Does 20-30 minutes of cardio really work?
Replies
-
Regardless of the reason why you want to do cardio it is beneficial. If you can only manage 20/30 minutes a day it is a great start. As days go by you will be able to intensify your cardio.
I prefer to do cardio one day and strenght training on the following day, I do 7 days a week alternating, for me it works and I feel energized. I akso vary the type of cardio to prevent boredom and the same for the strenght training.
Best of luck0 -
I'm wondering what exactly is cardio is it a long walk count? or jogging or running at 75% max HR?
I like to do long hill walks (3-3:30 Hrs) as much for mental health as any physical benefits is that cardio?0 -
Hi there!
Technically yes any amount of exercise is going to give you some health benefits. From a losing weight standpoint however your body will burn primarily carbohydrates in the first 20 minutes- it is not until well past that point that your body will switch to burning fat as a fuel source.
My recommendation is if you're new to exercise then it's best to start small and build up to avoid injury. If you've already been exercising then most definitely stick to 30 mins + as often as you can.
Best of Luck!0 -
T250
-
Leslie Sansone does a Cardio Walking DVD that I just love and I have never sweat so much in my life! 2 miles with warm up and cool down takes 3 minutes - my commitment is that next week, I will do it twice!
Fantastic!
Kaela x0 -
20 to 30 minutes is always better than 0 minutes...0
-
I'm wondering what exactly is cardio is it a long walk count? or jogging or running at 75% max HR?
I like to do long hill walks (3-3:30 Hrs) as much for mental health as any physical benefits is that cardio?
Like I said earlier any sort of physical activity is going to be beneficial- you're already lapping everyone on the couch! As far as what is considered cardio that's a harder question to answer. Running or jogging at 75% of your max HR while a good thought is hard to accurately execute. Typically max HR can be determined in a number of different ways according to ACSM guidelines but can be roughly estimated by 220- Age (ex: 41 yr old male, 220-41= 179 bpm).
However there are numerous factors that play into what your max HR truly is, for instance your weight, age, gender, physical fitness the list goes on. Not to mention that most people don't necessarily have the equipment on hand while they're running or doing other cardio exercises to measure their own Heart rate.On a treadmill sure they have the HR monitor items but they don't take all factors into account. And especially with it being summer your heart rate is going to naturally increase when running in the heat- Making it more difficult to access whether or not you're in your target heart range.
Sorry this is so long but maybe it'll help someone :flowerforyou:0 -
I truly believe that every little bit helps! and according to health units 20-30 minutes of physical activity is good for healthy living.0
-
Ok, need to put this into perspective.
In general, 20-30 minutes of anything is better than 20-30 minutes of nothing. Cardio offers great health benefits for your heart and body especially if you work at a target heart rate appropriate for your age, gender and fitness level.
For weight loss, 20-30 minutes of cardio really does work "if" you are still eating at a calorie deficit. You can lose weight not exercising at all, 20-30 minutes of cardio will just make that easier. Be very careful though, fitness pal tends to over-estimate calories burnt during exercise so if you eat back your calories burned exercise you run the risk of going over your actual calories burnt. Fitness pal is an estimate at best and not a great one.
two tips, get a heart rate monitor or at least use a machine that has a sensor attached. Choose a cardio setting that adjusts the difficulty based on your heart rate, great workout. 2nd tip, if you do end up using MFP's estimates, I'd cut the calorie amounts in half to be safe. Worse case scenario you under-estimate the calories burnt and just add a little extra to your deficit.0 -
Sweetness, you should look at what MFP is telling you to eat in terms of proteins, fats and other nutrients. What you sketched out for what you're eating looks like it's lacking in protein. When you say you want to tone, what you're really saying is you want to build some lean muscle, and you can't do that without protein. If your diet is too restricted, you're not going to be able to stay with it, and it just isn't healthy. Try to find foods you can eat that keep you in your calorie goal, but also help you meet your nutrition goals.0
-
If it doesn't, then I must have been exercising in my sleep.
by the way, you don't exercise to lose weight, you eat right to lose weight, you exercise to become healthy and maintain your lean tissue mass. If your focus is losing weight, make sure you understand, you could exercise all day, but if you eat crap, and eat to much of it, you'll still gain fat.
Agee with you, eating right is 80% exercise is 20%. You can't exercise a bad diet. Eat a diet of protein, carbs(mostly vegetables) and Fat. Eliminate all processed junk carbs out of your diet. Be patient, fat cells fill with water and then release it when they are ready to do so.0 -
yes it will benefit you. however, dont let it be the only thing you do! add some strength training in there and you will see more results as mussel burns more calories!0
-
Yes it does. I do cardio for an hour every day. It has helped me to lose my weight. I have been working out using Leslie Sansone "Walk Away the Pounds" She has another DVD that I want to get. So far with my calorie counting and walking away my pounds I have lost five pounds so far.0
-
Hello
My name is Dances with Wow...
I hope you enjoy my answer.. as it wil,probably go against what others will say..
For the vast majority of people..20 to 30 is way more than enough..Its the competitors thorough breds and over achievers that may not necessarily need more, but unless their exertion threshold standard fufilled will continually push to the extreme.
12 to 20 minutes is all thats needed to throttle metabolism..The mind will play tricks with rational thinking..but gravity, physics, and leverage never lie.
The exercise most people attempt to do defies nearly every rule that governing our bodies..when exercising the objective is to maximize lifeforce on less.
The end game is to have access to the body you desire to have --AT Will.. To paint a beautiful portrait of your self with the least amount of brush strokes.
Ah to do that requires whole cloth thinking not found in too many places. The real purpose of Cardio workouts --- is to teach the body how to secrete and release lipolytic enzymes..the only agent that can communicate with unwanted body fat, that only hormone agent that understands how to deweaponize its force field and the only hormone agent that give it marching orders to stand down..
The by product an benefit of mastering cardio is you tap endurance capability, heart health and faster recharge of your entire blood transfer and hormone exchange system.. All this is apart of a fertile lIfeforce.
Yes if I am competing pushing the time envelope is required but for getting the body to drop pounds, have a more modern masculine frame or achieiving a more firm flowing and feminine physique.. 12 to 20 minutes..will get the job done..
and thats for 100% of those have a desire and discipline to experience and participate in the act of testing personal resiliency...through fitness
If you would like to learn more about some awesome new exercise analytics and self test tools to empower your cardio in less time and greater results shoot me a like..
The one minute ride.. self test tool is one that will put this question to bed forever.
My name is Dances with Wow
And I can hands down help you unleash Life force
and in no time flat deweaponize unwanted body fat..
.0 -
Absolutely yes! Especially if it is vigorous.
the T25 videos are only 25 minutes long and you can burn I think up to 350 calories (depending on weight etc.)
Also on the elliptical I know if I go on for 25 minutes at a resistance of 7 I burn 300 calories. That is a good quick burn for me.0 -
Yes with one addition, you must actually be in "aerobic respiration" or cardio mode. This means that you must use up all of the ATP and glycogen stored in your muscles BEFORE your stored fat is going to be used for energy. The bottom line is that you must spend 10-15 minutes to get warmed up - heart rate up, breathing up, body temperature up and you are sweating. Now is when you are doing cardio. It is also a great idea to spend at least 10 minutes cooling down after your cardio to aerate your muscles and remove the lactic acid that may have been formed. This will greatly reduce the soreness often that comes later.
Hope this helps.
:happy:0 -
You eat healthy, less calorie dense foods to lose weight, and you exercise to get fit. The more weight you lose, the more you will be able to exercise. I've lost 65 pounds {240-175} since last September doing this. The one regret is that I was late to start strength training. If I had it to do over, I would have started lifting from the start.
Larro0 -
For cardiovascular improvement: yesHi. I am new to Myfitnesspal. I join a while ago but only used one day . Now I am 2 weeks and 3 days in, using daily. So far so good!
Question: Can you really benefit from 20 to 30 minutes of cardio a day?
If you're using it for weightloss, that's ALWAYS going to be more about CICO.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Not true. That affects your cardiovascular endurance and VO2 max. Fat comes off from calorie deficit.Absolutely! It's all about keeping your heart rate up in order to work off the fat.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
^^this. I do 20-30 minutes of HIIT on a stationary bike on a tough-for-me intensity so even the "low intensity" parts (when I'm not sprinting) are a good workout. 20 second sprint, 40 second rest, repeat. Working my way up to 30/30. It is heart pounding.High intensity interval training is great for shorter workouts - I'm a fan of it..0 -
Can't turn on the "fat burning mode" till all your glycogen is depleted. And that takes some serious effort.You need at least 18 mins to "turn on" the fat buring in you body. At my age I need all the metabolism boosts I can get. The cardio is also a great stress buster too. I combine with strength training to build muscle which also burns fat
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
seangalt1505 wrote: »Ok, all bias aside, it is indisputable that 20-30 minutes of cardio a day is essential to healthy living. Weather it's to lose weight or to just be healthier over-all. Your cardiovascular system is the core of your body's functionality and essentially 'keeps fuel on the fire' that is the powerplant of your body. It has been proven that 20 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is more effective at teaching your body to burn off the caloric values of macro-nutrients than a regular long-interval low intensity workout. To put it in a primal light, your body functions on a fight or flight mechanism, both concepts involve high-intensity exercise. When you physically trigger this mechanism your body goes into a catabolic state, burning off energy courses(fat, carbs, protein) in order to survive. The bottom line - if you don't keep your cardiovascular system in an exercised state your body will revert to an anabolic state which burns less energy.
My experience: Active Duty Military, Special Operations, 3 marathons, 12 obstacle races.
I know this is an old post, but I just found it- however, yes to all this.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions