Do you workout everyday? Any breaks?

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nainaa22
nainaa22 Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
I did my first day at the gym yesterday, and honestly I hated it. It took me almost an hour to burn just 220 calories and I was sore after. I know people say it gets better, but I was wondering about whether people do this everyday? Or alternate days? I monitor my calorie intake properly and I am usually under my 100, so I thought perhaps I do not need the gym. Anyways let me know your opinion :) Goodluck

Replies

  • ocylott
    ocylott Posts: 31
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    I hate gyms, so I don't go. I took up bellydancing instead, which is something I can actually have fun with. I think the key to a workout you'll be able to stick with is to find something you enjoy.

    If you're eating at a deficit, you don't HAVE to work out, especially not every day, but it's definitely better for you to keep active. And physical activity is the only way to get yourself toned and build muscle rather than just losing fat, which makes you look better in your clothes.
  • KPainter70
    KPainter70 Posts: 152
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    I'd spend more time in the gym if I could (because I love it!) but the body does need rest days to recover. Do you need to go to the gym? Well, I'd argue yes because there are so many benefits, but you can lose weight without exercise. Personally, I love what weights do to the shape of my body, I love being strong and I love being able to eat more because of the work I do in the gym.

    You have to do what works for you.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    I have rest days, not because of my control but because of my schedule. Like this week I have worked out from Sunday till yesterday. But won't be able to today, since I am booked all day after work. I will be able to pick up again tomorrow, but I usually have a day each week, that I just can't do it, which works out for me, since its good for me to have one day of rest.
  • TonyL68
    TonyL68 Posts: 133 Member
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    I have rest days, not because of my control but because of my schedule. Like this week I have worked out from Sunday till yesterday. But won't be able to today, since I am booked all day after work. I will be able to pick up again tomorrow, but I usually have a day each week, that I just can't do it, which works out for me, since its good for me to have one day of rest.


    This. I don't plan them, they just happen. Typically they happen about onnce every 7-10 days, which I'm OK with.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I don't go to the gym. Something about exercising in front of people .... just me.

    Anyway, I trade off days cardio & strength training. On my "rest" day, I usually do some light hatha (stretching type) yoga. I can really feel when things are tightening up, hatha yoga is relaxing.
  • marywanoKC
    marywanoKC Posts: 176
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    My schedule is Monday & Tuesday gym, Wednesday yoga, Thursday and Friday gym, and the weekend I normally go walking or go to the gym again one of those days.

    I do both cardio and weights, and last night was actually my first time focusing on weights and not doing both in one session. Today I'll go in and do maybe 20 minutes of cardio, but that's all, since I really need to let my muscles heal today.

    Personally, I love the gym. I've found my motivation, and I look at it as a reward for myself, not torture. I see the results, and I feel the aching muscles, and it invigorates me. :)
  • Merrilies
    Merrilies Posts: 32 Member
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    Hello,

    We bought a treadmill for home and it was the best thing we ever did.

    I use it 6 days a week for 30 minutes a time.

    I can't understand how you only burned 220 calories in an hour - I do more than that in my 30 mins!

    When I first started, I could only walk and found it hard work, but now I can run for ages.

    Please persevere as your body will get fitter very quickly and you'll be able to do more and find it easier. It's worth the hard work in the end, I promise :)

    Kat x
  • ADHar10
    ADHar10 Posts: 18
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    I take a couple of rest days per week. I have sciatica, so I don't want to aggravate it too much. I hate the gym, also but instead, I go for long, brisk walks...or go for a 30 minute jog...or workout to Jillian Michaels or Jackie Warner DVDs. I try to do a variety of workouts throughout the week to avoid getting bored or discouraged.

    I exercise for my health...not just to lose weight. Although you just burned 220 calories, try to stay encouraged and find other ways of burning calories if the gym turns you off.

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • lizzielou67
    lizzielou67 Posts: 35
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    Exercise is very important to weight loss and the health of your body (good for your heart, blood pressure etc.). Don't stop exercising!

    However, don't start out like a fiend and hate it so much that you want to quit. You need to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. A lot of people go at it too hard at the beginning of their journey to get healthy.

    I'm not sure what you did for your hour at the gym but I can tell you, try to find something FUN to do.

    I hate exercising as well. However, I take some really fun classes at my gym as well as hitting the elliptical and weight machines on non-class days. I also do yoga (a gentle, beginners class). I enjoy my classes and instructors so it makes it easier to go. I also have become friends with people that attend them regularly and we can chat before class starts.

    As for soreness. . . I'm not nearly as sore after a workout as I was when we started in January. However, I take a strength training class on Thursday nights and I'm always a bit sore on Friday. It's a good sore though. I feel like I worked hard and will see results! If you are too sore to move, you may have over done it.

    Do I take days off? YES! We (the hubby and I) never wrok out on Fridays (we meet a group of friends for dinner then). We also take off on days that I have a late meeting at work, if I have a hair dresser appointment, or the occasion when we both get home and say "I'm too pooped to pop." It happens sometimes and breaks are not bad for your body to have once and a while.
  • britexmom
    britexmom Posts: 145
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    i aim for 5 or 6 days of workout a week, i do treadmill, 30day shred, walk away the pounds and other work out vids that i use from youtube. today i wont be working out due to schedule conflicts , i will work out tomorrow and rest again on sunday. so far this week i have gone mon-thu straight.
    the one thing i dont like doing is missing more than one day , if i miss two or more then i feel really sluggish when i start back again.
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
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    In my opinion exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle, and will serve you well as you get older. That being said, I think you need to find an exercise that you like....if you hate the gym you won't go. Like the poster above who bellydances for exercise, find something you really enjoy and make it a part of your routine.

    I am at the gym 5-6 times a week for about an hour, but I don't consider myself to be an active person. I wish I was! I have a desk job so I sit all day, then I go home and usually flake out in front of the TV because I'm tired from my day. I wish that exercise (other than the gym) was a part of my lifestyle but it's a real effort for me to make it so. And it gets harder as I get older......
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Yep, I take one day a week as "rest" day (though I do still walk on breaks). And like a lot of the previous posts have mentioned, there is the incidental rest days due to scheduling conflicts (and for me, the occasional migraine).

    I don't go to the gym, but soreness after your first workouts sounds normal to me. Just keep going, try classes, try various equipments and find things you enjoy (or at least can tolerate for the time of your workout). Also try other types of activities that you might enjoy... walking, running, hiking, swimming, bike riding, etc. The trick is to find something you like so you are more likely to keep it at in the future!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    In my opinion exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle, and will serve you well as you get older. That being said, I think you need to find an exercise that you like....if you hate the gym you won't go. Like the poster above who bellydances for exercise, find something you really enjoy and make it a part of your routine.
    ^^This.....all you need to do it look around a the old ladies with osteoporosis to see why its important to keep your body strong! I also think you shouldn't write off the gym after just one day...give it a chance because it DOES get easier. Make sure you've got good music to keep you moving and make sure you try out all of the equipment because you might find something you really like there. I hated the elliptical with a passion when I first started using it, but I give it credit for the majority of my weight loss and I learned to love it. I go to the gym 5 mornings a week on average (before work).
  • nikki778
    nikki778 Posts: 148 Member
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    Do anything to break a sweat. Try not to focus on workouts but focus on being active. Most importantly Listen to your body.

    I go to the gym 3-4 days during the week after work leaving 1- 2 afternoons open for myself to just go straight home & relax or run errands.
    My weekend days I do not go to the gym, I get outside for a walk, play with the dog, organize my closets, clean my truck, clean my house, dance around with the radio blasting...anything that gets me to move & sweat.

    Have fun, try all different activities :heart:

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