My Exercise Choice ? Need Help !

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Cindy_ram
Cindy_ram Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a newbie here.Just signed up on Wednesday.(10/03).

I can easily walk for 2 hours without going out of breath but I can't last more than 10 minutes on the elliptical.I recently bought a elliptical trainer from Orbitrek and 10-15 mins,my heart rate hits a high and then I am too tired.I have tried changing the settings but no help.

I am 5'4" and 160 lbs and in my thirties.

Also,I have been contemplating joining a cardio boot camp but worry after coughing up the $300/- fees if I will be totally out of breath in 15 minutes and give up.

At present, I walk 3 days a week for 2 hours each (but sometimes it gets hard to find a good 2 hours in my day ) and also do water aerobics for 1 hour each, 2 days a week.I want to lose atleast 2 lbs a week.Any good exercise suggestions ?

Would appreciate any tips that can help me find exercises that will help me burn more calories in lesser time without running out of breath and just giving up.

Replies

  • Cindy_ram
    Cindy_ram Posts: 10
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    I am a newbie here.Just signed up on Wednesday.(10/03).

    I can easily walk for 2 hours without going out of breath but I can't last more than 10 minutes on the elliptical.I recently bought a elliptical trainer from Orbitrek and 10-15 mins,my heart rate hits a high and then I am too tired.I have tried changing the settings but no help.

    I am 5'4" and 160 lbs and in my thirties.

    Also,I have been contemplating joining a cardio boot camp but worry after coughing up the $300/- fees if I will be totally out of breath in 15 minutes and give up.

    At present, I walk 3 days a week for 2 hours each (but sometimes it gets hard to find a good 2 hours in my day ) and also do water aerobics for 1 hour each, 2 days a week.I want to lose atleast 2 lbs a week.Any good exercise suggestions ?

    Would appreciate any tips that can help me find exercises that will help me burn more calories in lesser time without running out of breath and just giving up.
  • srwings
    srwings Posts: 7 Member
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    You'll probably get more fat burning benefit from walking if you can keep your heart rate in the fat burning range. Are you monitoring your heart rate while you train?

    If the elliptical trainer causes you to become very tired that's good. Use the walking daily to burn fat and the trainer once or twice a week after a walk to really get your cardio system going. Your heart and lungs need to be stressed hard in order to improve. After about 6 months of doing hard cardio work once or twice a week you'll even begin to experience 'runner's high' which is the most amazing feeling.

    Get yourself a heart rate monitor and train with that. Make sure you've been checked out by your doctor.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    I have to second srwings....

    When I first tried the eliptical (after building up to 30 minutes on the treadmill) I could only do seven minutes. I just kept adding time every time. Now (a couple of years later) an hour on the eliptical is what I do when I don't feel like pushing myself too hard.

    Walking is good, but if you can hold a conversation, you're not walking fast enough to improve your cardiovascular fitness. The other way to measure how hard you're working is a heart monitor. Walking is still burning calories and raising your metabolism, so it is still good!

    Instead of cardio boot camp...I'd either save my money entirely, or invest in some personal training sessions. This would give you clearer goals.

    Just one girl's opinion....
  • pamelawh
    pamelawh Posts: 162 Member
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    for starters you need to get your heart rate up and then do that exercise for at least 30 minutes. instead of just walking, professionals are saying that you get more out of walk/run programs. walk 3 min/ run 1 min OR walk 1 min/ run 1 min. when i first bought my treadmill and i would work a program i thought i was going to die but i pushed myself to complete the thirty min program. now when i do a thirty min program i can do the whole thing. watch the biggest loser program on tv. the people on that show go through some of the same things you are referring to. the personal trainer won't let them quit. you can do it, stick with it. what are you eating? that could have an impact on your workouts. i am following the menu on abcrunch.com; its a lean menu and i noticed a huge difference in my workouts right away. if you are using food as fuel your workouts will be more effective. i also joined the website for biggest losers jillian is the professional trainer. you get menus to follow and workouts every day and you can communicate through email with her staff. it isn't as expensive as your boot camp. cost is $4 per week and you are billed quarterly. her website is jillianmichael.com
  • MiaEllie
    MiaEllie Posts: 84
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    Hi Cindy_ram,
    I used to belong to a gym and had a tough time doing time on the eliptical although it was better for my knees than walking. I can't afford to join a gym right now so I walk instead. I am 5'7" and currently weigh 185. I weighed 191 around Sept 17th when I joined this site. Due to my arthritis I am limited in my exercising choices. So, I walk everyday for 45 minutes. Very briskly. I go between 3.5 and 4 MPH. I read on a walking website that it is better to take many small FAST steps then to make large steps to make muscle and get your heart rate up. I found that this has worked well for me since I sure can feel my leg and butt muscles getting a workout and I 've been losing the weight. Hope this helps!
  • Cindy_ram
    Cindy_ram Posts: 10
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    Hey Guys :

    Thanks for the fabulous advice. I really liked that bit about watching Big Loser,I think that is what I need someone to push me a little harder and not let me quit, else on my own I thrown in the towel just like that.

    I will definitely stick to walking but also in addition to my weight loss goal will keep getting on the elliptical and doing an hour in 60 days my other goal as well :-)

    It is very motivating to read all your posts.Lilmia I am so glad to see that you have lost 6 lbs in less than 15 days by walking..wow...I am soooooooo impressed.

    -Cindy
  • srwings
    srwings Posts: 7 Member
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    To get motivated pick an athletic or fund raising event (like a breast cancer walk or an MS bike ride) that requires you to train. Events like those have training programs that will progressively improve your fitness so that you are ready for the big day. Competitions are what motivate me to workout when I'd rather veg out. There may also be support groups in your area that get together to walk, hike, or whatever. Checkout meetup.com.
  • anodyne
    anodyne Posts: 4
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    The fastest way to lose weight through exercise is long distance running - look at any long distance runner.
    Walking takes time, and lots of it. If it takes 10 minutes for you to get out of breath running, try running for just 5, walking for 5, running for 5 again, walking for 5, running for 5, then finishing with a walk.
    Hopefully that is manageable, and you've ended up running for 15 minutes, with a total exercise time of only 30 minutes but you've burned many more calories than you would have in the same time just walking, plus you gradually increase your capacity to run.
    Don't get ahead of yourself and start increasing the times too soon though, this amount is fine for weeks on end or even forever if you don't feel you can go a pace higher. If, however, you start to feel fitter and able to cope with more, by all means increase it.
    I know a few people who have lost weight effectively from just walking a lot, but I don't have much time myself and I know from personal experience that building the capacity to run for longer lengths of time and then running make you lose weight quite fast. good luck ooxo
  • twilight1542
    twilight1542 Posts: 403
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    I too have tricky knees & a tendency to injure my ankles whivh makes the elliptical my best bet. When I first started with it I could barely get through 30 mins (although always overweight, my weekend job was very physically taxing so I was strong & had good endurance). It took some time, but I eventually got to where I could easily do 1 hr no problem...although 1 hr did make my feet ache. So I've now found my solution to achy feet. I do 30 on the elliptical, then weights/abs all with a ball, then 30 more on the elliptical. Weights give my feet a break & since my heart rate is already up I've found that I burn about 250 cal during 30 mins of weights/abs & about 300 for every 30 on the elliptical. So a 1.5 hr workout comes out to around 850 cals :)

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