequent breaks to keep going. It's okay. You'll eventually build up to where you won't need as many breaks. Just don't give up.

I also like walking because there's no couch to flop on when I get tired; I have to keep going, to get back home.

rsoice

What's wrong with 6 sets of 5 minutes? It beats hell out of 0 sets of 0 minutes. You will build endurance IF you continue.

tomee638

The biggest thing is to just not stop for too long. I wouldn't' say for more than maybe a minute or maybe 2 at the absolute most. If your heart rate slows too much, then your body will cool down and you're essentially starting over. I mean doing it 6, 5 minute increments is better than nothing at all but not stopping would be the absolute best. Work your way from one end of that spectrum to the other.

Someone mentioned walking, that would be good. Maybe briskly walking while actively swinging your arms like power walking would be a step on to just walking or possibly a light jog every now and then when you can.

Sent you a PM, I'd love to help you out more if I can.

kenc1971

How long are the breaks you're taking? Are they full stop, or can you pedal at a slower pace to keep moving?
Do you have a heart rate monitor? Use it to keep track of the entire time you're working out, including breaks. Short breaks won't hurt, but I wouldn't go longer than a couple of minutes. You may be able to take short breaks, or lower your intensity on the bike, and keep your heart rate within the low end of the desired zone before pushing it back up into the higher end.

_runnerbean_

5 mins x 6 is great- more than a lot of people do and it still counts as calories burned. It would be great to do longer sections to build up your cardiovascular fitness though. Try going on the bike and going really slow, aim for maybe 7-10 mins at a time. You might be going too hard at it which is making you tire very quickly. Once you get used to 10 mins very slow, aim for 15 mins and so on. Once you reach about 20 mins per session then you could start to increase the intensity.

staceypunk

I think you are doing good. Going from being very sedentary, anything is good for you! As long as you keep pushing yourself. Maybe try to make it up to 3 sets of 10 minutes on the bike. As long as you break a sweat and are not half assing anything you are heading in the right direction. Your strength and energy will continue to build and you can take it from there.

jim180155

There was a segment on Morning Joe this morning about the effect of running just five minutes a day where they found significant health benefits. I think they said it reduced coronary risks by 30%. (I might be a little off on that -- I was working out at the time and might have been a bit distracted.)

OP, stick with what you're doing. You've already made a big change. As your body adapts, you'll be ready to take on new challenges. But be patient and don't worry about what other people are doing.

The_Hungry_Atheist

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

The horrible pain in my crotch for one! I am not strong enough to stand and pedal yet. I like working out at home because I can watch TV. I live in Florida and it is really hot here and I do not think I am ready to just get out there and walk as out of shape as I am. The longest I have gone was on my second ride and it was close to 10 mins. Not muscle fatigue as much as bosy pains, either in the crotch, butt or hands and arms from holding myself up. My breathing is okay I quit smoking a few months ago.

The_Hungry_Atheist

The biggest thing is to just not stop for too long. I wouldn't' say for more than maybe a minute or maybe 2 at the absolute most. If your heart rate slows too much, then your body will cool down and you're essentially starting over. I mean doing it 6, 5 minute increments is better than nothing at all but not stopping would be the absolute best. Work your way from one end of that spectrum to the other.

Someone mentioned walking, that would be good. Maybe briskly walking while actively swinging your arms like power walking would be a step on to just walking or possibly a light jog every now and then when you can.

Sent you a PM, I'd love to help you out more if I can.

Yes I totally get this that is why I make sure to finish the 30 mins in an hr time slot. I started out by trying to ride during an hr long TV show and take breaks on the commercials....but jeeze the first commercial break is so far away. So essentially it is taking me 30 mins to spin in an hrs time. I was just curious as to if that is burning the same cals as full 30 mins straight?

cardinalsfootball

Do whatever you can to get moving. If all you can do is 5 minutes at a time, then 6 sets of 5 minutes is GREAT.

Eventually, you can get to 3 sets of 10 minutes. Then 2 sets of 15, then 1 set of 30.

There ARE advantages fo one long cardio session, but what is MOST important is to just start moving.

If you can walk, walking and eventually hiking is just a terrific way to get fit.

The_Hungry_Atheist

Thanks all for the advice and encouragement! I will continue on my little battles of the bike! Eventually I will be able to do the whole 30 but for now I will be content with 5 at a time and try and add a min until it builds up. :flowerforyou:

Morgaath

One of the things that often effects new runners is they start off by trying to go at a pace faster than they can handle, so they quickly get out of breath and have to stop. When I started I was having to stop before my first mile (It was my goal), then someone suggested I slow down a bit. BOOM! Ran the whole mile faster than when I was running till I had to stop, sitting and getting my breath back, and then walking the rest of the way.
Try going at a slower pace and see if it will allow you to go longer. Then slowly add more speed as you think you can handle it.
And no matter what, always remember that you are doing so much more now for yourself then when you were just sitting there.

bugaboo_sue

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

The horrible pain in my crotch for one! I am not strong enough to stand and pedal yet. I like working out at home because I can watch TV. I live in Florida and it is really hot here and I do not think I am ready to just get out there and walk as out of shape as I am. The longest I have gone was on my second ride and it was close to 10 mins. Not muscle fatigue as much as bosy pains, either in the crotch, butt or hands and arms from holding myself up. My breathing is okay I quit smoking a few months ago.

Are you wearing bike shorts? If not you might want to invest in a pair. With that said, the longer you keep at it the less your crotch will hurt until it doesn't hurt at all (my husband calls it "toughening the taint" :laugh: ). When I was training for my du it was the first time in YEARS that my butt was in a seat and it was uncomfortable for a while. After a few weeks of constant butt-in-seat the pain was gone and I was able to do long rides in tri-shorts which have significantly less padding than most bike shorts out there. Also a few weeks ago I threw my bike on the trainer and did a 30 minute ride which was the first one since my du back in May and I had no pain.

Keep at it. Just try to go for longer periods of time. You don't have to go crazy fast. Just go at a pace that's comfortable for you.

TeaBea

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

The horrible pain in my crotch for one! I am not strong enough to stand and pedal yet. I like working out at home because I can watch TV. I live in Florida and it is really hot here and I do not think I am ready to just get out there and walk as out of shape as I am. The longest I have gone was on my second ride and it was close to 10 mins. Not muscle fatigue as much as bosy pains, either in the crotch, butt or hands and arms from holding myself up. My breathing is okay I quit smoking a few months ago.

For indoor walking try Walk At Home DVDs. These are actually low impact aerobics....simple moves without choreography. It incorporates arm movements too. This allows anyone to walk at night, or when it's raining (or snowing) outside.

1 Mile Walk in the "Try It" box:

http://www.walkathome.com/

Veil5577

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

The horrible pain in my crotch for one! I am not strong enough to stand and pedal yet. I like working out at home because I can watch TV. I live in Florida and it is really hot here and I do not think I am ready to just get out there and walk as out of shape as I am. The longest I have gone was on my second ride and it was close to 10 mins. Not muscle fatigue as much as bosy pains, either in the crotch, butt or hands and arms from holding myself up. My breathing is okay I quit smoking a few months ago.

For indoor walking try Walk At Home DVDs. These are actually low impact aerobics....simple moves without choreography. It incorporates arm movements too. This allows anyone to walk at night, or when it's raining (or snowing) outside.

1 Mile Walk in the "Try It" box:

http://www.walkathome.com/

Can you tell me more about this? I checked the link and am not quite sure where to start

cheesevixen_staci

I feel like I have a very "lazy style" of exercise. I didn't want to go max throttle this time around.

I started with a 30 day fitness challenge that involved only a few exercises a day (less than 5 minutes). I use the Dirty Girl I am awesome 30 day challenges. Everyday they up the reps of a single set of one exercise, and there are usually 2-3 exercises to do. Day 1 it's 5 push ups, by day 30 it's 15. Stuff like that. It's easy and I can fit it in anytime.

Then I started the p90x ab work outs. This is an 18 minute video showing abdominal exercises. It is extremely hard so I only did the first 15 minutes and took small breathers until I built up to the 18 minute mark no problem. Also, because of the length of the video I only do this once every OTHER day. It gives me a sense of having lazy days in between.

For time consuming exercises I generally go walk the dog or go swimming once or twice a week. It's something you can do on the weekends with your leisure time. I like to do it when the sun is coming up or just sundown. It is so beautiful it barely feels like a walk. I started at a mile, and now I can get up to 3 miles. I like to use endomondo to keep track of my walks so I know exactly how far I went. In the begining I really had no plan. I just walked until I didn't want to. Swimming is just fun. I need no reason to do it, and it burns an insane amount of calories for just paddling around a lil. I don't think I've spent under an hour in the pool. Just randomly at any point in 7 days pop your ear buds in and start walking, or go enjoy some summer fun.

MeanderingMammal

.... I am having trouble doing more than 5 mins at a time. I will do 5 mins 6 times to get to 30 mins.

The main thing is that you've started, endurance will come with time as you get more used to training.

If you can do six periods of five minutes now, then next week try to extend each five minute period by 30 seconds, then again the following week. Once you're up to six by 10 minutes start doing five by 12 minutes, then up to five by fifteen, then you drop one period again and add to each individual session. If you feel comfortable adding a bit more at a time then do that.

It shouldn't take you long to get to a 30 minute session a couple of times a day, which is where you start to make bigger gains in your fitness.

kenc1971

.... I am having trouble doing more than 5 mins at a time. I will do 5 mins 6 times to get to 30 mins.

The main thing is that you've started, endurance will come with tie as you gt more used to training.

If you can do six periods of five minutes now, then next week try to extend each five minute period by 30 seconds, then again the following week. Once you're up to six by 10 minutes start doing five by 12 minutes, then up to five by fifteen, then you drop one period again and add to each individual session. If you feel comfortable adding a bit more at a time then do that.

It shouldn't take you long to get to a 30 minute session a couple of times a day, which is where you start to make bigger gains in your fitness.

This, and other responses like it!

Aim to improve your efforts each time, do your best, and keep track of what you did each time. See, that's the thing about an exercise program that ropes me in. I could do the same thing over and over, and burn the same amount of calories each time, but at some point that will change. My heart rate might drop, my efforts might be less strenuous to get the same end result, and so on. So, I have to up my game. The human body is a funny thing like that. It wants to be comfortable, so it works to make you better at that annoying exercise you've been doing so much of, and you can't help but improve through consistency.

One big thing is that you're setting a 30 minute goal on the bike, and not stopping until you've made that 30, no matter how many tries it takes that day. Keep that kind of focus, and you'll be fine, no matter the exercise.

TeaBea

Can you try walking? It may help build up your endurance. You are not getting as good a workout taking multiple breaks. Do what you can to go a little longer each time (maybe even only an extra 30 seconds).

What makes you have to stop? Muscle fatigue? Too hot? Difficulty breathing?

The horrible pain in my crotch for one! I am not strong enough to stand and pedal yet. I like working out at home because I can watch TV. I live in Florida and it is really hot here and I do not think I am ready to just get out there and walk as out of shape as I am. The longest I have gone was on my second ride and it was close to 10 mins. Not muscle fatigue as much as bosy pains, either in the crotch, butt or hands and arms from holding myself up. My breathing is okay I quit smoking a few months ago.

For indoor walking try Walk At Home DVDs. These are actually low impact aerobics....simple moves without choreography. It incorporates arm movements too. This allows anyone to walk at night, or when it's raining (or snowing) outside.

1 Mile Walk in the "Try It" box:

http://www.walkathome.com/

Can you tell me more about this? I checked the link and am not quite sure where to start

This is mostly low impact aerobics....but everything can be modified because there is no choreography to "keep up with."

You start at a warm up pace....march for awhile, then do side steps for awhile, then do knee lifts.....for awhile. You alternate simple moves just often enough to keep the boredom away. After you are warmed up the pace of the music increases. Then you can add arm movements.....marching while pushing your arms out straight or hamstring curls while raising and lowering your arms. After awhile you do a cool down. The pace of the music will slow down. Then there should be a short stretch.

You can start with the 5 minute warm up ....if the pace increases too much.....slow it down. Nothing is counted or continued. You can do this slower without getting lost. If you don't want to use your arms at first....don't. Moving arms above your head will raise your heart rate. Newbies should keep the moves small....low kicks, small sidesteps. Then just increase intensity at your own pace.

There are lots of videos on YouTube to try....but most have been uploaded illegally. The Walk At Home site sells video downloads. Jessica Smith has posted lots of her "walks" on her YouTube channel.

DVDs - Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy.... are great. Newer ones are chaptered. Walk Away the Pounds will not be chaptered. Chaptering means you can "skip" miles. A 5 Mile DVD allows you to do a 1 mile or a 5 mile workout.....whatever you have time for.

TAsunder

Bike shorts might help. Really, though, saddle time will eventually help. I still get sore when riding my bike for the first time after winter, and I've biked 75 miles in one day at my peak.

NancyN795

Just keep doing what you're doing. You'll get there eventually. When I started exercising, I had to take frequent breaks, but now, 18 months later, I can do my chosen exercise (Wii Zumba) for a full hour without a real break.

I like your name - it frequently describes me, but I try to exercise enough to not have to be hungry.