If you exercise more than 1 hour a day, I have some questions

[DB in NJ]

1. When do you workout? (morning, afternoon, after dinner, right before bed)

 

2. Do you do more than 1 workout session a day? (some may answer this when responding to #1 above, but if not, please tell me here).

 

3. Do you keep this schedule every day or is it every other day (or something else)? Or do you mix it up (i.e. cardio mon/wed/fri; strength tue/thu/sat)?

 

4. How long have you been doing this/how long do you plan on doing this?

 

I'm thinking I need to really increase the amount of time I workout AND the intensity. Looking for ideas on how to do it and still have a life/fulfill other responsibilities, like....teaching my kids ;)

 

THANKS!

[Julie in Austin]

Well, I do exactly one hour, so that might not count, but . .

 

I leave my house and walk from 7-8am. No one but me is up. (Dh is home; he works from home.)

 

I do this every weekday. I haven't always been faithful in the past, but I am trying to be! (What tends to kill me is vacation, bad weather, or illness--if I don't walk for a week, then it is hard to wake up and do it.)

[SJ.]

1. When do you workout? (morning, afternoon, after dinner, right before bed)

Morning &/or late afternoon

 

2. Do you do more than 1 workout session a day? (some may answer this when responding to #1 above, but if not, please tell me here).

Sometimes. I attend a gym, it depends on what classes are offered that I am interested in taking. Usually I do two back to back classes.

 

3. Do you keep this schedule every day or is it every other day (or something else)? Or do you mix it up (i.e. cardio mon/wed/fri; strength tue/thu/sat)? Most days I will do two classes but I always have 1 break day during the week.

 

4. How long have you been doing this/how long do you plan on doing this?

I have been working out like a mad woman since this past summer. I enjoy exercising and enjoy the classes my gym offers. I guess I will keep on keeping on as long as I am still happy.

 

I'm thinking I need to really increase the amount of time I workout AND the intensity. Looking for ideas on how to do it and still have a life/fulfill other responsibilities, like....teaching my kids ;)

 

Despite my above answers there are more efficient ways of working out and increasing your physical fitness. You can easily do a whole body strength workout if you have access to weights in about 30 minutes. You can complete a very effective cardio program if you do interval training like tabata drills or HIIT - no equipment necessary.

 

THANKS!

 

Good luck!

[snickelfritz]

I do an hour on the treadmill in the morning. I wake up at 4:30 to do that. I mix in quick speed with high incline, stopping the treadmill to do crunches and push-ups, walking while doing hand weights (biceps, triceps, arm circles, whatever I think of) for 5 minutes, etc... So, it's sort of a 1 hour circuit training....with it being mostly quick walking (3.5-4 mph.)

 

Then, I do various things to get in an active life, throughout the rest of the day....WITH the kids. Walk 2 miles with the kids and dogs at a leisurely pace. I have jazzercise and belly dancing videos checked out from the library this week that we tried tonight. I do WII dancing with the kids. During the summer, we played tennis. I try to make this exercise session a fun family event to keep everyone active.

 

I am trying to get in shape and lose weight. dh and I were discussing this topic (he is going to the gym twice a day to make the same changes I am) and I found this encouraging article:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/phys-ed-if-you-are-fit-you-can-take-it-easy/

 

Essentially, once you have a good baseline fitness level, it doesn't take as much work to keep it up.

 

ETA--How long to keep it up. Well, I am 20-ish pounds from my goal weight. And dh and I joined a gym that opens in April. My hope is that, at that point, I can end the treadmill grind. Pick a variety of classes through the week that are fun (water aerobics, zumba, body pump, pilates, etc... But, I want to maintain the family exercise and I have a young Boxer dog who needs her long walks. So, I don't really plan on the total time going down too much. I think that our lives are so sedentary that we need to be more intentional about being active. BUT, BUT, BUT.....I want it to be more fun than grinding on the treadmill for an hour. :)

Edited February 8, 2012 by snickelfritz

[Brilliant]

I work out several times a week for an hour or more. I see your kids are older, like mine, so that makes it easier.

 

I run with friends almost every Saturday morning for 1-2 hours, very early. I am usually getting home in time to eat breakfast with the family who hasn't been up for long. :)

 

During the week I schedule my workouts based on ds' schedule. For example, he was in testing this morning so I did a 9:30 class - I don't often do those because I prefer to be home with him while he's getting most of his schoolwork done. Other days I might take him to the gym in the afternoon. He is in a running club 1-2 evenings a week, so I run during that time also.

 

I guess what makes sense to me is to look at what sort of schedule would work best for you and your family. When do they not *need* you? And work out during that time.

[LG Gone Wild]

1. When do you workout? (morning, afternoon, after dinner, right before bed)

 

All of the above.

 

2. Do you do more than 1 workout session a day? (some may answer this when responding to #1 above, but if not, please tell me here).

 

Yes, morning and evening.

 

3. Do you keep this schedule every day or is it every other day (or something else)? Or do you mix it up (i.e. cardio mon/wed/fri; strength tue/thu/sat)?

 

I am mix it all up. Usually I work with a 60 or 90 day program that has the strength training and cardio portions all mapped out for me. I scatter my sports around that schedule.

 

4. How long have you been doing this/how long do you plan on doing this?

 

Seems like forever. Can't imagine stopping.

 

I'm thinking I need to really increase the amount of time I workout AND the intensity. Looking for ideas on how to do it and still have a life/fulfill other responsibilities, like....teaching my kids ;)

 

If you increase the intensity, you don't have to increase the time unless you want to be super fly.

 

THANKS!

 

Hope that helps.

[redsquirrel]

I do more than an hour on many days, but not all days. I try for 45 mins of cardio as often as possible. I am guessing that I get it 5-6 days per week. I also try for some bar/pilates/weights/yoga/whatever for at least 30 mins and it is often longer. I do that about 4-6 times a week.

 

I make the cardio a priority and I get that in any time after lunch to after dinner. I do a variety of things. I own a Nordic Trac, I jog, I do dance cardio, I own the Insanity series etc. What I do depends on the season, the weather, the time I have, the kids schedule and my mood.

 

The other stuff (weights, bar, pilates) I do in the evening.

 

Right now, it is 7pm. DH is going to get the kids ready for bed and I am going to start my cardio. Then I will do some pilates.