How much is too much?

quichebradford

I see quite a few people post periods of exercise in huge amounts (i.e. over 300 minutes of cardio) and I can't help but wonder about that. Is there such a things as too much exercise? There are times when I feel like I want to do more, but I'm hesitant because I don't want to overexert myself. I know that everyone is different so what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa, I'm just curious. I'm always amazed that people can go that long!

LittleD311

are you sure its not 300 calories burned!? some people are very active, but 300 does seem like too much to me as well!

anulle2009

That is a bit extreme,but it also depend what they are clocking, If they are clocking everythingi have noticed if oyu walk on lunch, then do cardio then cut the grass, i believe MFP lumps in into one sum..

kimjoan

It is a "what works for you" situation I think. No matter what your goals are you have to engage in a level that is sustainable, if you can do 300 minutes of exercise everyday for the rest of you life, cool - if you can't you shouldn't get your body use to that because it will react when you stop.

cmriverside

Excessive exercise triggers cortisol release, a stress hormone. There comes a point at which the benefits aren't substantial and you aren't keeping the balance. It's not an exact number of minutes or calories burned, however.

There are studies. . . go to some reputable sites and there is a lot of info on this.

Jennloella

I guess it depends what it is. sometimes people log a hike (that can last all day) as cardio, or they will log cleaning their house as cardio.....I don't know how many of them are actually running, lifting, etc for hours. also, they may group several small workouts into one entry.

bcattoes

Oh how I wish I had the time to find out.

javaruck

It's doable but you need to build up to it. If you get into endurance sports like marathons and triathlons, these long workouts become necessary in order to train for and complete these events.

RedHotRunner

There are a lot of distance runners who use this site. I wouldn't be surprised to see 300 minutes on any given saturday. Especially for those training for full marathons.

Also, some people here break up their workouts. They'll work out a few times a day and it might add up to the 300.

JMCade

Every activity you do and log thoughout the day adds up to one big total block of time on here. For example, I'll walk the dogs for 20 min.1st thing in the morning, go for a 30 min. run after breakfast, walk the dogs for 20 min. after work, go to the grocery store and walk around for 60 min., go to a 60 min. zumba class, walk the dogs again for another 20 min., and then go swimming for 90 min. in the evening. It all goes together and then on your profile it says ____ burned ____ doing 300 minutes of exercise including ___.

sharonfincher1

I sometimes work out twice a dy plus strength training, and then if i decide to play kinects.... u may see 300 minutes on mine...or Saturday I may do a zumbathon... that would be 120 right off the bat,,,

lclarkjr

I don't think too much exercise is a problem, but the issue is with over training your body. If you work your body hard and don't give it enough time to recover properly before you're working it hard again, then you risk over training and increase the risk of injury. Rest is key. 300 minutes of running is serious distance. But 300 minutes of hiking probably isn't as strenuous depending on the trail. And 300 minutes of housework is laughable.

Gigi_licious

CNN had a doctor that said "30 min 3x a week is recommended, 30-60 min 4-6x a week is healthy, anything over is just showing off and has no real benefit". I'm not an expert so I have no clue if that's true or not! I say do what works for you!

YukonJoy

That is a bit extreme,but it also depend what they are clocking, If they are clocking everythingi have noticed if oyu walk on lunch, then do cardio then cut the grass, i believe MFP lumps in into one sum..

Yes that's true. I bike to work, walk at lunch, bike home and then go for a hike with my dogs after supper and it ends up at like 400 minutes of cardio.

Also depends on what they do for work. Maybe they're mail carriers or something?

LilRedRooster

For me, there are days when I'll end up doing that many minutes, cumulatively, but those minutes are always spent on different exercises. For instance, there are days when I'll do an hour and a half run, and an hour and a half of strength training, and then maybe an hour of yoga. Since I'm training for long distance running, my workouts need to reflect that, since I can't perform at that level without conditioning first.

But MFP lumps everything together, so when someone's status says they did that many minutes of cardio, they could also have included everything from walking to cleaning the house, and not necessarily high-impact cardio.

Chiqui74

Are the 300 minutes done in one go? If so, that is a ot to do every day. However, if they are done over the course of a week, that's only 5 hours of exercise which is very manageable.

smlamb33

It is a "what works for you" situation I think. No matter what your goals are you have to engage in a level that is sustainable, if you can do 300 minutes of exercise everyday for the rest of you life, cool - if you can't you shouldn't get your body use to that because it will react when you stop.

Agreed!!