How much exercise should you do each week

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ausbrah
ausbrah Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
Aloha,

Can anyone tell me how much exercise typically would help with my weight loss. I hear many different opinions on this subject.

I would love to hear what has worked for others trying to lose weight. I have a treadmill, many different DVD's and can walk in my neighborhood for up to 4 miles.

Please let me know as I have just started this past Monday and am very serious in losing weight this time.

Thanks,
Julie

Replies

  • skinnyb450
    skinnyb450 Posts: 288
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    Hi there
    Welcome - I started off doing 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week with approx 1kilo loss each week. I've built up to at least 1 hour of exercise 6 days of the week and I still am losing around 1kg per week - I'm still on 1200 calories - I switch between cardio with classes at the gym - to walk/run to my treadmill, exercise bike, mini trampoline, and stepper plus I have Zumba and other DVDs - Sounds like I should open my own gym (lol)

    Good luck and stick with what you prefer - eg walking, treadmill, gym
    Feel free to add me as a friend - I am also over 40 and trying to lose weight :):flowerforyou:
  • palmert22
    palmert22 Posts: 1
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    Hi there,

    I also have a traedmill, I usually walk about 4 miles a night on it. We started the biggest loser at work and this seems to help me. We started Jan 14th and today is Feb 22 and I have lost 9.3 pounds and 4 inches off my waist. I am usually eating about 1200 calories per day.

    Hope this helps

    Good luck :)

    Trish
  • pretty_fit
    pretty_fit Posts: 32
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    They say you should burn 500 calories a week .. I guess that's about 10-20 minutes of medium-high cardio a day. Generally as a rule of thumb, you should be burning as many calories as you consume (min. 1200/day). You can keep track of this on a pedometer. Most machines like your treadmill or any type at the gym will keep track of your heart rate and calories burned.

    You're also burning calories when you do chores like washing dishes, taking out the garbage, etc... I hope I wasn't too confusing.
  • katierg
    katierg Posts: 42
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    I have noticed that even exercising a couple times a week with walking or jogging can be more beneficial than changing diet alone. Last month I got more serious about shedding pounds and knew that to do it more effectively I would have to amp up my routine and intensify any workout I was doing so I got a gym membership and sucked it up to pay the $40/month, got over my phobia of people judging me and got a personal trainer to get me started ($120 for the first 3 sessions). I have lost 3x the weight in one week than I did in 2 weeks with just walking and light aerobics 3 times a week. I have been going about 5x/week. I switch up my routine to work on different areas of my body without overdoing it. (If your muscles have no rehab time they won't be any stronger.) So I alternate, aerobic warm up on elliptical and then I do arm and upper body strengthening one day and the next I do uphill walking at a 6.0 incline, 3.5mph for warm up and then I work legs (lunges, squats, presses, etc). If I feel tired and sore I just do a 20-30 minute aerobic workout on the elliptical. But that is what works for ME. Maybe team up with a trainer or fitness adviser once or twice to review what works best for you. :)
  • flossicle
    flossicle Posts: 90
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    I don't think there are any laws or rights n wrongs about how much you should be doing, i aim for a minimum of an hour a day but quite often do more than this, i have Saturdays off, occasionally go 4 a swim but that's it..but just do as much as you're happy with!
  • monkeybu
    monkeybu Posts: 34
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    My advice would be to do whatever you enjoy doing. For me it's walking - I walk and walk and walk at least 5 days a week and it is amazing how much my fitness has improved over the past 4 weeks since I started. Above all, find exercise that is easy to fit into your day because then it is easier to stick to your regimen. And take the hard option when doing daily activities - the stairs instead of the elevator, walking or cycling instead of driving, carry your shopping to the car instead of using the cart - all this stuff helps. All the best!
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    For health - the recommendations are 1hr of low-medium intensity exercise e.g. walking most days of the week or 30-40 minutes high intensity exercise 3 times per week. That said, if you are just getting back into exercise, take it slowly. You don't want to burn out to quickly and injure yourself, anything you can do is helpful to your health and weight loss.
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
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    Aloha!

    The key to this answer is based on your current level of fitness. If you are just starting out, go slow, even if that means 15 minutes a day for the first week just to build up your confidence. Too often we are tempted to "jump back into getting healthy" and we try to much too soon. When this happens, its easy to lose interest, sustain an injury, or otherwise get burned out and stop trying.

    Ideally, you should start slow and eventually build up to about 30-40 minutes 3-4 times weekly or whatever you are comfortable with. At some point, you have to push your comfort level and challenge yourself once you notice you are making a difference. Your body will tell you, and you will start getting that excitement and looking forward to your next work out and logging your meals.

    Best of luck to you.
  • curleesam
    curleesam Posts: 462 Member
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    In order to lose a significant amount of weight I was told to do 30-40mins of cardio at least four times a week. It worked for me. Now I do 1hr 5-6times per week and pilates for 30mins 1-2times per week to strengthen.

    Good luck. Feel free to add me.
  • lesley1981
    lesley1981 Posts: 329 Member
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    I find it really difficult to get motivated sometimes, but I always aim for around 30 minutes of "physical activity" per day.

    I say physical activity rather than exercise, because in order to ensure I do my thirty minutes I have started parking my car further away from work, and I climb the stairs in work rather than using the lift. Anything over and above that is a bonus which i DO classify as exercise :smile:

    The amount of exercise you do is a personal thing, do what you're comfortable with the start off, and as your fitness improves do a bit more...

    When I started off I couldn't even make it up the stairs in work without feeling the need to be sick, now I almost run up them :wink:
  • spunkbeer
    spunkbeer Posts: 60
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    I try and go to the gym everyday but that doesnt always happen due to work
    Usually i go to gym 3 hours 4 days a week.

    Other then that i do brisk walking and at work i am constantly running around and doing heavy lifting.
    And on my rare days off work i go out dancing.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    They say you should burn 500 calories a week ..

    Who said this??

    500 calories a week??? Don't you mean a day? There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. By this guideline it would take you 7 weeks to lose a pound!!! :huh:
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    The official recommended health guidelines in the UK are

    http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Howmuchactivity.aspx

    5x30 for adults
    7x60 for children

    "moderate activity" meaning you should be out of breath and start sweating.
  • tassles
    tassles Posts: 172
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    Just try to get more and more active over time...20minutes of walking a day is a good start then try to work up slowly to 30 mins etc until you are doing around 40 minutes a day. (obviously the more the better) there are some days you may only have time to do 20 minutes a day but thats ok too. Just try to stay active!
    ...it is a gradual process but over time you will find that the more you exercise the more you will want to (and the more food you can sneak in too)
    I find I try to do extra chores around the house to keep more active (this was never like me before!) and have even taken on the chore of mowing our lawns!!! ...never done by me before!!!
    ...so as you get fitter you'll find more energy too...so take it slow at first and work your way to a fitter and slimmer you!
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    I started with 30 minutes 3 times a week. This was the amount that led to the best weight loss for me. Exercising too much made my body hold on to the pounds. As your body gets used to exercise, you need to increase intensity, weight (for weight lifting), and time. I'm now doing 5 days a week for 45 min to an hour and a half.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I do high intensity aerobics 4x's a week and strength 2x's Strength for an hour and aerobics for 45-60 minutes. HIIT is really great if you are looking for something shorter.
  • ausbrah
    ausbrah Posts: 7
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    Aloha,

    Thank you to all for your encouragement, words of wisdom and experience.

    I really appreciate all that responded, I was shocked to see how many people are willing to help on this site.


    I will start off slow an increase my exercise the stronger I get.

    Mahalo to all,
    Julie

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