Daily 20 min workout OR 3x a week for 40 min?

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shelled
shelled Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all! Am needing some advice that I can't seem to google for the right answers...

Which exercise routine is better in terms of fat loss? Intensive 20 mins 6x a week (30 day shred) OR moderate 40 mins 3x a week?

Some points to note if anyone suggests that I work out more:
#1 - I had my THIRD C-section back in June 2012 to deliver my 3rd child. And was put on bedrest for most part of the pregnancy, thus have lost most of the muscle mass I worked so hard to achieve previously. :( I am hereby very unfit, but I do have decent endurance due to my need to BURN body fat off.

#2 - I am still breastfeeding, and noticed the baby rejects my milk if I exercise 60 mins or more in a session. I've researched and it seems the milk may have gone through some "taste changes" when I exercise for too long at moderate pace.

Thanks for much for your input! :)

Replies

  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I'd be inclined to mix it up--3 days moderate, 3 days intense. But I get bored fairly easily doing the same thing every day, and my recovery ability for intense workouts isn't that great.
  • shelled
    shelled Posts: 31
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    I'd be inclined to mix it up--3 days moderate, 3 days intense. But I get bored fairly easily doing the same thing every day, and my recovery ability for intense workouts isn't that great.

    I'm thinking of alternating short workout videos from Jillian Michaels and cycling/running. Her workout videos tend me leave me quite sore especially in the joints, so I usually try not to do them everyday. I suspect my form is not the best when following her workouts, but without someone to spot me or a mirror in front of the TV, it's kind of hard to figure which is which. lol
  • americangirlok
    americangirlok Posts: 228 Member
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    I'm a very sedentary person by nature and circumstance. So I try to do something active every day- I try to have 30 minutes that are intentionally very active every day. Some days I get more. Some days I get almost an hour that's pretty intense and some days I get 3-5 moderate periods of activity that run 10-15 minutes. But for me, having a daily goal helps me stay with it. It doesn't matter if those 30 minutes are all at once or spread out over the day- but I try to do something everyday that burns more calories than just sitting at my desk and being in my car for my commute. I have been losing pretty steadily since January and I can't see that I'm losing more or less due to the exercise being spread out or for a longer intense period of time, but I'm significantly overweight so what works for me might not work for you. But for me being able to fall asleep and know that I did something good for myself in terms of exercise helps me stay motivated.
  • shelled
    shelled Posts: 31
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    I'm a very sedentary person by nature and circumstance. So I try to do something active every day- I try to have 30 minutes that are intentionally very active every day. Some days I get more. Some days I get almost an hour that's pretty intense and some days I get 3-5 moderate periods of activity that run 10-15 minutes. But for me, having a daily goal helps me stay with it. It doesn't matter if those 30 minutes are all at once or spread out over the day- but I try to do something everyday that burns more calories than just sitting at my desk and being in my car for my commute. I have been losing pretty steadily since January and I can't see that I'm losing more or less due to the exercise being spread out or for a longer intense period of time, but I'm significantly overweight so what works for me might not work for you. But for me being able to fall asleep and know that I did something good for myself in terms of exercise helps me stay motivated.

    Thank you for the input. :) I think some daily movement is probably going to work better than 3x a week exercising huh? I'm a stay-home mom of 3 kids, so when they don't need me to do something for them, I remain pretty sedentary (hiding in my room away from the craziness lol). I find it difficult to have a long enough pocket of uninterrupted time to "properly exercise" so was wondering if I just did some everyday would that work too.

    I'm also fairly overweight now. 76kg with body fat 37.8%. I'll think maybe I'll try your way for a week or two and see how that works for me. :)
  • americangirlok
    americangirlok Posts: 228 Member
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    I've started chasing my 3 year old niece around the yard when my sister and her come over (if the weather's nice). It tires her out and burns calories for me so that's a win-win!
  • shelled
    shelled Posts: 31
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    Most of us live in apartments in my country unless you're a millionaire. So no yards, and no space to chase kids around! *giggles*
  • Kadi82
    Kadi82 Posts: 361 Member
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    I prefer the 3x workouts a week. Only because I am generally time poor. My husband works crazy hours so its just me and the kids most days (plus throw in a few days work for me!). I am sure I could get up earlier, I just don't.

    I guess you will have to try a few things and see where you feel comfortable

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