How much is enough?

GiveItAll92
GiveItAll92 Posts: 26 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I tend to get really number obsessed, especially when it comes to cardio machines that tell me how many calories I'm burning. Does anyone have any advice on how to figure out what amount of cardio is right for me so I don't keep overdoing it? I do strength training as well but that is something I am much better about keeping balanced.

Replies

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    The "right" amount depends on your goals.

    What are your goals?
  • hararayne
    hararayne Posts: 261 Member
    I think it's up to you to decide what is too much. It's really a matter of personal preference. As long as you're eating enough to keep up with the demands you are putting on your body and not injuring yourself, you can be as athletic as you want to be. It may be best to talk to a trainer at your gym about what your goals are and what is optimal for those goals. It's hard to give advice since I know very little about where you are at psychologically and what exactly you are doing with your workouts in regards to your overall health.
  • GiveItAll92
    GiveItAll92 Posts: 26 Member
    Based on MFP my goal is to lose 2lbs per week with an overall loss of 12lbs. Basically I want to get back to the weight and health I was at a few years ago when I started college. I'm trying to be leaner and increase my endurance, but so far the only change I see is that I have more muscle than back then.
  • 34blast
    34blast Posts: 166 Member
    Also depends on your current routine and fitness level. I can easily do 1 hour elliptical or run 5 miles in 40 minutes 3 times a week. There are lots of good running sites about how to increase running gradually to avoid injuries.

    Now that I'm doing squats 3x5 3 times a week and soccer on Fridays. I just do elliptical 2 times a week for 40 minutes. Any more than that it would start to interfere with recovery of my squats. But I am fairly fit but older. When I was young at ate enough, it would be no big deal.

    Many will tell you to start listening to your body. After you work out a while, you will know. A little soreness is okay, but if starts to interfere with your main goal you have to back off.

    Progress slowly at each type of exercise. Think of more load, more time, or more speed. Example, so you do elliptical for 30 minutes at 8 resistance and 8 ramp height. Do that for a week or two, then move the resistance to 9. Do that for a week or two then add 5 or 10 minutes time. Start slow and keep adding. Same concept for running or weight lifting. For weights, I start easy and add weight each workout to the bar until I finally hit failure. Then I backoff and start adding slowly again.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Based on MFP my goal is to lose 2lbs per week with an overall loss of 12lbs. Basically I want to get back to the weight and health I was at a few years ago when I started college. I'm trying to be leaner and increase my endurance, but so far the only change I see is that I have more muscle than back then.

    If you mean by this that you need to lose 12 pounds, then 2 pounds per week is likely way too aggressive of a goal. Your body can only burn a certain amount a fat in a day. The more fat you have to lose, the more you can burn in a day. The opposite is also true, the less fat you have to lose the less you can burn in a day. Thus, when you have too large a goal with little to lose, your body will have to take that energy it needs from another source usually muscle and other lean tissue. If you only have 12 pounds to lose likely half a pound a week is a much more reasonable goal, especially if you are lifting weights as well.
  • hararayne
    hararayne Posts: 261 Member
    I'm still not sure where you're at. So you have lost 12 lbs? And how long did this take you? What is the goal weight you're looking to be at? What are your health goals? Are you focused on increasing endurance or simply running to have more calories burned in a day?
  • hararayne
    hararayne Posts: 261 Member
    If you know you have a gain in muscle mass, you may want to just get your body fat percentage checked. You could weigh more but look fantastic if you've put on some muscle. This is far more important from a health standpoint and your clothes will fit better. The number on the scale won't matter much.
  • GiveItAll92
    GiveItAll92 Posts: 26 Member
    I appreciate all of the response and how quickly they popped up! I've actually been on this site for a while and have never posted because a) I am shy and b) I've felt stuck. I haven't lost 12lbs I've gained that much in the past 3 years. My goal weight is 105 because that's what I was when I felt my best self esteem wise, I liked how I looked and I liked how my clothes fit. My health goals overall are to feel good physically and to be able to run a 5k- No walking, all running :) So I suppose the whole running serves to meet 2 goal (calories and endurance). I actually gained 2lbs recently and this is frustrating. I think I will take some advice from below and try to see if their any personal trainers I can consult with at my University. I know they offer free body fat percentage checks for students (2 per year) I did one last year Maybe I should go in and see if its any different since then.
  • hararayne
    hararayne Posts: 261 Member
    That sounds like a really good plan to me. :) Don't be shy! We all love to chat on here, at least when we have the time!

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