How much cardio?

I found it easiest to start with the bike and I added on every week. I started with 30 minutes 2-3 times a week. Then I progressed to biking 45 min. Then I upped my resistance. Then I moved to doing the elliptical for 10 minutes and then doing the rest of my workout on the bike. The elliptical about killed me. Each week I was determined to add 2 more minutes to my elliptical workout and decrease my time on the bike. It gradually got easier. Now, 6 months later I do 50 minutes on the elliptical plus 20 minutes on the bike three times a week, along with a step and weight lifting classes. Even though I get a good workout and sweat like crazy I'm not even as close to as winded as I was at the beginning after 10 minutes. It does get easier and really helps the weight drop off!

go till you collapse or puke ....... its not good cardio till someone hurls

depends on what your goal is. Do you want to be healthier than yes do cardio - I keep hearing that 30 minutes a day is key but you can separate that 30 minutes into 3 10 minute shots if youd like. If your looking to loose weight (fat) cardio is only essential in keeping your net calories at your goal. You should mix cardio with strength training and eating right for optimal gains in all departments.

As for cardio training - do what you can in a week and pick one day to be your push day. Try and keep your heart rate at a manageable pace (i.e. 55%-65% of HRM) - let's just say easy numbers around 120. Then on that push day try and get yourself to go 130 heart rate or increase your time of workout more. Once you succeed that's your new bench mark and move forward from there

Yeah, Im definitely trying to lose weight, so I know I have to do cardio. The 3 10 minute shots sound more doable then just the 30 minutes all at once. Thanks for the advice!

You missed what he said, He said, you don't need cardio to lose weight, you need it to be healthy.

All cardio does for weight loss is allow you to eat more and lose the same amount of weight. If you follow MFP cardio has no benefit, for weight loss, it just allows you to eat more. That being said cardio has many health benefits.

I try to put in atleast an hour a day (Walking) + 30 minutes or so of my stationary bike. But then again, I'm crazy and dont have alot of strength training going on right now (Which I personally would say will benefit you equally and you should employ that in your workout)

I started out going from NO exercises to a goal of doing 30 minutes of something. Walking, elliptical, or the Wii. Now 7 weeks later my workouts are at a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour plus on the weekends! Like others have posted, do what you can and each time add a little to it. After awhile you'll be amazed at what you CAN do!! Good Luck to you!

I was in this same place, but incorporated a stationary mini-bike under my desk at work. At first, I could only go for max 15 minutes but as time went by, I found myself wanting to do more than one session. I got upt to 1.5 hours a day in random increments of time. After about a month of pushing and trying and working I was up to being able to do all 1.5 hours non-stop. Then 2 hours. I maxed at 3. I just wanted to see how much I could do.

Give yourself simple goals. My thing was that I listened to music, and had a friend tell me how many songs I had to go for. When the next song started, I would start pedaling, and I would not stop till that number of songs was done. We started with 3-5 songs. The thing is, songs are not always the same length so you would never know how long you'd actually be working for, but the commitment I made drove me past when the muscles started going "hey, wait a minute!"

Now, I don't even need my friend to tell me. I put on the music and go for an hour or more. It's very doable. They do say, however, that 3 hours should be the max you do a day, as more than that doesn't show any true benefit, and can sometimes be harmful. I say, do your time, don't watch the clock though. Just go until you truly can't anymore. Write down the time. Next session, try to beat that score.

Also, don't be discouraged if/when you can't do as much after having a rest day or two. Taking a break resets the muscles, and it can take time for them to warm back up to the activity.

I started with walking then got a zumba video to do at home. I did zumba for a few months and loved it. I hear actual classes are more fun but I've never been to one. Then once I lost a bit I decided to run and since you have a treadmill it will be good. You'll get your endurance up once you do more. I could hardly run for 30 seconds before getting winded and feeling like I could just die lol. Now I go 40mins twice a week and do Jillian Michaels 30ds 3 times a week for strength/cardio/abs. The thing is, cardio is a great start. You'll definitely wanna get some kind of weights training in down the line.