Defeated before I begin

Nikki_42

I think 15-20 minutes is great, starting out or not. Even doctors say 20 minutes of exercise a few times a week is good exercise.

Fwiw, I still get winded on the eliptical after a few very short minutes for some reason, but have built up endurance on the treadmill and bike for up to 90+ minutes. Everyone is different.

Let what you read/see motivate you. Or ignore it, and do your own thing.

Glucocorticoid

Yes loosing fat mass is my goal... I have a lot to put away...What other techniques are there to use?

Losing fat while preserving muscle mass is your goal. You do not want to lose muscle. Unless you want the "skinny fat" look?

Cardio is really not mandatory to achieve this goal (although it can help, particularly in women). Resistance training is needed to preserve muscle mass. Just cardio will not accomplish this.

RhythmGypsi

Hi there Hopefully you won't take this the wrong way, but it is really inappropriate of you to measure the capabilities of people you know with your own. You haven't practiced yet enough, you know? 15-20 minutes is EXCELLENT for someone who is not used to working out.

Fitness and healthy eating are lifestyle changes, so you have to keep in mind -always- that whatever you do is 100% personal. Every time you compare what you're doing with someone else's progress, you are demeaning your own. It does not matter how long it takes for you to do anything if you are really committed to bettering your Self. If you can imagine putting some blinders on and focus only on what you're doing, it makes the Journey a lot more welcoming.

Come home to yourself, and stay there. Let other's go at their own pace, and be happy that you are doing what you can, to the best of your abilities, for the most positive of reasons. Good luck!

abberbabber

I just started working out.. I am pushing 40 and have literally never ever exercised before... I just purchased an elliptical hoping to do my cardio at home...

Here's my problem... I keep seeing friends and members doing 60+ minutes everyday on cardio... and I feel beyond proud of myself if I do 15 or 20 minutes ( moments away from falling out). My question... is doing 15-20 doing anything? is it something that I work myself into?

A good friend of mine who's in fantastic shape (dude runs like 20 miles a day...I hate him lol) told me to do what I can handle and try to increase by 10% every week. So if you do 20 mins each time this week, shoot for 22 next week. It may not see like a lot but within a few months you'll be up to that 60 minutes!

snewsome7

One step at a time! You have to build up to doing longer. When I was doing the elliptical, I started out maybe doing only 10 minutes until I felt like I was going to die. Now I could probably do an hour or more. I am also doing other cardio workouts like Zumba and Turbo Fire. Just be patient and you will eventually be able to do more! Good luck!

abberbabber

Oh and also...I think 15-20 mins on an elliptical is freaking amazing! I'm usually dying after like 5 mins on one of those...ugh.

wftiger

Most health organizations say 30 minutes of exercise per day is a good starting point and almost every one of them say that it is just as good to do 3 10 minutes as it would be to do 1 30 minute. Check out Mayo Clinic website for one that recommends this for those that can't do all 30 at one time.

Ready2Rock206

I

Here's my problem... I keep seeing friends and members doing 60+ minutes everyday on cardio... and I feel beyond proud of myself if I do 15 or 20 minutes ( moments away from falling out). My question... is doing 15-20 doing anything? is it something that I work myself into?

OMG! YES! 15-20 minutes on that torture device is fabulous for a newbie in my opinion! I feel ready to die after about 5! :laugh: You are doing great!

abberbabber

I

Here's my problem... I keep seeing friends and members doing 60+ minutes everyday on cardio... and I feel beyond proud of myself if I do 15 or 20 minutes ( moments away from falling out). My question... is doing 15-20 doing anything? is it something that I work myself into?

OMG! YES! 15-20 minutes on that torture device is fabulous for a newbie in my opinion! I feel ready to die after about 5! :laugh: You are doing great!

LOL I'm glad I'm not the only one! Those things are evil!

blueeyedcristi

I suffer from chronic migraines so I really struggle getting exercise in. I would be thrilled to get 20 mins in on my elliptical. I started at 3 mins and have worked up to 12 mins.

Ttopeka

Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

Lozze

Honestly you don't need to do an hour on any cardio machine. A lot of people do it for a multitude of reasons (they enjoy it, they think cardio burns fat better, they want more food to eat) but it's not NEEDED to lose body fat.

The best way to lose body fat is to reduce overall body weight. To do this you need a deficit and the easiest way to achieve this is through eating less food than your body needs to maintain your weight.

jaded_rose

If your just starting then start small. if you can only do 15 minutes a day then that's how you start. it's still 15 more then the one who won't get off the couch. You can march while you watch tv or spin.

good2bthaking

you are doing good. Don't get discouraged by comparing self to others. You will get stronger as time goes on. Give yourself credit for getting started. Great job and keep with it. This is a great site for knowledge, encouragement, and support.

walneyite

You are doing really well and keep it up... Start small and build up as you feel ready.
I joined a gym last year and went often but never seemed to lose weight.

I am 40 and Recently had gp tell me i had a worryingly high bp and need to lower it.
in my attempt to sort it I found this app and have just started it and feel more motivated.

I decided to go for a walk which is something i have never done and have started to feel and see the benefits already .
Don't compare to others just be happy in yourself ..... You are doing well . Good luck.

palfijozsa

Don't forget to take a look at what and how you are eating. It is all about small steps. When we moved to our new apartment, my husband and I took the opportunity to get rid of our old dishes. We went from the enormous dinner plates to the medium-sized salad plates. Since we were both raised in the "clean everything off of your plate" mentality, it is more visually appealing to see a plate covered with food, rather than THE EXACT SAME PORTION on a huge plate with space around the edges. We also made sure to eat slowly, while sitting with good posture...at the table, with no TV on or other distractions. Mealtimes are family times for us: a chance to enjoy one another's company and enjoy the food before us.

After we had implemented the changes to how we were eating, we then started removing high fructose corn syrup from our diet. His mother had been a diabetic, so he knew first-hand what terrible things the corn syrup did to her blood sugar...worse than processed sugar. We both started losing weight with just these changes.

We have both been increasing our levels of exercise little bits at a time. Sometimes, I still waste a day, just laying around, reading or playing silly computer games. But I don't beat myself up about it. Now I say, "Okay, you may have chosen to not use the gift of today very well, but tomorrow is another day." Through the motivation of people on here and my husband, I am finding ways to add movement to my day. My favorite is cranking up the music while I fold clothes or do some other hated chore. Since most songs are only a few minutes long, I set a goal to vigourously dance or wiggle to at least one song. When I am unable to dance at the same pace, I change to very slow movements until I am ready to rock out again. I am noticing changes already: I have more stamina and more energy.

We didn't make huge lifestyle changes, nor was it all at once. But making the small choices, every day, add up to BIG change in the longrun. Feel proud of the little changes you are making and only surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good about yourself.

csheltra26

You need to start somewhere! When I was 21 I joined gym for the first time. I weighed over 200 pounds and got on the treadmill the first day. I walked a whole mile - I was so excited!! Took me 30 minutes...yes you read that 30 minutes. But I started somewhere! Funny thing, I've completed 5Ks in the about the same time. I can do sooo much more now. Start slow, add 5 mins every week until you are doing about 30-40mins a day. Also, I'm pushing 40 and the most important thing we can do at our age is strength training. You should look into some work out DVDs incorporating strength training as well.

BrianSharpe

It may sound like a cliche but Rome wasn't built in a day.

I started running in my early 50s after decades of being a highly accomplished couch potato (if it had been an Olympic event I expect I would have won gold....) I could barey run around the block without thinking that death would have been a relief. But I persisted and, very gradually, my fitness improved. In 2009 I ran my first 5K race and haven't looked back.

Don't expect overnight success but keep going at it, progress at your own pace and give yourself a big pat on the back for making positive changes in your life.

sthrnchick

Yes loosing fat mass is my goal... I have a lot to put away...What other techniques are there to use?

Losing fat while preserving muscle mass is your goal. You do not want to lose muscle. Unless you want the "skinny fat" look?

Cardio is really not mandatory to achieve this goal (although it can help, particularly in women). Resistance training is needed to preserve muscle mass. Just cardio will not accomplish this.

I am doing the cardio in conjunction to weights...

Glucocorticoid

What does your resistance training routine look like?

flonightn

I REALLY needed to see this post. Just did my first elliptical session and could only do 10 Minutes!! I did tell myself that that was 10 minutes more than any time in the past few years. So I will heed the advice of increasing by 10% each week.

Di3012

I just started working out.. I am pushing 40 and have literally never ever exercised before... I just purchased an elliptical hoping to do my cardio at home...

Here's my problem... I keep seeing friends and members doing 60+ minutes everyday on cardio... and I feel beyond proud of myself if I do 15 or 20 minutes ( moments away from falling out). My question... is doing 15-20 doing anything? is it something that I work myself into?

Yes, it is doing a lot and believe me, if you persevere, after a few weeks, you will be well into forty minutes or more.

Work up gradually, adding a couple of minutes extra each session. Do not rush it, that is how people get injured, just go at your own pace.

Enjoy your elliptical and WTG for making that effort!! :flowerforyou:

ShanR77

It took me almost a month to get up to doing 60 mins of walking on the treadmill

AmyRhubarb

I started with 20 minute workouts! Everybody starts somewhere, and in my opinion, starting slow is better than pushing too hard and burning yourself out right away because it's too much, you're too sore, or whatever.

Start with what you can handle and eventually you'll find yourself wanting to do more.

Edited to add: Heck, some days I still only do 20 minutes! :laugh: Depends on how I feel and how much time I have! but usually I get at least 40 minutes per day, sometimes more if I also get a run that day.

quill16

Small steps will get you there.I couldn't even bring myself to put a toe on a treadmill a year ago, but I hit a small plateau weight wise and forced myself to do 15 minutes a day at a slow walk 2.8 mph. It was all I could manage. Every week I increased my pace or time by just a bit. 5 more minutes or at 0.1 mph faster.Then I started using my heart rate as an indicator of how hard I was trying. Tried to keep it between 120-145.After 6 months I was walking at 3.5 mph for an hour and then started the incline. Up and up I went until this January I decided to try running. I lowered the incline to 0 and started running at 4.5 mph for 30 seconds every 5 minute intervel. Today (only 3 1/2 months of this running thing) I run over 5 miles between 5.5 and 6.2 mph for an hour. I know it's not the fastest pace on the block,but I will get there. No one is more amazed than I. As the weight comes off and I improve I can only say that I have more energy, feel more fit, and see no reason to stop. I must add that I invested in a good pair of running shoes($100 Asics) and have no problems.

Deidre33

I just read a post were a lady lost over 80Lbs in 6 mnths... she changed her diet to 1300 cal per day. She bought an elliptical , and when she started she could only do 15 minutes. Now, 6 months later she is able to do 120minutes. My point, stay at it u will get there.

christenwypy

I think you need to work up to 60 minutes. I read you have to do 30 to start burning fat. And if you want to lose weight you have to do 60. But you can't just do 60 right away. It takes time.. And you can lose weight and whatnot when you are starting out doing what you can and watching what you eat. Every week just push yourself a little harder.

sofaking6

It's not all about weight loss, either...I'm older than you (kiddo!) and it's so important that we do weight-bearing exercise from now on to maintain bone density and muscle mass. So if you can only do 15 minutes, that is *exactly* why you should be doing it! Take that as a sign that you have some work to do on your fitness (as do most of us here of course) and get to it

:flowerforyou:

momsdumplin

I just started using the elliptical 2 weeks ago on a dare from a friend who is more overweight than me. She worked her way up to 15 minutes on it (literally started at 2 minutes and kept increasing). I got on it the first time and was only able to do around 5 minutes but now I've passed her on time. I made it to 40 minutes today. I hope within another 2 weeks I'll be able to do 60 minutes on it as it is a great calorie burner. I've also increased my time and speed I can walk on the treadmill. 18 months ago I couldn't walk faster than 2.9 MPH on the treadmill and for only 20 minutes! Now I can walk on it at 3.5MPH (I have really short legs!) and I can walk on it for over an hour. The more you do it the better you get and the longer you'll be able to do it. Don't feel defeated. It all just takes time.

riskiestlavonn

Is your resistance up too high? I remember I never understood how people could run for anywhere over 10 minutes until I realized that I was sprinting. Also... you need time to work up to an hour. It's hard work. :-)