How much exercise should you do each week

Hi there,

I also have a traedmill, I usually walk about 4 miles a night on it. We started the biggest loser at work and this seems to help me. We started Jan 14th and today is Feb 22 and I have lost 9.3 pounds and 4 inches off my waist. I am usually eating about 1200 calories per day.

Hope this helps

Good luck

Trish

I have noticed that even exercising a couple times a week with walking or jogging can be more beneficial than changing diet alone. Last month I got more serious about shedding pounds and knew that to do it more effectively I would have to amp up my routine and intensify any workout I was doing so I got a gym membership and sucked it up to pay the $40/month, got over my phobia of people judging me and got a personal trainer to get me started ($120 for the first 3 sessions). I have lost 3x the weight in one week than I did in 2 weeks with just walking and light aerobics 3 times a week. I have been going about 5x/week. I switch up my routine to work on different areas of my body without overdoing it. (If your muscles have no rehab time they won't be any stronger.) So I alternate, aerobic warm up on elliptical and then I do arm and upper body strengthening one day and the next I do uphill walking at a 6.0 incline, 3.5mph for warm up and then I work legs (lunges, squats, presses, etc). If I feel tired and sore I just do a 20-30 minute aerobic workout on the elliptical. But that is what works for ME. Maybe team up with a trainer or fitness adviser once or twice to review what works best for you.

My advice would be to do whatever you enjoy doing. For me it's walking - I walk and walk and walk at least 5 days a week and it is amazing how much my fitness has improved over the past 4 weeks since I started. Above all, find exercise that is easy to fit into your day because then it is easier to stick to your regimen. And take the hard option when doing daily activities - the stairs instead of the elevator, walking or cycling instead of driving, carry your shopping to the car instead of using the cart - all this stuff helps. All the best!

Aloha!

The key to this answer is based on your current level of fitness. If you are just starting out, go slow, even if that means 15 minutes a day for the first week just to build up your confidence. Too often we are tempted to "jump back into getting healthy" and we try to much too soon. When this happens, its easy to lose interest, sustain an injury, or otherwise get burned out and stop trying.

Ideally, you should start slow and eventually build up to about 30-40 minutes 3-4 times weekly or whatever you are comfortable with. At some point, you have to push your comfort level and challenge yourself once you notice you are making a difference. Your body will tell you, and you will start getting that excitement and looking forward to your next work out and logging your meals.

Best of luck to you.

I find it really difficult to get motivated sometimes, but I always aim for around 30 minutes of "physical activity" per day.

I say physical activity rather than exercise, because in order to ensure I do my thirty minutes I have started parking my car further away from work, and I climb the stairs in work rather than using the lift. Anything over and above that is a bonus which i DO classify as exercise

The amount of exercise you do is a personal thing, do what you're comfortable with the start off, and as your fitness improves do a bit more...

When I started off I couldn't even make it up the stairs in work without feeling the need to be sick, now I almost run up them

They say you should burn 500 calories a week ..

Who said this??

500 calories a week??? Don't you mean a day? There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. By this guideline it would take you 7 weeks to lose a pound!!! :huh:

Just try to get more and more active over time...20minutes of walking a day is a good start then try to work up slowly to 30 mins etc until you are doing around 40 minutes a day. (obviously the more the better) there are some days you may only have time to do 20 minutes a day but thats ok too. Just try to stay active!
...it is a gradual process but over time you will find that the more you exercise the more you will want to (and the more food you can sneak in too)
I find I try to do extra chores around the house to keep more active (this was never like me before!) and have even taken on the chore of mowing our lawns!!! ...never done by me before!!!
...so as you get fitter you'll find more energy too...so take it slow at first and work your way to a fitter and slimmer you!

I do high intensity aerobics 4x's a week and strength 2x's Strength for an hour and aerobics for 45-60 minutes. HIIT is really great if you are looking for something shorter.