Is it okay to work out every day?

snufs

During SL, is it okay to still work out 6-7 days a week? Like walking 45 min - an hour almost every day, and follow Cassie Ho's workout-calendar with pilates every day? But only do SL three days. Will it be too much?

nexangelus

If your average calorie consumption is like it has been (1302 cals per day average) then yes, your metabolism will slow down very quickly doing this...you will probably need to dial down the cardio or up your calories.

To work out BMR (basal metabolic rate), TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and the such, see this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

If you want to work it with MFP, then eat back your exercise calories (which means you have to input them into the food/exercise diary)

p.s. you are normal weight for your height, so I do not know why you are eating at such a big deficit. (according to the calcs you should be eating above 1437 cals every day) You should be on maintenance cals or just slightly less to maintain your weight and lean mass. Also upping your protein via the food diary settings/goals will help to maintain the lean mass you have whilst losing body fat. I would suggest you eat at TDEE for at least a week then go from there (to get your hormones and stuff back to normal levels, sounds like metabolic slow down to me if you are not losing fat or body measurements are not changing).

auddii

I agree with the above that you need to eat to fuel your workouts. Most of the gals eat well above 1500, even those of use who still have 50 lbs to lose (or more).

Beyond that, when the weights get heavier, you will really look forward to your rest days. I have two days were I do nothing, and two days that I do cardio only. For now, it's working for me.

tameko2

There are LOTS of "it depends" here.

So for starters, just to address the amount of exercise - of course its ok to do that much exercise, for some people. Whether or not its ok for you depends on your goals, your current experience with exercise, and a bit on just YOU, how well you recover from various types of exercise, your sleep habits, your ability to rest, etc.

For the record, I generally don't consider a bit of walking 'exercise' per se but if you are treating it as such by trying to walk very fast for long distances then I would.

The other bit is - people who DO successfully exercise that much, eat to fuel their exercise. And as you seem to already know, its quite a lot of exercise.

So - what do you already do, on a daily basis?
How overweight are you - if at all - not how much would you like to lose (I see its 8kg) but in terms of your actual health, are you already at a healthy weight?

My general recommendations are:

1) Only add one thing to what you already do. So if you already walk a bit, or you do a pilates workout 3x a week, then I would just add stronglifts, and stick with that for 6 weeks or until you notice your performance suffers, or you feel tired or weak at all. Don't try to do that 6 day a week calender, AND add stronglifts AND add walking for 45 minutes a day. Its too many new things at once - WAY too stressful for your body.

2) You probably need to eat more, right now, regardless of any other exercise you add. And if you add exercise you'll need to eat even more. You mention in your profile that you're tall and you are only 18. Your resting metabolism is probably already much higher than what you eat right now and that means you're eating dangerously low. You only want to lose 8kg so you can't possibly be THAT overweight, if at all.

I made some random assumptions (175cm, 75kg) and plugged them into a calculator. Assuming you are anywhere near there (and if you want to give me exact numbers I will re-run this) the absolute minimum I'd suggest you eat every day, is 1600 calories.

If you were to then go and do the amount of exercise you've asked about here, I'd tell you to eat at LEAST 2400 every day, and not exceed 2700, and you'd be losing weight.

3) your profile mentions you feel uncomfortable with your body. That isn't your body at fault - that is your mind. I would suggest you do some reading and thinking about body image and self esteem. You will never not have your body. Even if you got your body into fitness model shape, it will still only be the body you have. For example - I have a long torso, short legs, and not much curve at the waist. I'm *always* going to have that body - no matter how much exercise I do and how much or little I eat, this is what I'm going to look like. You have to learn to feel proud and good about what you have.

tameko2

Oh and one more thing - I'd suggest you pick stronglifts over the other programs, for your thing to add. Or SOME kind of strength program.

Training for strength, for women, seems to give almost all of us a big boost in both self esteem and appreciation for what our bodies can do. There is honestly nothing more satisfying than telling people that you loaded up a bar with more than you weigh, put it on your back, and squatted it, or that you pulled a bar that weighs more than you off the ground and held it in the air. Or that you bench pressed the equivalent of a medium sized child today.

And everyone's body shape gives them a slight advantage in one lift, over another. So you'll have something like the deadlift be your best lift, and you'll appreciate the long arms that make that possible, or you'll like how much more you can press than a person with a narrower chest, or how much more you can squat than a person with long legs.

kopmom

I workout 6x a week

3x a week for Stronglifts
3x a week Running (training for a half marathon)
1 day rest (usually Wednesdays)

I do not lift and run ever on the same days

dixiewhiskey

It's amazing to see how different things work for everyone.

I workout everyday, fuel my workouts and my body adequately.. What I do may not work for everyone. if I am not lifting or doing SL, I play soccer or go for a walk. I consider those days a rest day (and of course days where I do nothing at all are rest days as well). I lift and do some kind of cardio on the same day.

snufs

Thank you all so much for your replies! I always get touched when I see how some people truly want to help others even when they don't know each other. MPF is the best!

I've read all of your responses closely and I think that there might be some truth in the things said about my metabolism is slowed down. One and a half year ago I didn't eat almost anything. I was on the line to becoming ill in anorexia, I got really weak and dropped tons of hair and all of that. However, I didn't lose much weight, or inches off of my body. I just didn't eat. Later, when I started eating, I started working out pretty hard. First the 30 DS and later, from January this year, I've done Insanity. But with no results of either of the programs. Can it be that my metabolism is so screwed up that no matter what I do, those darn inches aren't coming off? I'm not really unhappy with my weight - just the fact that my stomach is so big that I don't see and end to it. Someone also told me that maybe I'm thinking and focusing on losing inches too much, that I shouldn't stress so much over it because then my body gets really upset and doesn't want to burn any fat.

I know I should eat more, it's just that I really don't know what to eat .. I eat almost only fruit and veggies, chicken and eggs, but in school I eat plain food, such as potatoes and pasta. You should see my portions, they're huge! But I guess there isn't much nutrition in what I eat, but I'm out of ideas. Argh!!!!

Also, I'm 168 cm and weigh about 58 kg.

You all had some pretty smart things to tell me, so please give me more advice - if you possibly can - after reading this!

xidia

Red meat. Carbs. Fats: unprocessed oils, avocado, nuts. Soya, legumes, pulses.

All good, nutrient & calorie dense additions. If it seems like too much, add 100 cal/day from a couple of groups for a week, then keep increasing til you hit whatever calorie &macronutrient (protein, carb & fat percentage) goals you have.