Am I exercising too little?

NatashaAlexandra
NatashaAlexandra Posts: 70 Member
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
The only exercise I do is the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD every day. I'm on level 1 at the moment because I decided to start it again and stick to the actual 30 days, so at the moment I burn around 200 calories a day just doing this 24 minute workout.

Is this too little exercise to actually lose weight/tone up? I've heard great reviews from people who have stuck to the 30 day shred properly, and I would love to be able to do the same, but I've also seen some people doing the DVD and then another 20 minutes on a treadmill to add more cardio in..
I do not own a treadmill because my house is too small, and I don't really fancy spending money on a gym for 20 minutes a day. I also thought of jogging for 20 minutes but where I live is quite public and I'm really not confident enough to go out jogging by myself.. as well as that I can't even jog lightly on the spot in my living room because I live in an upper victorian built flat so I'm a bit scared me jumping up and down isn't doing the building very good even though I'm only 139 pounds!!

Replies

  • angiezee
    angiezee Posts: 38 Member
    Have you cut your calories too? Or are you just simply exercising.?
  • NatashaAlexandra
    NatashaAlexandra Posts: 70 Member
    Have you cut your calories too? Or are you just simply exercising.?

    I have cut calories too, I'm on 1300 at the moment which is a 540 calorie deficit for me, but although the 1300 may seem low - I am unemployed at the moment so am not active everyday like most other people if you know what I mean! I eat most of my exercise calories as well though just to be on the safe side :)
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    Seems to me that by being unemployed, you could be MORE active than most of us.

    Just sayin.....
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    You can lose weight without exercise but calorie restriction also causes muscle mass loss so some exercise is beneficial (cardio also causes muscle mass loss so you want to strength train - Jillian has some of it in here DVD). You could invest in a set of resistance bands (you can find exercises online). They work great in place of dumbbells.

    As long as you create a calorie deficiency you will lose weight though. You can do that through just diet or just exercise or use both.

    And I'm happy to see you eat your exercise calories back. That is very, very important especially if you aren't that heavy to begin with.

    Eventually you will need to switch up the routine or change it. The body is very, very good at adapting (that's what has kept humans around for so long)
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
    When I did the 30DS, I only did the Shred as my exercise, I didn't supplement it with anything else - but that was cause I was still adjusting and didnt feel like I "had the time" yet. That being said, I still saw great results from doing the Shred for 30 days while watching what I was eating. It's up to you, but I think if I HAD the time, I'd WANT to do more!
  • MelHoneyRocks
    MelHoneyRocks Posts: 223
    Walk, its free and right under your feet!
  • momofcole
    momofcole Posts: 18
    I do 30DS a lot, usually when I am not able to get to the gym (which is most weekdays). But I don't feel like it's enough for me, so I'll also do a short cardio workout- usually just something On Demand. There are plently of cardio DVDs you could get. But jogging through your neighborhood sounds like a great plan!
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    Seems to me that by being unemployed, you could be MORE active than most of us.

    Just sayin.....

    Yup, I concur just like the SAHM's with kids in schools, there is no excuse! - chill chill people, not said to offend but to motivate.

    Weight loss is 70-80% nutrition so as long as you are watching your cals, the measly 150 cals 30DS burns (at least for my weight that’s all the full 26 minutes burns) is a good toning exercise for you to do.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    The ACSM recommendations are a minimum of 150 minutes (or 1000 calorie burn) a week of exercise to maintain health. In order to lose weight, they recommend 300 minutes (or a minimum of 2000 calorie burn) a week of exercise. Even if you are doing the shred 7 days a week, that is only 168 minutes and 1400 calories per week. While this is great for someone just getting started to build up endurance and be able to do more, it's not enough for weight loss in and of itself. I don't recommend doing the shred daily because you have to allow the muscles you've worked to rest a day in between, so you need to find something else to do with the shred to get the best benefits. There are other videos you can do that are just cardio without the impact of jogging in place, so I'd recommend picking up one of those when you get the chance. Walk Away the Pounds is good for being low impact. Pilates and Yoga typically have no impact. I wouldn't recommend Insanity because it is pretty impact laced, but there are a number of dance based aerobics videos out there that would be lower impact.
  • ubabe1
    ubabe1 Posts: 144 Member
    I started at about your weight 2 years ago with the 30 Day Shred DVD and I'm only able to work out 30 minutes in the morning. I was amazed at the results!! I did each level for two weeks...my fav is level 2! After I completed the entire DVD I just kept repeating the levels. I borrowed Trouble Zones from my sister and purchased Boost Metabolism and I am currently switching back and forth with those two. I did start running on weekends to expand my workout. If the weather is bad, I have the the Wii for indoor calorie burning (for something fun and different!) I did the Flat Belly Diet and it helped with calorie counting and eating more nutritious foods. MFP really makes you aware of the amount of calories you put in your body! Even though exercising allots you extra calories...because you burn 'em...I try not to "eat" those calories back. If you have time for a walk after dinner, depending on weather, add that!! Get a pedometer and wear it when you go shopping 'cause that counts as exercise!! Stay focused and remember why you are doing this!! Good Luck!!!
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    The ACSM recommendations are a minimum of 150 minutes (or 1000 calorie burn) a week of exercise to maintain health. In order to lose weight, they recommend 300 minutes (or a minimum of 2000 calorie burn) a week of exercise.

    Hmmmm, confused here. 300 minutes over a 6 day week (if you took 1 day off of course to rest) would be 50 minutes a day. 2000 cals however would be burnt in under 4 days considering 50 minutes on a cardio machine burns on average 10 calories a minute for an average person. 50 min a day for 6 days seems pretty high for the 'average' person.
  • em80
    em80 Posts: 91
    You could go for a walk for an hour or so in the day?
  • NatashaAlexandra
    NatashaAlexandra Posts: 70 Member
    All great but might I add VARIED responses haha!

    To the people saying I have no excuse and I should be more active than them, that is exactly what I tell myself every day but there is very little for me to do where I live.. For example going for a walk/run should be easy but I cannot go alone as apart from the town centre (which is very small, basically one street) all other pathways and road are in the countryside - which even though this sounds a bit silly is a bit dangerous for me to be going far alone as they are very secluded and hidden!!

    I live near a swimming pool, but they hold childrens swimming classes for most of the day and I can't really afford to be going at the moment, - same with the gym, it's too expensive where I live! Another annoying thing is the buses in my town cost me £10 return just to go 20 minutes down the road so really if I have no money there is pretty much NOTHING to do! It sounds like I'm making excuses but seriously I've been looking for things to do for the past year and it's very limited! :(
  • SwissMaedel
    SwissMaedel Posts: 31
    You know, I am all about SLOW & STEADY wins the race. I started insanity a couple of weeks ago, but it's really getting old REALLY fast. I do like the workouts, but it does take up a lot of time, which makes it difficult for me (stay at home mom of 3) to stay consistent with working out.

    I think it's fantastic you are doing your DVD every day. As long as you aren't overeating, you should still lose weight and get good tone.
  • KiminOK
    KiminOK Posts: 4
    Natasha, I am new here, so a little hesitant to jump in...I personally have to keep my workouts low/no impact, due to knee/hip pain. I LOVE Leslie Sansone's walking DVDs. I find them very fun, and they're widely available. I've seen them at Sams and Target for under $10. If you're looking to expand your workout times, this is an option for you.
  • emsibun
    emsibun Posts: 208
    Ok I can see that walking or running in the countryside might be dangerous for a woman on her own - even in broad daylight. I totally get that.

    - Do you have any stairs where you live that you could use to run up and down several times a day?
    - Housework - cleaning windows, vacuuming, de-cluttering even (and taking the resulting bin bags of things you don't want to a charity shop) - is exercise if you are doing more than you were - i.e. if you entered your activity as 'Sedentary' and are doing more than you did before.
    - Gardening - mowing grass, weeding, carrying bags of soil etc
    - Do you have 2 empty 1 litre bottles you can fill up with water and use as resistance arm weights to do some sets of arm curls?

    Think outside of the box and stop making excuses - there is plenty you can do with what you have if you set your mind to it!

    Go for it! :happy:
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    The ACSM recommendations are a minimum of 150 minutes (or 1000 calorie burn) a week of exercise to maintain health. In order to lose weight, they recommend 300 minutes (or a minimum of 2000 calorie burn) a week of exercise.

    Hmmmm, confused here. 300 minutes over a 6 day week (if you took 1 day off of course to rest) would be 50 minutes a day. 2000 cals however would be burnt in under 4 days considering 50 minutes on a cardio machine burns on average 10 calories a minute for an average person. 50 min a day for 6 days seems pretty high for the 'average' person.

    2000 calories is the minimum, not the maximum. :smile: These recommendations are based on the studies they've done and how much was done in order to see weight loss results, but the calorie burns and the minutes don't necessarily go hand in hand as for how much is burned per minute. How many calories you burn in an hour is different for each person, too. Not everyone who gets on a machine can work at a level that burns 10 calories per minute. Someone who is starting with lower intensity exercise would maybe burn about 200 calories in an hour of walking, so even at 300 minutes a week, which is only 5 hours, they wouldn't get but 1000 calories burned in a week. Going with a higher intensity exercise they would be able to get up to the 2000 calories, but most people just starting out either can't go that intensity for that long or don't have the machines available. Also, you have to remember that when you get more fit, your body becomes more efficient so your calorie burns from the same workout actually go down. Because there are so many variables of calorie burns--intensity of exercise, duration of exercise, weight of the person, fitness level of the person, etc.--they use them with caution and focus more on the time, at least in my program at school.
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