Is jogging 30 minutes a day and body weight exercise enough to get fit?
katroslyn
Posts: 2 Member
I’ve noticed that cardio really only makes me lose more weight, and skinnier. I’ve never been overweight, but I’ve always been some combination of skinny + stubborn fat. Basically a soft-skinny person. I’ve fluctuated with eating right to eating poorly or over my calorie intake, so I’ve never really seen the ultimate results, but I’ve noticed that my two-pack would subtly show more and more when I was on a streak of jogging and eating correctly. I’m trying to include body weight exercise like crunches, push-ups, squats, and explosive lunges. The reason I rely on body weight workouts is because I can’t really afford a gym right now. 
So I just do what I can to tone out more. I just don’t know if this is enough. And because it’s much hotter during the summer, I don’t have the same endurance I did back in winter and spring. I used to be able to do 40 to 60 minute jogs, but now I’ve been sticking with 30 minutes. I just want to get more toned and lose body fat where I have stubborn fat.
So I just do what I can to tone out more. I just don’t know if this is enough. And because it’s much hotter during the summer, I don’t have the same endurance I did back in winter and spring. I used to be able to do 40 to 60 minute jogs, but now I’ve been sticking with 30 minutes. I just want to get more toned and lose body fat where I have stubborn fat. 3
Replies
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You can definitely use bodyweight. Especially for upper body. Look into You Are Your Own Gym, Convict Conditioning, Gymnastic Bodies, Calisthenics Academy. You can do most in your home. If you have a pull-up bar even better. A pair of rings and you are rock solid.
Lower body is a little trickier and you'll max out quicker.4 -
Coupled with eating sensibly, you will nail it.3
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I bought a cheap set of dumbbells and use Fitness Blender strength training videos, really pleased with my progress so far. And I'm sticking to 30 minute runs until the heat goes down a bit too5
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Yes2
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Definitely. You're doing all good stuff. It's a great plan for your goal.2
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Absolutely! Great job. Stick with it!2
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If you are wanting to add more strength training without breaking the bank, there are lots of videos on YouTube. I used 2 lb. dumbbells that I picked up at Walmart for $4 and the HASFit videos on YouTube this week. I felt it was a great beginner workout for me. I've also heard of people using water bottles in lieu of dumbbells or canned vegetables.2
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If you're on FB, check the marketplace for a set of dumbbells for cheap.1
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Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.0 -
You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!0 -
Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.
I think the answer for you would be the same as for the OP: It depends on your goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, that's largely a function of your diet. You lose weight by consuming less calories than you expend. If your diet isn't in line (i.e., you aren't staying at/below your calorie goal the vast majority of the time), you can't out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise can help create the deficit, but it's very easy to out-eat the calories you burn exercising unless you're doing a lot of very long, intense training every day.
If your goal is to improve strength and body composition, some form of strength training would be more beneficial than cardio. But diet still matters a great deal. What most people call "toning" is actually losing body fat to reveal the muscles beneath, and you get rid of body fat by calorie deficit.
If your goal is primarily cardiovascular fitness, then cardiovascular training would be most beneficial. Would three days/30 minutes be enough? It depends - what do you consider "fit"? If your definition includes being able to run a 10K, half marathon or marathon, then 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't nearly enough; if your definition is just to be in decent cardiovascular shape for your health and be able to run, bike, hike, etc. when you want to, 30 minutes 3 times a week may be enough.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!
1 -
Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.
I think the answer for you would be the same as for the OP: It depends on your goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, that's largely a function of your diet. You lose weight by consuming less calories than you expend. If your diet isn't in line (i.e., you aren't staying at/below your calorie goal the vast majority of the time), you can't out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise can help create the deficit, but it's very easy to out-eat the calories you burn exercising unless you're doing a lot of very long, intense training every day.
If your goal is to improve strength and body composition, some form of strength training would be more beneficial than cardio. But diet still matters a great deal. What most people call "toning" is actually losing body fat to reveal the muscles beneath, and you get rid of body fat by calorie deficit.
If your goal is primarily cardiovascular fitness, then cardiovascular training would be most beneficial. Would three days/30 minutes be enough? It depends - what do you consider "fit"? If your definition includes being able to run a 10K, half marathon or marathon, then 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't nearly enough; if your definition is just to be in decent cardiovascular shape for your health and be able to run, bike, hike, etc. when you want to, 30 minutes 3 times a week may be enough.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!
This is probably a stupid question re: the bolded and I'm obviously missing something... But why can body builders/very muscular people eat a *kitten* ton more calories than normal people. If all that extra muscle doesn't burn as much as we thought, then their massive calorie allowances doesn't make sense.
0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.
I think the answer for you would be the same as for the OP: It depends on your goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, that's largely a function of your diet. You lose weight by consuming less calories than you expend. If your diet isn't in line (i.e., you aren't staying at/below your calorie goal the vast majority of the time), you can't out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise can help create the deficit, but it's very easy to out-eat the calories you burn exercising unless you're doing a lot of very long, intense training every day.
If your goal is to improve strength and body composition, some form of strength training would be more beneficial than cardio. But diet still matters a great deal. What most people call "toning" is actually losing body fat to reveal the muscles beneath, and you get rid of body fat by calorie deficit.
If your goal is primarily cardiovascular fitness, then cardiovascular training would be most beneficial. Would three days/30 minutes be enough? It depends - what do you consider "fit"? If your definition includes being able to run a 10K, half marathon or marathon, then 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't nearly enough; if your definition is just to be in decent cardiovascular shape for your health and be able to run, bike, hike, etc. when you want to, 30 minutes 3 times a week may be enough.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!
This is probably a stupid question re: the bolded and I'm obviously missing something... But why can body builders/very muscular people eat a *kitten* ton more calories than normal people. If all that extra muscle doesn't burn as much as we thought, then their massive calorie allowances doesn't make sense.
Their muscles are not at rest all day.
1 -
Exactly. I believe the 6 vs 2 calories a day thing only applies to BMR. So in AnvilHead's example, that 40 extra calories per day would end up being much more with increasing activity levels.Christine_72 wrote: »Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.
I think the answer for you would be the same as for the OP: It depends on your goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, that's largely a function of your diet. You lose weight by consuming less calories than you expend. If your diet isn't in line (i.e., you aren't staying at/below your calorie goal the vast majority of the time), you can't out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise can help create the deficit, but it's very easy to out-eat the calories you burn exercising unless you're doing a lot of very long, intense training every day.
If your goal is to improve strength and body composition, some form of strength training would be more beneficial than cardio. But diet still matters a great deal. What most people call "toning" is actually losing body fat to reveal the muscles beneath, and you get rid of body fat by calorie deficit.
If your goal is primarily cardiovascular fitness, then cardiovascular training would be most beneficial. Would three days/30 minutes be enough? It depends - what do you consider "fit"? If your definition includes being able to run a 10K, half marathon or marathon, then 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't nearly enough; if your definition is just to be in decent cardiovascular shape for your health and be able to run, bike, hike, etc. when you want to, 30 minutes 3 times a week may be enough.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!
This is probably a stupid question re: the bolded and I'm obviously missing something... But why can body builders/very muscular people eat a *kitten* ton more calories than normal people. If all that extra muscle doesn't burn as much as we thought, then their massive calorie allowances doesn't make sense.
Their muscles are not at rest all day.
2 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Fat person here, but really glad you posted he question.
I do a lot of walking right now but working back toward jogging/running. Is 30 min three days a week good enough for a chunky monkey like me or would I have to step it up to daily? I've got between 30 and 40 lbs to drop.
I think the answer for you would be the same as for the OP: It depends on your goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, that's largely a function of your diet. You lose weight by consuming less calories than you expend. If your diet isn't in line (i.e., you aren't staying at/below your calorie goal the vast majority of the time), you can't out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise can help create the deficit, but it's very easy to out-eat the calories you burn exercising unless you're doing a lot of very long, intense training every day.
If your goal is to improve strength and body composition, some form of strength training would be more beneficial than cardio. But diet still matters a great deal. What most people call "toning" is actually losing body fat to reveal the muscles beneath, and you get rid of body fat by calorie deficit.
If your goal is primarily cardiovascular fitness, then cardiovascular training would be most beneficial. Would three days/30 minutes be enough? It depends - what do you consider "fit"? If your definition includes being able to run a 10K, half marathon or marathon, then 30 minutes 3 times a week isn't nearly enough; if your definition is just to be in decent cardiovascular shape for your health and be able to run, bike, hike, etc. when you want to, 30 minutes 3 times a week may be enough.
This is a popular, but highly overrated statement. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest; a pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest. So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat (which is a pretty significant accomplishment which will take quite a lot of time), you'd be burning 40 more calories per day.You can do a ton with bodyweight exercises! Also check out online Barre videos that you can do at home.
Strength training and building up lean muscle mass will help decrease body fat. And building muscle helps burn those calories at rest - so you can eat more!
This is probably a stupid question re: the bolded and I'm obviously missing something... But why can body builders/very muscular people eat a *kitten* ton more calories than normal people. If all that extra muscle doesn't burn as much as we thought, then their massive calorie allowances doesn't make sense.
1) They weigh more than a lot of "normal" people.
2) They work out a lot more than "normal" people.
3) They're using anabolic steroids.
4) They eat a lot more calories when they're bulking. When they're cutting, they eat a lot less calories - sometimes a lot less than the average "normal" person, while also doing a ton of cardio.1
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