How much is too much?

B

bz_girl

0
Hello everyone,

I really enjoy this forum, but now I have a question… HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS TOO MUCH? :confused:

I have put a plan together for myself and have been sticking with it for the past 4 months. Here is my weekly schedule:

Monday – Friday: 30 min. walk for lunch
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: Gym, which consists of 20 minutes Elliptical Trainer (interval) + upper & lower body weight training
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday: 30 minutes treadmill. I started with walking due to my Asthma, but now I am up to 15 minutes running and 15 walking.

I just recently read that too much aerobic or cardiovascular exercise does not give the body enough time to recover.

Now I am trying to figure out, if I should change my schedule in order to fully benefit from weight training as well as cardiovascular and aerobic exercise. I am happy with the fact, that I am doing better as far as my health, but I am somewhat unhappy with my weight-loss results. So far I've lost 10 lbs. Is it possible, that my weight-loss is being slowed down by not allowing my body to recover properly for the next exercise session?

I am 35, 5’2” and my weight right now is 139 lbs. I am watching my diet by eating far less carbs and way more vegetables, chicken and fish.

Can’t await to ready your suggestions. Thanks a lot.

Bz_Girl :)
 
Well, your workout sounds pretty good. The problem with your question is that everyone is different. Whats too much for me may not be too much for you, or vice-versa. The first rule of cardio/weight lifting is to know your own limits.
If your running till projectile vomitting occurs, then yes, you've taken it to far ;)....hehe
Listen to your body, if your muscles are sore to the point that it hurts to stretch, instead of feel good to stretch, then let your body recover till it feels good. Nobody can tell you when you cross a threshold, only your body can. Try talking with a trainer at the gym. They love it when people who are already training, want to know how to maximize results. He will no doubt ask how your body feels on certain days of the week, then possibly make some small adjustments that will help you. Good luck.
 
Hi, My story is alot like yours.
At first when I started to read your post I wondered about your age, rest, sleep and eating habits. If your burning the candle at both ends, something has to give. Your on track it looks like.
I did very similar to yourself. Asthma included, still keeps me from running. I was able to get up enough wind to make it thru a high-low cardio class and still love to do a sculpting class now and then. In the beginning I did full body work outs 3 x a week, and walked 3-4 x for 30 min. Maybe one or two high low sculpting classes as well. I slept 7 hours, ate well and set my mind on getting healthier. One lb a week is great, at first it may seem like alot of lbs were lost but later on it will seem like the scale won't budge. That's when you take out a tape measure and go by it instead. Your body will be gaining some lean mass and losing fat still. You will look more toned yet stay same wt.
Good luck..hang in there and stay positive!
 
30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week should not be too much for anyone that is trying to lose weight. I do not know about working the same body parts every other day though. I am not worried about your cardio recovery time, but your anaerobic recovery worries me a bit.
scott
 
your workout sounds ok. You have to be careful with weight lifting as it is very stressful to the body so you need time to recover, but cardio is a different story.

listen to your body and do what feels good, dont do what feels bad!
 
Hello everyone,

thank you so much for your replies. Your comments were very helpfull.

I guess we really need to listen to our body. At this point I don't feel like I am over-exhausting my body.

Genius, question for you: what do you mean by anaerobic recovery time? Do you think I should cut down on time I spent on the Elliptical Trainer?

Thanks again for your suggestions.

BzGirl
 
FCougar touched on this but I just wanted to give my two cents...
Muscle (which you are adding to your body) weighs more than fat so try not to worry about weight. A tape measure works but see if your gym will check your body fat percentage for you. It won't be an exact measurement but it will give you a very good idea of how you're progressing.
 
Hello Paul,

yes, you and FCougar are right. I actually lost several inches. I don't know how many, because I made a mistake and did not measure at the beginning of my 'fitness quest'. But I am now (4 months later) fitting into clothes I could not fit anymore.

Thanks for your reply.
BzGirl
 
i was in wrestling last yeah and we ran over 2 miles in the morning 2 days a week and then went to practice and ran there and did our 3 hr practices and i think i was in the best shape of my life and in my opinion there is never too much cardio vascualr but then again you have to bring the asthma into play also so its basically what you can handle bz_girl
 
bz_girl ... you need at least one day of complete rest. You may not feel like you need the rest, but it can actually hinder your results by overtraining and can possibly lead to an illness because your body is always trying to catch up and your immune system becomes a bit weak.

It's actually better to take all the work you do on one of your days and slap it onto another then to work out every day of the week. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.
 
Hello again,

I followed your advice. I am taking one day of complete rest. That really helped. And here an update. So far I’ve lost 20 lbs and dropped 3% of body fat. I am now up to 30 minutes running on days I am not going to the gym. I feel great!!! Thank you so much for your help.

But here is my next question…I just about reached my goal as far as weight loss. I don’t want to change my fitness schedule. I really enjoy it the way it is a lot. How do I need to change my diet in order to stabilize my weight? I would like to continue toning. Right now I am eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Still lots of chicken, vegetables and some fish. I am watching my carbs, but I don’t do the Atkins diet.

Thanks again for any suggestions.
Bz_Girl
 
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