How much exercise?

[Ryan.Stoeppel]

I'm just curious how much exercise everyone is getting. I know Dr. Atkins talks about how important it is to get exercise while on Atkins (or just in general) but I don't recall ever seeing anything about how much we should be getting. Is there a such thing as getting too much exercise? I know it kind of sounds ridiculous but as with everything too much of something can be bad for you.

I'm just curious because I personally have been devoting an hour on the stationary bike every day, aiming for between 14 and 16 miles per hour. When I get to the end of the hour I feel like I can keep going, in fact I notice the longer I ride the easier breathing and such becomes. I don't want to overextend myself either though.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[pipee_pl]

this question is loaded.... how about this- do what is good for you. Just as there are thousands of different diet plans- there are thousands of different excercise plans.

personally- i only do cardio three days a week. I do intermitant running walking and include a 15 min walking on an incline.

two days a week i weight train. building muscle also helps to burn fat and it helps to shape your body.

by doing an hour of cardio every day- you are not changing the shape of your body- i mean you will decrease its size, but you won't gain muscle mass and shape your body.

i am guessing you are a guy? men build muscle much faster than women- if you include weight training you will increase your strength and change the shape of your arms, legs, butt, gut- the whole body- doing a lot of cardio won't help with this.

another thing- try doing intermitant cardio on the bike- do two minutes of a relaxed speed then 3 minutes of a high intensity speed- it really gets the blood pumping. the better you get at it- try standing up and cycling for a minute- this will get the burn going.
seriously- in my opinion, you don't need to go on the bike for an hour. if you change it up by alternating relaxed speed and high intensity you will have better results. In about three weeks you should change your cardio- maybe a walk or a run- then go back to your bike, this will keep your body guessing so it doesn't get lazy.

[widget246k]

I work out 5-6 days a week for about 45 minutes at a time. It works for me. I just make sure to drink enough water.

[Ryan.Stoeppel]

Yea...I remember reading in a magazine that if you are trying to lose weight 5-6 times a week for anywhere from 30-60 minutes with medium to high resistance was the best bet. If you were trying to maintain your current weight it was better to just shoot for 2-4 days at 20 minutes a pop with high resistance. Just was hoping to get some input from others Thanks so far

[Sunny_0ne]

At the minimum, Dr. Atkins recommended 30 minutes per of day of physical activity of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking.

Or you can count calories burned. He said the greatest benefit is gained by burning 1500-2000 calories weekly.

He also highly recommended weight bearing exercises two or three non-consecutive days a week. He suggested doing one set each of 8 to 12 exercises that address the major muscle groups.

He said the right amount of resistance is one that will cause fatigue after 8 to 12 steps, and once you can do 12, to step up the resistance.

You don't need a gym, either. Dumbells and resistance bands are fine.

[SunnySmile501]

You can exercise too much. I don't think you are there yet, but you need to take rest days. Muscle is repaired and built during rest. Over-training sets you up for serious injury.

The most important thing is to change up your routine every three weeks or so. The body quickly adapts to a routine to where it become the new normal and that becomes the default to maintain rather than build. Sometimes reducing exercise or the weight you are lifting will shake things up. Just don't get in a rut. Even changing the order of muscle groups that you exercise helps.

[suzyque]

Oh, yes you can exercise to much. I have done that quite often, exercise really hard one day and the next day I can't move. Personally, (now that I know better) I start with a low number of reps or a short amount of cardio then gradually build up to the point were my muscles are a little sore the next day. Not I need to ice myself sore but my muscles are tight I can tell I worked out yesterday sore, then I stay at that level until I feel I can progress farther.