Cutting-back on exercise

princessd1511
princessd1511 Posts: 22
in Fitness and Exercise
I have recently realized (and yes I am that clueless that it is only just occuring to me now) that I am doing a little too much exercise now that I am in maintance. For awhile now I have been doing 2.5hrs of cardio a day (1hr on elliptical, 1.5 running). Furthermore, I had been doing this without upping my caloric-intake...which according to my friend whom is in school for nutrition, is going to backfire big-time because I am creating too much of a calorie deficit. Now that this has all been brought to my attention, I do want to change it as my main goal/priority is of course to be healthy!!! However, after working so hard to get to my goal weight I am a little nervous how this change is going to affect me. As I have been doing this amount of exercise for awhile, is my body accostumed to it and now requires that amount of activity to maintain? If I tone-down my exercise to a more reasonable amount, do you think I'll have trouble maintaining? As I am still only eating my minimum level right now I definetly am not going to decrease my caloric-intake even though my exercise will be less. Will that matter, or should my body put the fuel I'm giving it into better use now, rather than "storing it" as my friend suggested? I seriously can't believe I messed this up...lol...I really am just trying to be healthly!!! The bottom-line is that I now know I need to make a change, so that is exactly what I'm going to do...I'm just not so great with taking that leap of faith and waiting to see what happens...lol. So, if anyone has been through anything similar and has advice, it would be much, much appreciated!!!

Replies

  • princessd1511
    princessd1511 Posts: 22
    Bump
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Your body definitely adapts to intense exercise over time. I would cut back the exercise slowly, and raise your calories slowly. If you go too fast, you're risking gaining weight- like athletes do when they retire from their sports. 2.5 hrs of intense cardio is a LOT, and it's difficult to maintain that level of effort. If you had an injury or something, I think it would be very difficult to adjust without gaining weight. Go slow!
  • KelliW_runner
    KelliW_runner Posts: 150 Member
    Suggest you cut back on the cardio and add in some resistance training. 3 days of cardio (60 min) and 3 days of resistance training is a very respectable workout program. Make sure you are netting at least your BMR and don't freak out if the scale goes up a few pounds after starting strength training. Your muscles will retain fluid as they repair themselves and get stronger.
  • princessd1511
    princessd1511 Posts: 22
    Thank you so much for your feedback! Although I am a little unsure about cutting-back my workouts, I know it is probably for the best. I have heard that toning down exercise for awhile and then upping it again can actually be beneficial, so I guess if need be I could always do that ... Lol. Has anyone else heard anything like that?

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