Is 1/2 hr of daily exercise enough

180farm
180farm Posts: 230
in Fitness and Exercise
Is 1/2 hour of daily exercise enough to make a difference?

Replies

  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    That's the minimum daily recommendation for adults, so I'd say yes. However, just make sure that you make the most out of that half hour.
  • taco_tap
    taco_tap Posts: 152 Member
    That's the minimum daily recommendation for adults, so I'd say yes. However, just make sure that you make the most out of that half hour.

    How does one get the most of a mere 30 minutes? ( I woke up today with the same question!!) I have allotted 30 minutes out of my lunch to go to the gym, but what to do with it has me stumped.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    if you have only a short time to work out, the best thing to do is intervals. Pick a machine in the gym (treadmill / bike / elliptical / rower, whatever you like), do 1 minute steady pace, one minute as fast as you can. You can do the same thing by keeping a contstant spped and adjusting resistance / incline.
    If you do this properly you wont be able to keep it up for long so 30 mins will be perfect :-)
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    As long as it's more than you were doing before, it will help. Any exercise is better than sitting on the couch.
  • jukemaster
    jukemaster Posts: 49 Member
    Any exercise is better than none, but what you cram into that half hour is what will matter most. If you just walk the treadmill for 30 mins, you're not going to get the same return as you might get out of a 30 min HIIT workout. It also depends on your goals and your current physical state. If you can't physically do more than a 30 min walk, then start there and work your way up slow and steady. But if you have the ability to do a 30 min HIIT and to do some strength training, you'll see good results provided you eat right.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    As others have said, yes, it will make a difference. ANY exercise makes a difference. NEVER, EVER make "but it won't make ENOUGH of a difference" stop you from doing what you can do to add exercise.

    I only have an hour but I have the benefit of a decent workout room here at work. I spend 45 minutes of it on the elliptical most days going full-tilt-boogie at high resistance. I get my heart rate up to about 150-160 and keep it there for as much of the workout as I can. The other 15 minutes, I take a shower and hustle back to my desk. Obviously you want to check with a doctor before starting an intense cardio program, especially a self-directed one.

    Calories burned are proportional to what you get your heart rate up to. So try to get your heart rate up as high as you (reasonably) can. If you've only got a half hour and you can't afford to get sweaty, do what you can within the limits you have. But it's important (if you have no health issues that prevent it) to get at least a couple of good, long, sweaty cardio workouts in. They'll build your endurance rapidly and they burn off calories like you would not believe (I can toast off 600-700 calories in 45 minutes of hard work on the elliptical)
  • 180farm
    180farm Posts: 230
    Thank you for the replies. I've been doing 30 minutes with wii my fitness coach. It starts with cardio then goes into either upper boby, lower body, or core strengthening. I've only started a few weeks ago so it works up a sweat every time.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I run for 15-20 minutes and that's about all I do. I just get bored running for much longer. I have no problem and see results with doing less than 30 mins
  • lisapr123
    lisapr123 Posts: 863 Member
    I just did 30 minutes of Kettlebells and it KICKED MY BUTT! I'm a cyclist, runner, and kayaker....but there is nothing like 30 minutes of kettlebells to boost my heart rate, tax my muscles, and shrink my waist.

    If it's all the time you've got, give it all you've got!
  • MommyBea
    MommyBea Posts: 84
    ive lost all my weight from doing half hour workouts....every now and then i get more time and maybe get hour in! =)
  • tone4ever
    tone4ever Posts: 32
    i say thats totally enough to get you were you wanna be!!.....
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    I'm all for exercise, but the answer to your question depends on your goals. Fat loss can be accomplished without any exercise as long as you eat below your total daily energy expenditure. If you're planning on running a marathon next month, 1/2 hr per day probably won't cut it. If you want to build muscle, you'll need to eat over your TDEE and lift heavy weights.
  • zab50
    zab50 Posts: 3
    Body For Life has an awesome 20 minute interval cardio workout that I do every other day first thing in the morning. It is quick and hard and you are very sweaty at the end. You feel like you have gotten a great workout without having to wake up hours earlier then usual. Then on alternate days I do 30-45 mins of high resistance weight training. I think whatever workout you do has to work with your schedule, and most of us don't have the luxury to spend hours at the gym.
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
    Most of my work outs are 30 minutes of eliptical each day during my lunch hour. However, the info I have read states you really need to do some sort of weight training at least twice a week, and the information further reccomends 48 hours rest between lifting (on the same body part). So, if you could do something like weights on Mon & Thurs and cardio on the other days that would be good. I try to just add two days a week where I do some sort of lifting at home so that I get a minimum of 7 workouts in at a minimum of 30 minutes each during the week. That is all my schedule allows for with the girls and my new puppy I am training.
  • StephC74
    StephC74 Posts: 64 Member
    It definitely can be. I have been doing 30 day shred 3 times a week as my main form of exercise and I can see and feel a difference.
  • milzu
    milzu Posts: 40 Member
    Absolutely! And the best part about 30 minutes is that when you really don't feel like doing it, you can tell yourself, it's only 30 minutes. Really not that long!

    And what others have said - make 30 minutes count! I do 7 exercises for one minute each, rest a minute, then repeat. That's 15 minutes done aready. Then another 7 exercises x 2. Exercises include star jumps, skip rope (without the rope), pushups, squats, lunges, sit ups, bicep curls, shoulder press, burpees (shudder), plank (groan) etc
  • beth40n2
    beth40n2 Posts: 233 Member
    I just did 30 minutes of Kettlebells and it KICKED MY BUTT! I'm a cyclist, runner, and kayaker....but there is nothing like 30 minutes of kettlebells to boost my heart rate, tax my muscles, and shrink my waist.

    If it's all the time you've got, give it all you've got!

    I love my kettlebells also. You can burn more calories in 30 minutes that most other exerices.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Yes. If you do weight training and eat well, 3 hours a week (1 hour a day 3 days a week) is enough to be in great shape.
  • 180farm
    180farm Posts: 230
    Once my 5 lb. weights get easier I am definitely going add in more weight training.
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
    You do what you can do to the best of your limits. That's all that matters. Push yourself (gently) and when you can do more, than do more.

    That said, I read up on that whole "30 minutes most days of the week" recommendation from some govt agency or another...that's not the whole story.

    You'll have to google around to find it if you want to read it for yourself, but what the study they did came up with was that if you are at a healthy weight and just want to maintain that healthy weight, 30 minutes is enough. If you have weight to lose, than it's 60 minutes and if you are obese OR (this part kills me) have ever been obese, even if you have gotten to a healthy weight, the recommendation was 90 minutes...and most days was meant as 5-6 not 3-4.

    Of course, I don't *think* it was intended as up to 90 minutes a day of strenuous exercise...just being active at least that much of each day.

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