Is it okay to 'workout' everyday?

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carolynpalmer64
carolynpalmer64 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Greetings all! I have recently lost 8 lbs with MFP through monitoring my caloric intake. Now that i have a gym membership I am wanting to add in the fitness and exercise component. Is it okay that I go to the gym every day? A typical trip to the gym is mostly spent walking briskly on the treadmill with maybe 4-6 minutes of running mixed in to a 30-40 minute walk. Some days this will be it, and then other days I'll do an upper body workout or a lower body workout. I had a heart condition when I was younger that kept my endurance down, which is why I would love to be able to do this every day (I'm feeling good!)...I just want to make sure there's no reason why I shouldn't be doing this.

TO CLARIFY: My heart condition is no longer a concern, it's just that I was never able to be fully active as a child because of it. Now the heart condition is corrected, but I'm trying to build up my endurance.

Replies

  • russellvolk
    russellvolk Posts: 102 Member
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    Why not just ask your doctor? He/she knows your medical history and will be able to recommend the best exercise routine for you.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR

    I had written out a whole reply, but then I noticed that you "had a heart condition" CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR
  • carolynpalmer64
    carolynpalmer64 Posts: 2 Member
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    Sorry, I wasn't clear! To clarify, my heart condition is NOT an issue anymore, I had surgery 10 years ago to correct it. My heart condition is just the reason why my endurance is bad (when I was a kid I was on a medication that kept my heart rate low, so I could never fully participate in gym). I'm trying to build up that endurance now, if that makes sense.
  • DGatorS_175
    DGatorS_175 Posts: 5 Member
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    I work out every day. 5 days a week I lift weights and the other 2 I do cardio. As long as you give the various muscle groups time to rest and recover I wouldn't expect it to be a problem. Everyone is different though....you just have to find the routine that works best for you.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Walking doesn't typically require rest days for muscle recovery, but pay attention to your body.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    A trip to the doctor is always in order before increasing your exercise, even for perfectly healthy people. I'm in pretty good shape now compared to 18 months ago, but I still got the all clear from my doctor before I started my triathlon training.

    Assuming he gives you the all clear, there's no reason not to workout almost every day. Just give yourself at least one rest day - your body needs to recover.

    Sounds like you are already doing a mix of strength and cardio, so that's good. As your intensity increases, consider doing them on alternate days to see maximum benefit from both.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    It depends how hard you hit it to what you should do. If you do the same exercise every day and it is relatively hard then don't, your body needs a break to recover. If you mix it up then I think its ok but then go with how you feel. If you are fatigued then you should have a day off.... Training is all about pushing our bodies. When we push them our initial response is to be less fit immediately after (i.e. if you run for half hour , have 10 minutes off and then do it again the second session will be harder). Our bodies overcompensate for this effect and you will get fitter. The problem is if you do the same thing to the same muscle groups every day they don't have time to do the over compensation. Instead of getting fitter you will degrade your body and make it prone to injury. If you do loads of different stuff though you will use different muscle groups so when one set is over compensating another set is getting battered into submission so they will overcompensate the next day. A really good book on this is Joe Friels "Triathlon training bible". Although its about triathlon in some places most of the book is generic. I am sure there are other good ones out there as well but this one does me.

    Good luck
  • ThatCatholicGirl
    ThatCatholicGirl Posts: 209 Member
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    I exercise daily usually for an hour with an equal mix of resistance and cardio.
    If I don't, I get cranky.
    And that's when my husband chucks stuff in my gym bag and shoves me out of the front door.
    Just listen to your body hun and be honest with yourself :smile:
    ~TCG~
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
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    Split your resistance training up with cardio(walking or cycling) and you "can" go everyday.

    Sample of my Six Day routine:

    Warm up with a fast 5 minute walk up hill on the treadmill. Legs & core on Mon/Thurs. Lats, Biceps & Forearms on Tues/Fri. Pecs, Delts & Triceps on Wed/Sat. I can't jog after two left knee surgeries, so I walk or cycle 30 minutes three days a week at work on my lunch break for cardio. On Saturdays we go for a 2-3 hour bike ride.

    Right now I have very little time to workout(Mom in Skilled nursing home) so I do a whole body workout twice a week(45 minutes), walk or cycle at work, then maybe the 1-2 hour bike ride on Saturday.

    Your good to go if each muscle gets a 2-3 day rest between workouts.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Is it okay that I go to the gym every day?

    Yes. Just make sure you build up to it gradually. Eventually you get to a point where a "rest day" is a 5km run.
  • JimieLou
    JimieLou Posts: 273 Member
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    Depending on what your doing I would say yes. If you're unsure though check with your doctor. Although my scenario is different my doctor told me to work out every day. She explained that it keeps my metabolism boosted. Although she recommended that one of the days be slightly less intense. So I do c25K 3 days a week plus added "hills" for 30 mins, interval treadmill training 3 days a week and just a normal 3.0 mph walk for an hour on day 7. I add in StongLifts 2-3 times a week. None of my workouts are less than an hour.

    I have been very successful with this in the past and continue to be. As long as your doc says its fine and your body is adjusting it should be fine.

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