Am I doing too much cardio?

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Christensledden
Christensledden Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
I started working out two weeks ago. I use the elliptical for cardio 3 times a day for about an hour each time (15 miles a day). I will do some strength alternating upper body one day with lower body the next usually on the machines at the Y. I'm not really sure if this is healthy or even useful. Any help?

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  • TAMMY_76
    TAMMY_76 Posts: 199
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    i would say yes ur suppose to do cardio between 3-4 times a week for at least 30 min a day and not exceed an 1hour
  • registers
    registers Posts: 782 Member
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    I started working out two weeks ago. I use the elliptical for cardio 3 times a day for about an hour each time (15 miles a day). I will do some strength alternating upper body one day with lower body the next usually on the machines at the Y. I'm not really sure if this is healthy or even useful. Any help?

    There is nothing wrong with exercising, the issue that arise from exercise is over training. You can determine this by how you feel, if you start to feel like crap, tired all the time, you're doing too much. If you feel fine, keep doing what you're doing.
  • Jerkis
    Jerkis Posts: 23 Member
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    same i do, but i actually do this 5 times /week for more than an hr. i think its not bad. i started over 3 months ago
  • nosey_rosey
    nosey_rosey Posts: 380 Member
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    I do about 1 1/2 hours a day 6x a week and I feel great! I truely think it depends on how YOU feel.... If you are beat down all the time I would say cut down, but if you feel good keep it up!
  • katiejneely
    katiejneely Posts: 52
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    That is a LOT of cardio, but my suggestion is to change up the routine. Maybe try some light jogging or the stationary bike instead of always the elliptical. Also, if you belong to the Y, have you tried any group fitness classes there? Spinning is really great cardio--and fun! Our Y has some of the Les Mills classes too--Body Pump, RPM, Body Flow--all wonderful. I actually teach Body Pump at the Y so maybe I'm just a tad partial to group fitness, but give it a try. :-)

    Also, if you want to try to start a tad of jogging the Couch to 5K program is awesome!!! I just ran a 5K with a pretty decent time (for a non runner). So glad I did it! GOod luck to you!
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    Tammy is right in that you're doing too much cardio... as for the 3-4 times/ 30 minutes thing: that's just a guideline for people who are not avid exercisers to aim for.

    Here's what's wrong:
    1) Too much at too high an intensity
    2) 1 hour would be okay
    3) Vary your cardio... don't just do one machine
    4) Replace those 2 hours with strength training and Yoga if you want to be active. It'll be better for you and give you a better shape.
    5) You can do cardio till you're blue in the face, but it won't benefit your overall body shape. Also, it's likely that you'll burn out if you start exercise in such a balls-to-the-walls fashion.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    3 hours a day seems excessive. And if you can do that every day, you may not actually be pushing yourself enough.

    I bet you could get similar benefits by doing less time each day but more intensive exercise. Turn up the resistance on the machine. Or try a different exercise. Get to where you feel kinda beat after 30 minutes. You'll be burning a lot more calories in that 30 min than in an hour where you feel like you can get back on later in the day.
  • spgabby86
    spgabby86 Posts: 323 Member
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    I would agree that's a little too much cardio and you will just burn yourself out...when starting out start slow...there are a lot of good websites that can help guide you...here's one for you to review...

    http://www.ehow.com/how_2047668_plan-cardio-workout.html

    Good luck...and remember this is a lifestyle change - a journey not a sprint...so try things that you and your body will be able to maintain. I'm no expert this is just what I've come to read on MFP and various other sites.
  • kylakesgal
    kylakesgal Posts: 952 Member
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    Wow that his a lot of exercise!! I work out on the elliptical too and don't do it everyday. (usually 3-4 times a week) and today I did it for 50 mins(just once) lol. Kuddos to you if you can do 3 hours in one day although it isn't necessary to exercise that much. 30 mins-1 hour of exercise a day is sufficient. If you want a bigger challenge, just turn up the resistance on the elliptical. You certainly are burning an enormous amount of calories in a day and I would imagine it is very hard to eat all those exercise calories back!!! I love the elliptical though because you can burn calories so fast. I call it the "Beast". I believe everything in moderation and that includes exercise. I know we want to lose this weight fast but it's a slow process and no need in wearing yourself out and tearing your muscles. Try adding some strength training in too and take a day off every now and then from the elliptical. Good luck to you:)
  • jugglingjon
    jugglingjon Posts: 4
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    Try mixing in some strength training. Doing that much cardio is going to end up forcing your body to break down muscle in addition to fat, which isn't a good thing for your metabolism in the long run. I think if you do some high-repetition strength training (like the Les Mills Bodypump classes), you'll find that extra muscle help you get rid of fat faster, and keep it off longer.
  • Christensledden
    Christensledden Posts: 4
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    Wow that his a lot of exercise!! I work out on the elliptical too and don't do it everyday. (usually 3-4 times a week) and today I did it for 50 mins(just once) lol. Kuddos to you if you can do 3 hours in one day although it isn't necessary to exercise that much. 30 mins-1 hour of exercise a day is sufficient. If you want a bigger challenge, just turn up the resistance on the elliptical. You certainly are burning an enormous amount of calories in a day and I would imagine it is very hard to eat all those exercise calories back!!! I love the elliptical though because you can burn calories so fast. I call it the "Beast". I believe everything in moderation and that includes exercise. I know we want to lose this weight fast but it's a slow process and no need in wearing yourself out and tearing your muscles. Try adding some strength training in too and take a day off every now and then from the elliptical. Good luck to you:)

    The reason I do all the cardio is because I can see the calories being burned (well, ok, I do have a little OCD and can
    t have my daughter beat me) My goal is losing one pound a week at I am sticking to that. I just want to know if it is more detrimental to keep doing it.
  • Jerkis
    Jerkis Posts: 23 Member
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    You're not the only one. I just changed 3 days ago. I go to the gym 5 times/week for an hr. All I do is the elliptical trainer the whole time... ;-/
  • Tribonian
    Tribonian Posts: 39 Member
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    I've been training for 3.5 months and started out doing 75-90 min on the elliptical a day. It worked out very well for me- after about 2 months, I added in strength training every other day. Once I got into the "normal" range for BMI and figured my joints could take it, I added in jogging. I still hit the elliptical but tend to do 45 minute sessions at higher resistance.

    Just one man's opinion: do whatever works for you.

    Good Luck!

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  • KristensMom314
    KristensMom314 Posts: 76 Member
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    I believe it's worrisome for an individual to do cardio 3 hours of cardio per day unless it's your job. Such behavior is characteristic of some eating disorders, and if it were anybody in my family or group of friends, I'd probably be concerned. Well it's concerning to me, friend or not.

    I agree that if you are not being challenged enough that you need to work out 3 hours that you should both intensify your work out and switch things up a bit. Are you able to run outside at all? Setting a running goal might be helpful--or finding a different machine to work out some different parts of your body. You could also do a video like P90X or 30DS.

    My other thought is that, if you jump into it hardcore now, in a couple of weeks you'll be tired of it and will completely fall off the bandwagon. I've done that MANY times.

    If you're burning so many calories that you have a really large amount left over at the end of the day, that's not good for your body either. You'll lose too many and your body won't be able to handle it. I generally try to leave about 100 calories at the end of each day (after workout), and I've been losing about 2 pounds per week.

    Hope this helps!

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