How much exercise is too much?!!

workoutqueen628
workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
As summer is approaching, I will definitely have more time to exercise!! I have decided that anytime I have a craving for something bad or want to eat when I'm really not hungry, I will go exercise instead! I was wondering how much exercise is too much though. I exercise 6 days a week, and am thinking of doing two workouts per day on my lighter days, and on my intense days, just one long workout. Like for example, on a lighter day, doing weights for an hour, then 20 mins of cardio, and then going for a long walk after dinner. And on a heavy day, just doing a long run, about 4 miles. Is this too much? How much exercise is too much?!

Replies

  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
    That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I suppose it depends on your current fitness level -- going from a very low amount of activity to a lot could be bad. Obviously if you're really concerned about it, see a doctor first.

    I run about 4 miles a day every day except Sundays, when I play an intense game of soccer for two hours. I take Mondays off. I've been doing it for years. A friend of mine runs ultramarathons and often runs over 100 miles in a week!
  • amonroe2005
    amonroe2005 Posts: 3
    I definitely don't think that is too much... I work out at least 2 hrs a day and 1 hr on Saturdays..Then Sunday I take a break..I'm not sure how long you started exercising but one thing I can tell you is what a personal fitness trainer told me careful because you will start to open your joints and will be very sore...I didn't listen because I was so excited and motivated and boy did I make the mistake...but now I'm use to it...but sounds like you've been doing this for a decent period of time so I say GO AT IT and GOOD LUCK!!
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    "Too much" will be different for everybody.

    I do 1.5-2 hours of exercise most days. (between 5-6 days per week) But, I mix up my activity/intensity a LOT, which I think is the key. Some days I just take a long walk, some days I do a spin class, some days I do zumba, some days I do yoga, some days I do strength training. I try, as much as possible to do what my body feels like doing. That includes taking a day off.

    You will know better than anybody when you hit too much. If you start to get really, really fatigued, very cranky and dragging through the rest of your activities, or "bonking" during your workouts, then you may have hit "too much."

    Be particularly careful with your weight training. Train different muscle groups on different days or take days off between weights workouts.

    HTH.:flowerforyou:
  • Pariah
    Pariah Posts: 97 Member
    i agree with whoever said "too much" is different for everyone. so give it a shot. if it's too much your body will tell you. part of being healthy is knowing what your body is telling you. so if your body says stop, stop. there's a difference between pushing yourself a little farther, and pushing yourself too far.
  • workoutqueen628
    workoutqueen628 Posts: 220
    Wow, 2 hrs a day seems like a lot to me! I aim for 60 mins. a day, but I am slowly going to increase it over the summer to at least 90 mins. Just curious to know how many calories are you intaking with that kind of exercise? Do you eat your exercise calories?
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    Wow, 2 hrs a day seems like a lot to me! I aim for 60 mins. a day, but I am slowly going to increase it over the summer to at least 90 mins. Just curious to know how many calories are you intaking with that kind of exercise? Do you eat your exercise calories?

    When I log calories, I eat all or nearly all of my exercise calories. Exercise is my stress relief, and I need to feed my body in order to do it. On heavy exercise days when I'm tracking, I eat over 2000 calories.

    Bear in mind that I don't go all out for two hours every day I workout. If it's a two hour day, it's weights followed by a cardio class, or cardio followed by a yoga class, or a super long (but slow) walk on a recovery day. I do periodization training, so my intensity really varies. I'm also on the last little bit of body fat I'm trying to lose and I have extra time right now, so I'm going pretty hardcore right now to try to break what is hopefully my last plateau. I have to keep my deficit small because I'm at a technically ideal body weight, but my body fat percentage is higher than I'd like.
  • beckym71
    beckym71 Posts: 3,511
    I definitely agree that *too much* is different for everyone.
    I am very blessed to have the time and support to do as much working out as I want.
    I average 3-5 hours a day. BUT I mix it up constantly. Some cardio,weights,yoga, lots of self defense and boxing classes (my new passion). Listen to your body. It will tell you when it is overtraining. Mood is a huge indicator of over doing it.
    I do not usually eat all my exercise calories, there are just too many of them most days. I try to keep my daily intake between 1800-2000, but I still have 15 - 20 pounds to lose. I am getting much more selective about my quality of calories and try to pack in as much nutrition as possible into those calories.
    Good luck with your plans and kudos for using your increased free time to pursue good health! :flowerforyou:
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