Not sure if anyone knows.....
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Not sure if anyone knows.....
| Wed, 12-13-2006 - 7:06pm |
I was just thinking today, I wonder how effective my workout time is. So my question is, will doing one big workout, be the same as doing a bunch of workouts during the day? Meaning is it better for me to workout out for 1 hour straight, or what I am doing right now is starting my day out with a 15 minute mile (WATP) then I go do 45 minutes on the treadmill at the gym later in the day, then sometimes do another 30 minute workout when I get home? Could this be stopping the weight loss? I was just interested to see if anyone else has looked into that! Thanks!
Tami
257/223/195
Tami
257/223/195

Tami,
I have heard from several people/places that in order to stimulate your body into weight loss, not simply cardio to strengthen your heart & lungs, you need to work out at least for 25 minutes at a time.
Well, I've been reading lately that small 10-15 minute cardio workouts spread throughout a day will keep your metabolism boosted and are just as beneficial as one big workout. What you also want to do to increase fat burning, is to increase muscle size. I don't mean become a "body builder", but get into some sort of weight-training workout where you increase your muscle mass gradually. This will make you more toned, more fit and since muscle burns more calories than fat, you will burn more calories just operating your body every day.
Good luck!
I don't know a lot about this topic but I do know that when my hubby was in the army they told him that 20 minutes is what you need to do to achieve any results and he is a firm believer in that anything after the 20 minute period is what actually works.
However I also feel that the more you do throughout the day the better you feel so your body can't be wrong I don't think?
I was always told to listen to my body that it will tell you so if it feel right it probably is.
I know myself 20 minutes is a lot for me to start off at so I am not even going to try that at first hopefully I can work up to that but right now I would be happy to accomplish 10 minutes a
I can do anything I set out to do...
I've always been told that you need at least 20 minutes of consistent cardio exercise for it to have any benefit. Of course, once your body becomes accoustomed to your workout, you have to either increase the intensity or the duration to give your body a challenge.
As Ursulana (is that spelled right?) said, adding muscle will help your body to lose weight. This is because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat, so the more muscle your body has, the more calories you'll burn per day. Adding some stregth training to your routine (even just a few times per week) will help give you a boost. Use lighter weights (or soup cans) with a lot of repititions to tone muscles without adding bulk. Or, if you want a more muscular look, use heavier weights and do fewer repititions. A good rule of thumb is if you can do 15 reps easily, the weights are too light and if you find 15 reps difficult or impossible to complete, they're too heavy. You want to challenge yourself, but be careful not to hurt yourself in the process. Instead of free weights, you can also use resistance bands or any number of machines at the gym. It's beneficial to allow your muscles a rest day in between, so stregth training 3-4 times per week is ideal. And remember to stretch too!
Also, if you're looking to burn the fat, try to get in a good cardio workout in the morning, before you have anything to eat (or any sugary drinks). At this time of day, you haven't eaten in several hours, so your body has no readily available sugars or carbohydrates to burn for energy, so it has to go for your fat reserves to supply your body with energy for your workout. If you have any issues with feeling weak or dizzy when you haven't eatten in a while, please be careful not to overdo it.