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How do I know?

seniorbug2003
seniorbug2003 Posts: 67 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How do I tell if I am working out hard enough. With my weight I just walk for 30 min with jogging when I feel walking gets to easy. I feel like I am working out. However I don't sweat. My hubby says that you have to sweat to make it a meaningful workout. My face is red by the time I stop.

Do I have to sweat to make it a good workout? How do I know that it is a workout that I am really burning calories?

Thank for any info

Replies

  • liznotyet
    liznotyet Posts: 402 Member
    It may be different for everyone depending on their fitness, size, walking style, and then there's the climate - heat and humidity affect sweating also. In my case I didn't get any fitness gains until I started working up a sweat. Exercise has not helped me lose weight but it does help me feel better in my body.

    Experiment to find the best combinations of exercise to get your body sweating and you will learn how it responds. For example, if you do pushups after you are warmed up from a walk/jog, you may find you sweat even more.

    Worked muscles may retain more water than flabby muscles, so the scale might not show your progress as quickly as the fit of your clothes. Workout to feel good, and never so hard that you can't do a little more the next time.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Do I have to sweat to make it a good workout?

    No. Like you said, when it feels too easy, make it more challenging. That's called using "perceived exertion". Google the term to learn more.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    First you need to define the goals of your workout before you can decide if you've met those goals.

    You are ALWAYS burning some calories. If you are moving your body it's pretty likely you are burning more calories than if you are not moving your body.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Everyone has different sweat rates, as cherimoose suggested base your workouts on perceived effort; as your fitness improves what may be difficult today becomes easier but you don't need to run a 4 min mile or a marathon to be fit.

    You may also want to invest in a heart rate monitor, not so much to track caloric expenditure but to give you an objective tool to measure changes in fitness ( I love going back through old logs and comparing pace, heart rate etc etc)
  • Anita4548
    Anita4548 Posts: 39 Member
    Not really. For example me and my sister are so so similar in weight/height. When we go for a run together - I sweat like a piggy. My sister - NEVER. I can't even see a single wet spot on her face, while I am almost drowning. And it's not like she is super athletic - she just doesnt sweat!

    Push yourself to the maximum and you are good ;pp Good luck x
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  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Sweating is not indicator whether your workout is easy or not, it's how you feel afterwards.

    I live in Florida, just sitting outside makes me sweat!! :
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Read about "target heart rate" on the web. That will answer your question thoroughly.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Read about "target heart rate" on the web. That will answer your question thoroughly.
    Except that unfortunately a large proportion of articles go on about 'fat burning zone' and the like, which don't really reflect the reality.
    But is a start, at least :).

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