How hard to push yourself

Hello everyone,

I am new here & what an awsome site. I started excercising with just a stationary bike about 1 week ago. I was in shape & after 4 years sitting behind a desk has taken it's toll. I am doing 30 min. of biking 10-12 mph every day after work. After a couple hours I am getting antsy. Walking around all jacked up with energy I have not felt in a long time & it is great. Should I ease into this or just get back on the bike & go some more. I don't want to get hurt overdoing it too soon.

Replies

  • Great stuff, well done! It's great that you're enjoying it - I think finding exercises that you enjoy and lower calorie foods/meals/overall diet that are still delicious are both really important. Yes, there's an element of struggle and challenge, but if you can work with your inclinations, it makes things so much easier.

    I don't know a huge amount about stationary bikes, but one thing that might be worth looking into is interval training. Essentially, this involves short sprints of high effort with longer periods of recovery time and a slower pace. I've started introducing this into my own cardio workouts - jogging on a rebounder - and I'm getting more exercise/sweat out of the same amount of overall time invested.

    Something that you might want to consider as well as the stationary bike is some weight training on alternate days - mixes things up nicely and builds strength. Weight loss is good, but gaining muscle tone/bulk is also good. This is a workout that was recommended to me for doing at home just using bodyweight rather than any gym equipment. I've had positive results with this so far and have increased the number of reps for most exercises a fair bit. Hopefully others more expert than me will be along soon to say a bit more about the benefits of strength work....

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
  • accutron
    accutron Posts: 10
    Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I do have 10 presets on my bike for cardio & weight loss. I think I will start with those & change it up each day. It is amazing how in 1 short week my legs feel like steel beams compared to weak rubber bands they were.