Burn more cals

healthy491
healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
edited December 4 in Fitness and Exercise
I am a student so I spend most of my time sitting down and usually end up with my back hurting . I do use the elliptical for 45 mins everyday but I dont think thats enough , even according to my Fitbit. Any ideas on how I can burn more calories / move more during the day? Walking outside is currently not an option as its winter and the weather is horrible.
«1

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    I am a student so I spend most of my time sitting down and usually end up with my back hurting . I do use the elliptical for 45 mins everyday but I dont think thats enough , even according to my Fitbit. Any ideas on how I can burn more calories / move more during the day? Walking outside is currently not an option as its winter and the weather is horrible.

    so use the elliptical for longer if its not enough...
  • lindsaya1995
    lindsaya1995 Posts: 1 Member
    Maybe you could split up your workouts into smaller more intense sessions (HIIT) rather than 45 min of cardio. HIIT is more effective in burning calories and you can do them in the house following a workout video (I recommend fitnessblender). I'm a student too and I know some days I feel like I don't have time but when you break that hour into smaller junks throughout the day its more manageable. I also try and just take the stairs or do some calf raises whilst waiting around for classes!
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    Was thinking the same thing!!!

    Why are you looking to burn more calories? If it's weight loss, eat at a deficit.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    You are only 19. There are no excuses for sitting all day :) Go out for a walk or run (unless you are somewhere with a non-stop 6 month storm going on), see what is available to students (weight room, pool, track and field?), get into a new sport (you are at the ideal age), and if all else fails, just put on some music and dance
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
    lindsaya1995 wrote: »
    Maybe you could split up your workouts into smaller more intense sessions (HIIT) rather than 45 min of cardio. HIIT is more effective in burning calories and you can do them in the house following a workout video (I recommend fitnessblender). I'm a student too and I know some days I feel like I don't have time but when you break that hour into smaller junks throughout the day its more manageable. I also try and just take the stairs or do some calf raises whilst waiting around for classes!

    Love this idea ! Will definetly try it .. how many times a day do you workout ? If I may ask :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    edited October 2016
    I didn't have a car when I went to school.. I lived off campus so I had no choice but to walk everywhere. I went to school in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada) so the weather was definitely less than ideal most of the time (freezing, ice, snow etc..). If you are really opposed to walking outside , take the stairs when you can, walk around buildings. Does your campus have an underground walkway? Mine did and it was cool you could get places (and sometimes a bit lost) without going outside.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    If it rains every day surely you get used to the rain and are able to function in it. If it does not rain everyday the obvious solution is to go outside when it's not raining.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    Radical idea - wear a jacket perhaps?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    rain?! oh no!!!! are you the wicked witch of the west?! will you melt in the rain?!
  • Raptor2763
    Raptor2763 Posts: 387 Member
    If you're trying to burn more calories, HIIT (high intensity interval training) is more effective than just the elliptical. Nice thing about HIIT is you don't need weights or much space.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Raptor2763 wrote: »
    If you're trying to burn more calories, HIIT (high intensity interval training) is more effective than just the elliptical. Nice thing about HIIT is you don't need weights or much space.

    HIIT is not more effective.
  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing ;)

    I walk here in the winter regularly when it is -40, because like @sardelsa said, I don't have a car and I have no choice. There are always exceptions with really, really extreme weather, but I find it's usually not too bad once you get going.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,687 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    That's what rain jackets and umbrellas are for.

    I walk just about every day of the year ... and if it happens that the weather is REALLY bad, I'll walk in a shopping centre or at my university gym.
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    rain?! oh no!!!! are you the wicked witch of the west?! will you melt in the rain?!

    Who the *kitten* goes out walking in the rain?
  • DonutBelly
    DonutBelly Posts: 28 Member
    I use to take a theraband and work out my legs discreetly... , hold my core, walk/push ups/tricep dip during breaks..
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
    I asked this question for ideas , not for people to tell me that I should go out regardless of the weather . Therefore , if you dont have any other idea , I dont see the point .
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    If you have that much rain it would be wise to invest in some wet weather workout gear. Me I hate being locked up inside. You mentioned FitBit tracking on an elliptical. I am not sure how that motion effects the counter in your device so it could be a bit off.
  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    Well, if you want to "move more during the day", but you don't want to go outside ... You'll have to spend more time at the gym. Or workout at home. There are a variety of free workout videos on YouTube.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    rain?! oh no!!!! are you the wicked witch of the west?! will you melt in the rain?!

    Who the *kitten* goes out walking in the rain?

    Who?
    People who choose to increase their calories out rather than reduce their calories in.

    Your choice but using rain as an excuse not to get outside doesn't strike me as a characteristic of someone determined to make a success of this.
    Sorry if that comes across as judgemental but you are going to face tougher challenges in life than a little bit of rain.

    Walk up and down the stairs indoors if you want an alternative.
    Or stick an exercise bike in front of your TV.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited October 2016
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    If you allow weather to be your excuse.....it's mine too (ice covered covered sidewalks....nope) then "walk" indoors. Check out walking videos on YouTube. They also come in DVD form.

    http://jessicasmithtv.com/exercise-videos/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/walkathomemedia

    If you don't want to exercise outdoors, you can always find something indoors.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I walk in the rain. I have run in the rain too. Feels good.

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Does your campus have a gym available to students? Try some different cardio machines or mix it up with some strength training. You can always just listen to some music and walk up and down stairs, or dance
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I walk in the rain too (well no torrential downpours but normal rain). Maybe you can find an exercise video online that you like that you can do inside?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    rain?! oh no!!!! are you the wicked witch of the west?! will you melt in the rain?!

    Who the *kitten* goes out walking in the rain?

    :laugh:

    ok, just moan about your calorie burn instead!
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    healthy491 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not trying to be a smartass but where are you that it is winter in October? Do you walk outside back and forth between classes? If your classes are all in the same building you could get up and walk laps through the building.

    I meant Autumn

    sounds like an excuse to me, so you have the choice of the next 6 months of 'horrible' weather, or you just go out anyway....

    In the rain...?

    rain?! oh no!!!! are you the wicked witch of the west?! will you melt in the rain?!

    Who the *kitten* goes out walking in the rain?

    I do all the time. I love it. In college, it is especially fun with a very cute Significant Other. But it is fine by yourself, too. Particularly if one wishes to cultivate their melancholia after dramatics with the Significant Other. How can one understand their Yeats (or really any Irish author) without wandering about in the rain? How can one parse the sad lyricism of Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan? How can one fully appreciate the social repercussions of the English Enclosure Acts? Thoughtful perambulation across different kinds of weather not only burns calories, it builds your mind and character.

    "... in the distant woods or fields, in unpretending sprout-lands or pastures tracked by rabbits, even in a bleak and, to most, cheerless day, like this, when a villager would be thinking of his inn, I come to myself, I once more feel myself grandly related, and that cold and solitude are friends of mine. I suppose that this value, in my case, is equivalent to what others get by churchgoing and prayer. I come home to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home. I thus dispose of the superfluous and see things as they are, grand and beautiful. I have told many that I walk every day about half the daylight, but I think they do not believe it. I wish to get the Concord, the Massachusetts, the America, out of my head and be sane a part of every day."
    - Thoreau's Journal, January 7, 1857

    Nowadays I just make my cute Significant Other watch the kids while I walk in the rain, or as I did yesterday, layered up and rode my bike for an hour in the face of a biting wind. *bracing*

    Or you could just get your butt into the weight room. That works too.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories