Exercise...

[neathgirl]

Just how much exercise should someone do when wanting to keep fit. ive decided to actually get my ass into gear and do something just to try and improve my fitness but how many times a week should i be doing exercise and for how long?

am gonna do cycling/walking - is there such a thing as too much exercise?

thanks in advance xx

[campbellking]

to improve fitness, minimum of three times a week x half an hour each time with an exercise that gets you out of breath.

[neathgirl]

thanks campbellking xx

[Lonnie]

Yes, too much exercise will put too much of a strain on your heart, eg, when your out of breath, you can feel your heart pounding, campbellking has given some good advice, for cycling, to start with, you should rest for a bit when you feel tired, as for the gymn, the people there should look after you, and give you the right regimen.

[neathgirl]

thanks lonnie - am not much of a gym person feel to self conscious so prefer either cycling or walking - btw if i have a few pounds to lose does the same amount of exercise still apply or should it be more?

[BigMac]

Increasing the amount of exercise you take will help shift excess pounds. If you are fairly new to exercise, do not try and do too much, too soon. When walking, increase your normal pace but you should still be able to have a conversation.

Do the easy things - get off the bus one stop early/walk to the next stop; cycle or walk instead of driving. Try to do some press ups/sit ups on days when you don't cycle/walk - it will help tone up the tummy and the muscles that are not as heavily used in walking.

If it hurts - stop. You should aim over a period of weeks to either increase the time spent exercising (good for heart and lungs) or the distance covered in a given time (also good for the heart and lungs but will also strengthen/tone the muscles being used).

Googling 'half-marathon' and 'training programme' will give you some varied exercise regimes - just choose the beginner's option and keep to the first week until you feel ready to try a bit more.

Above all - enjoy it.

[snook]

It�s good that you�ve made a decision to get fit, neathgirl � now all you have to do is make sure you�re doing it right! Like eating sensibly, regular exercise should be an ongoing thing, not a fad, so it�s worth spending a bit of time and effort at the beginning to find what works for you and what you enjoy. If you don�t, and you end up doing exercises you don�t really like, it won�t last very long.

Then start to listen to what your body is telling you; if you feel energised by what you�re doing, carry on - if you feel drained, stop. Don�t be too hard on yourself (or you'll quit pretty quick) but equally don�t be too easy-going (or you won't see much benefit... and so, pretty soon, you'll quit!). You're looking for the 'middle way', the right amount of the right type of exercise that will make you feel good.

You�ll find you can train harder sometimes than at others. The harder you train, the briefer your workout will be. And train as often as you like, and whenever you feel the urge � cats and dogs don�t decide to stretch or run or play-fight or whatever because they�ve just checked, and it�s a �training day�. They just do what comes naturally, when it feels good, and they�re generally fit and healthy for it.

Having said that, it�s good to do something every day, even if it�s only a bit of stretching and deep breathing. And as a general rule, you should work up a sweat during a training session � another little detail that�s often ignored!

Go for it!

[neathgirl]

thanks very much everyone for all the advice.... now wheres my bike! 8-)