Exercise..not enough?

claire30

Hi all,
wow, i am so glad i found this site, its great!!!

Anyway: i am currently exercising 4 days a week, for about an hour at a time. 20 mins on bikes, 20 mins on cross trainer, 1500 meters on rowing machine, 10 mins on weights.

Is this enough to lose weight and tone up a bit? If not, what should i do to maximise the hour that i have?

And realistically speaking, what is a sensible weight for my height (i am currently 10st 2lbs, and 5'6)?

Sorry for all the questions, but am making the most of finding this site!!

aabelein

Hi! for some one who is 5'6", like me, your goal weight should be between 118 and 159 pounds. check out this bmi calculator from webmd.com

http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus

hope that helps! :drinker:

jurassicjim

Sounds like a good amount of exercise to me, but obviously you have to have the right diet so as not to cancel your hard work out.

I do 30 mins a day, 5 days a week and that "feels" good for me, which is the most important thing.

jim

startfromscratch

I would say so. I'm exercising 4 times a week for 30 minutes and I've lost a little weight and it's only been 2 weeks. Just be sure to keep it up and monitor for food intake as well. because that's just as important as exercise. Hope This Helps!

claire30

Thanks for the replies you guys,
althouh i know 142 lbs is within the healthy range for my height etc, i really dont feel at all comfortable at this size, as its the biggest i have ever been (apart from when i was pregnant).
I guess its not so much the weight (although thats a big part of it), its more the fitness that i want to improve, as i can feel that i'm not at my best, or anywhere near my best!

iplayoutside19

It took me several years to learn this. But you cannot out excersise a bad diet.

Nutrition is 80% of your battle. So, to answer your original question, No. Having the proper nutrition will be the most effective way to reach your goals.

Not that excersise isn't important, but I think a lot of us focus too much on excersise when our efforts should be focused on eating correctly.

claire30

HI,
i have always eaten healthily, so its just my snacking that i have to get under control now. Iam getting tired of just having fruit for snacks, and as long as i do that, i think that the food and nutrition side of my lifestyle change, is fine.
I dont fry any food,i eat wholemeal pasta/rice/cereals, i eat lots of fruit, veg, chicken, turkey, salad, soup, fish etc.
I make sure myportion size isnt too big.
i also coom 90% of my meals from scratch, and rarely (maybe one a week) treat myself to pizza (2 slices only).

startfromscratch

Claire30, you really sound like you have a healthy diet and that combined with the exercise it's sure to get the weight off as long as you are consistent with it! It's all about being patient. I think that's what got me where I am now. I started to gain weight and when "diets" weren't working after a few days, I would quit and take up even worse eating habits, which lead to even more weight gain. Now, I know I've got to push myself to keep up the proper eating and exercise patterns if I want to see result. Moral of the story: You can do it!!! Good Luck on your Journey.

claire30

Thanks startfromscratch,
To be honst, i am not thining about this as a 'diet' as diets just dont work, i am thinking about it as a long term lifestyle instead.
I am enjoying my food a lot more now, even the healthy stuff, as i am appreciating that it helps and feeds my body. i am (slowly) getting used to not eating the amount that i used to, especially in regards to the junk food (mainly chocolate and crisps)..i am sure it will take time to become 2nd nature, but i am feeling confident that i will get there in the end!
Thanks so much for all the support!