Exercise: How Much Is Enough?

women tend to be very careless and ignorent about their health world over. I was reading this article on a site called www.medinida.com here they did some research in two of the metros of india and they found that Educated women were totally ignorant about the fact that women are as prone to heart attacks as men.

When it comes to health and exercise i think its best to do yoga as it deals with every muscle and organ of the body. In the end you not only loose weight and fat evenly, you also end up regenerating your mind!

I used to think aerobics was King but after a year of nothing but aerobics I had to change my mind. Strength training is key for me with fat loss (or maintaining a decent ratio of body fat to muscle). When I lift weights regularly my body fat decreases and adding cardio only helps, but cardio only and my body fat increases.

That's just me. You're mileage may vary. ;-)

Re which is best, I think the "right" answer is the same as the answer to the question when to exercise: do whatever *you* will do *regularly* (it doesn't help to do the right exercise if you hate it so much you stop after the first week).

For me, the value of the higher intensity exercise in strengthening the heart and increasing muscle mass means that higher intensity does have a place.

That said, don't look for me going nuts anytime soon. Last night on the Biggest Loser, Seth lost *no* weight after *20 hours* of vigorous exercise. I'm sure he'll make up for it next week, but still!

I think it depends on the individual person as well. Everyone has their own idea of what is "best" as far as exercise goes. I personally think running gives me the most benefits healthwise than any other exercise I've tried, but I also do strength training and yoga to strike a nice balance.

And as far as Biggest Loser Seth goes...exercise isn't always the determining factor. If you work out for "20 hours" and eat a bunch of food to make up for it, you can negate all the effort you just put forth. I run about 7 or 8 miles a day, which for me burns about 800 calories. I could almost totally cancel it out by eating just one Big Mac. So there has to be some kind of balance between eating and exercise to get the whole weight loss equation.

At the end of the day everyone is different, just try and eat sensibly, drink water and exercise if u do it this way it will take time and it will be hard but you will get there!!!!!

Spectra - Have you lost a lot of weight before? if so how much and how long has it takon you???

Sarah: Yes, I've lost a lot of weight. I used to weigh 190 lbs (I'm 5'3"). I started studying nutriton and eating right and got into running and I now weigh 108 (I have a very small frame). It took me about a year to lose all the weight and it wasn't easy, but I did it in a healthy way and have maintained the loss for 4 years now.

Thats really good! WELL DONE!! i hope i can lose another 70 pounds which in time i would probably say another year or so i should be there!(HOPFULLY)

Spectra...congratulations! That's amazing! You must feel great about yourself. I'm trying to lose 15 lbs. and it seems impossible.

I contribute a lot of the weight loss to incorporating running into my exercise regimen. When I started losing weight, I just changed my diet and I lost weight that way by eating lots of veggies, fruits, lean protein, salads, etc., and not eating poptarts, donuts, regular soda, cakes, ice cream. I lost probably about 20 lbs in 2 months that way, but then when I hit 170 or so, I thought I'd start working out too. I lost another 15 lbs and then started running. The combination of running with a healthy diet morphed my body into a svelte, sleek shape. I've gotten so many added benefits from it as well...I sleep better, have more energy, have better concentration, and my blood pressure and resting heart rate are lower. It's one of the best total body workouts around (swimming is another really good one if you have bad joints). Good luck on the weight loss everyone :)

But what is vigorous exercise? I don’t think jogging is. Competitive sports are the best way to get fit like squash, football, tennis. Another thing that is required is time and persistence.

Everyone who truly cares about their health and longevity of life not just for themselves but for those they love and who love them, run out and buy a copy of "You the Owner's Manual". This book was written by Dr(s)Rozien and Oz--the top heart surgeon and specialist in the Country. I saw this book previewed on the Oprah show. It is simple and actually hillarious to read and you will never abuse your body again once you've completed it. In it, he states that no more than 30 minutes of brisk--breaking a sweat--WALKING a day is all that is recommended for the rest of your life. Of course light strength training/resistance 2-3 days per week is also recommended. Anything more becomes abusive to the body and can acutally take away from longevity. The key is to maintain this habit daily for the rest of your life. It becomes so second nature once the habit is acquired. Get the book and keep it for reference. I've bought it for all the people I love. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

"But what is vigorous exercise? I don’t think jogging is. Competitive sports are the best way to get fit like squash, football, tennis."

Football is vigorous exercise? And running is not? Last I checked, football involves one or two guys that actually have to run (receivers) and one guy that has to be able to run a little and throw (QB) and the rest of the guys plow into each other to try and stop things from happening. They only actually move around for maybe half the game. Running is one of the most physically vigorous activities you can do.

Merry: I've read that book and I do think it's very well written, but I don't think that strenuous exercise is as damaging to the body as they claim it is. Walking is great exercise, but it's not the only exercise. As long as I can continue to run, I will. I figure, as long as you like what you do, you'll keep doing it. I know a guy who's 87 and still runs almost 4 miles a day. And he looks incredible...like he's maybe 65 or so and he says he's been doing it since he was 30, so I'm guessing running can't have too many negative effects.

there is no substitute to regular exercise,if one wants to live life fully then fitness is the key and for fitness exercise is the key.

For me, the key was constantly changing the amount of cardio I did, while keeping weight training 3x a week a constant. I'd alternate between little aerobic exercise (30m of moderate activity 2x a week) to more (3x a week for around 1h, sometimes an extra 30m session or two) every couple of months. After about 2 months doing a lot of aerobic exercise, my body stopped responding with fat loss (it had become part of my lifestyle), so taking it easy for 6 weeks or so made it work again when I went back into it.

Hey guys all good comments. The secret to fatloss is as simple as Energy in V.S. Energy out. If you figure out this formula so that at the end of the day you are in a caloric deficit, you Will lose body fat. Its called the law of thermodynamics. To break a plateau you need to change your cardio and weight traning program every couple of weeks. You have to keep the body guessing as to what your going to do to it. Its a smart machine and will find a way to become very efficent at doing the same thing over and over.A great way to acheive this is with interval training on your cardio days, and changing your number of reps sets and rest on you weight training days.It sounds like everyone is on the right track so keep up the good work. P.S. remember that the gym replaces the farm so if you dont help bring in the crop (exercise) you cant eat it(stored extra calories).

About 2 years ago i was promoted from a job where i was moving a lot and hardly had the chance to sit down. the new job that i have is definitely a desk job and i had put on about 50 lbs throughout the course of 2 years. i now weigh 200lbs and i'm supposed to be around 140-145 for my frame. now i have to do something it is 2006 and i don't want to go another summer wearing t-shirts to the beach. I work out about 3x a week and burn about 250 300 calories each time. i have cut out sodas and sweets and rice, pasta and most bread. I eat about 6x day (healthy raw almonds between meals, and lite lunch and a protein dinner) and try to at least drink about 3 liters of water a day. I feel like i'm not doing enough. what else do i need to do? I feel like i don't have a full grip on what else needs to be done. One plus side is, people around me have noticed a difference and i used to have chronic heartburn which has disappeared. so that's good. something's missing though.....

Sorry I meant football as in Soccer! (forgot to use the USA term).

Hi! Running, in my opinion, is one of the best stress-busting and fat-busting activities there is. It kind of fell out of favour with people for a while because it doesn't have a 'trendy' image like power yoga or tae bo or anything else people, and especially celebs, got into over recent years. Running is an unadorned activity....it's a no-nonsense, no BS way to get in shape. Besides fat loss, I personally love the mental buzz it gives you too. Must be outdoor running, though - treadmills are for hamsters! I would say, though, that strength training a few days a week brings additional benefits. Interval training at least one day a week will blast further fat too. But if I'm stuck for time, I would be happy to get in a run rather than hit a gym room full of clunky machines.

Hi everyone, very informative stuff posted here. I have been running for 5-6 miles every day 2 weeks now, but I end up feeling tired and worn out for the rest of the day, do you guys think I may be harming myself by overdoing it? Maybe I should try alternating with some other type of exercise?

Arun - go with what is working. If you are feeling tired - you really need to have at least one rest day per week.

It all depends on your goals. If your goal is fat loss, for example, then you might want to mix it up a bit. If you are training for, say, a half-marathon - then you are probably on the right track...

Arun, I run about 6-7 miles a day as well. The secret to not feeling too tired is to optimize your diet to include plenty of antioxidants. I eat lots of carrots, spinach, green tea, chocolate, coffee, and other antioxidant-rich foods every day and they keep me going. Are you training for a marathon or a half marathon? If so, you can do it without pushing yourself too hard. Run 5 or 6 miles 3 days a week. Rest one day, run about 3 on 2 days and run 13-15 miles one day. A sample week might be: Sunday 15 miles, rest Monday, Tuesday 5 miles, Wednesday 3 miles, Thursday 5.5 miles, Friday 2.5 miles, and Saturday 5 miles. That should give your body plenty of recovery time. Oh yeah, be sure you're getting enough calories or you will feel tired as well.

Hi. I started running about 2 months ago and I'm trying to get ready for a 5k run next month. Right now I'm running 2 miles 4-5 times a week. I am also doing strength training 2 days a week. I have noticed some weight loss and toning but not what I thought it would be at this point. I know I'm not the healthiest eater but I think I do pretty well. I try to keep sweets to a minimum and I don't drink soda. I watch my portions but I do eat carbs like wheat bread and wheat pasta. I don't eat a lot of snacks but if I do it's usually dried fruit or a protein bar like Pria. I guess I'm frustrated with the slowness of my weight loss. Anyone know what I'm might be doing wrong?

Ok, I am about 5'9 and weight 187 pounds on June 5 I decided enough was enough and started working out twice a day with tapes video tapes...each session is about 30 minutes in morning and one hour in the afternoon. The mornings I use a tape that is 8 intervals of aerobic/anaerobic training and in the afternoon I use a "Firm" tape which is cardio/strength training. It has been a month and I have not lost anything. I calculated that I am burning somewhere between 800-1000 calories a day and I eat around 1800-2000 calories a day? I know that it didn't take one month to put on the weight so I can't lose it in a month, but am I overdoing it? What should I do? Why am I not losing weight ( I can tell that I am firming up though).

Hi Arun,

If you are burned out by running, you are definitely doing something wrong. Running is supposed to bring more vitality into your life, not take it away. It's okay to be tired sometimes - for example, that nice tired 'achy' sensation runners get after a good session - but symptoms such as those you describe are not good. Do you run every day? Bad idea. Every other day is better. And also, I would suggest a hard/easy approach. A good way to get fit by increasing degrees is to do the 'one minute a week' program. One week, you would run for one minute, walk for two, and repeat this sequence for 30 minutes duration. The second week, you would run two minutes, walk two. Third week, run three minutes, walk two...and so on. By week ten you would be running non-stop for fifteen minutes, walking for one, and running another fifteen to make up 30 minutes. After that you have an option to run for 40 minutes or longer, or to get into interval training, or racing, or whatever. Me, I don't run competitively, I just run for health reasons and because I personally get profound benefits, especially mentally, from it. But if you are burned out, I suspect that you are taking on too much too soon. Rest is just as important as exercise, and if you are that burned out from your runs, you need to re-evaluate your program. Good luck!

I'm getting married next summer and that was my motivation to really get into shape. I started in July by getting my diet under control, and then when I got back to school this past month I signed up for group exercise classes at our fitness center (just $10 for unlimited classes for the entire year).

I've never stuck to a diet before or enjoyed regular exercise, but the classes are fun. I like the feeling that I'm not alone, all of us in the class are all working at the same activity at the same pace, and it's helpful having an instructor telling me exactly what I need to be doing so I can relax and not have to think about it.

I do a variety of the classes so I can get a pretty good mix of cardio, like jazzercise and kickboxing, and core strength, like pilates and yoga.

Just thought I'd offer up group exercise as another good option for those who don't like feeling as if they're all alone in their workouts. For me it's been so far, so good and helps me stick to it, and I'm keeping my mind set on looking great in that wedding gown!