Excercise: How Long Is a Good Work Out?

20 to 40 minutes a day 5 or 6 days a week.

If anyone says they can't fit that in they are either lying, or stretching themselves wayyyyy too thin.

I suppose anything is better than nothing. Over the winter I have been doing different exercise DVDs but I just don't feel like I did enough when I am done. The only time I truly feel 'exercised' is after a run. Fortunately spring is around the corner and I'll be able to get back outside.

When I work out I try to do cardio exercise for 20-30 mins (running or a stair climber etc) and then some strength training for maybe 15-20 mins if I can. I dont do this everyday. I try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week, sometimes I can make it 4 times but some weeks only 2. I used to hate exercising too, but after you get in the routine of it for awhile, your body really does start to crave it and it gets more enjoyable. I like to wear my ipod shuffle while I work out, the music really helps.

If all you can do is walk 15 minutes a day, then that is 15 minutes a day you can invest into your well being. You can do squats in the bathroom while you brush your teeth; park your car as far as you can from the store/bank/post office; and when you take your walk with the dog, make it a brisk walk, like speed walking. You need to raise your heart rate and that is key to losing weight.

As for DVD's, well, if that's all the time you have to spend, then do it. The truth is, IF you truly want to transform your body, you will have to work for it. It means sacrificing something to get something so you may have to adjust your daily routine to fit that work out into your day. I have 4 kiddos, the youngest is 10 months old and before she was born, I was working out 6 days a week. I got amazing results and was proud of the work I invested into transforming my body. Now that I have 4 kiddos, it's hard to fit a daily work out into my routine. It means not cleaning the bathrooms as often, not dusting as often, not washing the floors as often. And yes, working out for an hour is better than 15-20 minutes BUT if that is all the time you have available, then take advantage of it. I work out at home, with DVD's and they range from 25 minutes to 74 minutes. Whatever I have time for, depends on what I do.

A good workout isn't about time, it's about efficiency.

Anything that works multiple muscle groups and mixes up cardio and weights = very efficient for burning calories and building muscle. I would do intense videos every other day and do something low-impact but effective like yoga/pilates on the in-between days.

It also depends how much energy you invest in the workout.

My favorites:

The Firm Toning Ball Workout - FULL BODY workout in 30 minutes - incredibly effective!

Turbo Jam - Fat Blaster and 20 Minute Workout

Anything in the "10 Minute Solution" Collection - you can mix and match 10 minute segments. When I was home w/ baby, sometimes I could only do 10 minutes here and there.

Combine these things with little steps you can take in your every day routine to burn calories: housework (yes, it counts!!), parking farther from the store / office, taking stairs, walking instead of riding, carrying things instead of using carts (when reasonable, of course), etc...it all adds up!

It's about quality, not quantity. You can work out for an hour, but if you're doing the wrong exercise your body doesn't change. Try interval workouts. You can do these in as little as 15 minutes. It involves strength training with cardio mixed in. When I did these workouts for an hour, I'd burn almost 800 calories.

As you probably know, ANY workout is better than none! Try things that are varied, so you don't get bored. Have you checked your local Y? they are usually cheaper than gym memberships with similar perks. Mix it up, with cardio and maybe yoga/stretching/strengthening? Yes, quality vs. quantity. Good luck!

I've read that one should walk for 20-30 minutes at the minimum. If possible do this twice in one day.

Could you try making walking more fun? My grandchildren, now 8 and 11, have loved to walk or ride their bikes for years. I want to quit in 30 minutes and they're still raring to go. Perhaps have a race. I send my grandkids ahead of me. They race to the corner and then come back to walk back with me. You could separate the kids by sending one in one direction and the other in the other direction. Meet on the other side of the block. Give them points for walking/riding so many blocks and then use those points to earn a trip to the ice cream store.

For yourself, keep reminding yourself that you will be healthier and therefore happier the more you exercise. I'm now 68 and although I was moderately active when I was younger ('m not into sports either.), I'd be healthier now if I'd been more active. I'm borderline diabetic, have elevated cholesterol and osteoporosis. Oh, yes and over weight. Walking is such a small price to pay for good health.

On that note, I'm going out for a walk. I often listen to music as I walk. And I choose different routes and pay attention to the beauty around me. And set a goal, not allowing me to stop until I reach it. Most often I will walk 15 minutes before turning around to walk back.

For cardio benefits one has to get their heart rate up and maintain that rate for a specified amount of time. I don't remember the numbers.

After your SWH. You find the time to workout by scheduling, write it down in your planner or on the calendar, and exercise will power to get it done. Ha! I'm not successful at doing that, either.

A good workout is however long YOU can work out on any given day. I play tennis and swim because I LOVE those activities. I used to swim non-stop for 1 hour, then realized that I was actually tiring myself out to the point where the rest of my day was affected. So now I swim for 1/2 hour and feel like I'm still getting a great workout without feeling like I need to *recover* for the rest of the day. I also have a kettlebell DVD that I do sometimes - it's a 50 minute workout, but I'm completely and totally spent after 1/2 hour, huffing and puffing and REALLY struggling (and I'm pretty fit), so I stop after that 1/2 hour. I USED to do 1 hour on the elliptical, followed by 45 minutes or so of weights, but almost 2 hrs to workout is just too long to squeeze into my day.

If you can do a 15 minute walk (or run) around the neighborhood in the AM, then do another one at lunch, then another one in the evening, you've managed to do 45 minutes of walking (or running if you'd prefer)- that's a very respectable workout. Then, while you're waiting for the water to boil to throw in the pasta, do 20 pushups against your kitchen counter and some squats. Just working in a bit of exercise here and there will make a difference. Basically, if you find you have 5 minutes to spare, just find something to do with your body. Watching TV? Do some lunges or a few biceps curls during the commercials. Every bit counts and it all adds up.

I do 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training at least 5 days every week. then in the summer, I go water skiing every week also.

A "good" workout is defined by intesity, technically.

Therefore, it can vary WIDELY.
Some CrossFit workouts are only 4 minutes. Then you're done for the day. You may puke at the end of them, but you're done! LOL.

I have HiiT workouts that are 20 minutes long, and they kick my arse for the day.

I have other workouts that are an hour +.

I tend to average 45 minutes/day. And I use DVDs at home. I WON'T go to a gym. (I'm the opposite of most people.) If it required getting in my car and driving to a gym, I simply will not do it. But if I can run downstairs barefoot in scrubs, game on.

You just have to find something you don't hate doing, and start there.

If you hate to exercise, as I do, change things up. I do Zumba, Step, Spinning Classes........... as well as Treadmill, Elliptical, and Running. Depending on my mood I spend more time on one or two of these until I get bored. Find something FUN that you enjoy, that is the key! I am for an hour 3 times a week.

There's people that show up in full make-up, sweats and hold the bars on the treadmill and do a two mile pace. Unless you're hurt or elderly you need a LOT more EFFORT/INTENSITY to gain any results.

I'm at the gym for two hours but I spend a lot of time stretching otherwise I pay for it during my work-out and the next morning.

I find instead of TIME I look at the CALORIE count. True, they say they aren't super accurate but I tend to be an overachiever when I'm at the gym.

I use to do an hour on the treadmill walking but NOW I run and run on an incline (normally anywhere from 7.0-11.0) and wear a weight vest. I need to get as MUCH out of my time there.

My work-out is usually time on the stair mill, treadmill and rowing machine. I do leg presses at the end when I'm REALLY sweaty and warmed up. I can lift MORE at the end of my work-out that in the beginning. I think it's the endorphins kicking in.

My doctor said I should workout for 45 minutes to an hour.

Most people and professionals don't consider it an adequate amount of exercise until you have done 30 minutes. However, they have also determined that that 30 minutes does not have to happen all at ONE TIME. You can do 10 minutes, then 3 hours later do 15 minutes, then 2 hours after that do another 10 minutes... and get over the 30 minute requirement.

If your kids are done after 15 minutes, then stop at 15 minutes. But do something else later, or do a morning AND an afternoon 15 minutes. Or do 15 minutes walking the dog (until the kids are done) and do a 15-20 minute video workout at some other time during the day.

For me, personally, I don't feel like I have worked out unless I have spent 30 minutes (minimum) at a time, and have worked up a sweat. That isn't the way the new science says it has to be done, but that is how *I* like to do it.

After your SWH: ETA-- I generally didn't once I had my 2nd child. Then not until they started school. And then a few of those years I was too exhausted b/c I spent so much time driving them in the car. Now, we are doing virtual school online, so they are home all the time, unless I take them somewhere else. So, it can be a challenge again. I started running. Takes me about 45 minutes from 5-8 min warmup walking, 30 minutes running, 5-10 minutes cool down, then I am back inside, check on them and their school, then hop into the shower. Throughout the day I do leg lifts while standing in the kitchen, push-ups against the bathroom counter when turning on the shower, calf raises on the porch while the dog does her business... stuff like that.

i do 45 minutes on the treadmill, 4-5 days per week. i started at 15 minutes per day but quickly felt kind of silly. 15 minutes is nothing! if i can do 15 minutes, i can do 20. if i can do 20, i can do 25. i think i am maxed out right now at 45. but that's me. for some people you have to create exercise opportunities in your life. how about taking the dog and kids to a dog park? going for a walk in the woods? going to a park and playing ball and having a picnic? i'm not a very active person naturally. my exercise is my quiet, alone, "me" time. everyone has to find what works for them.

It depends on what you are trying to do. I have a friend that does everything from weight lifting to marathon running to Zumba/aerobics. Her general time line is about an hour, usually at the crack of dawn (which I can't do because of work schedules) Her main thing she tells me is that if she still looks good after her workout - regardless of what it was - she didn't work long enough of hard enough. If that were the case I would look awful after 1 hours of Zumba or aerobics. I do workout about three times per week. I try for an hour but usually end up doing more like 30-45 minutes. And I look horrible after my workouts. I typically will work out right after the kids go to bed. I do a mixture of elliptical/Zumba/Aerobics/Dance - all at home.

I used to hate exercising and sports, but over the last 20 years I discovered I love individual sports. I also discovered that the only way I really will be good about exercising is to pay a gym and take classes. I will go because I can't stand to pay for something and not use it. I used to say I did not have time and could not fit it in. But now I schedule it in regularly as a part of my day. I go an hour each weekday and do an hour long class at the YMCA - yoga or the exercise bike class. They have a child care room which comes in handy too. I meet a friend once a week to run. If I am meeting a friend then I can't back out! We have a regular Wed meeting time. The teachers who lead the classes at the YMCA keep it lively and peppy and really push you...they also make the time fly by. If I try to do a video at home I get bored and I never stay with it for very long. Anyway, now I love running, biking, skiing, xcountry skiing, kayaking....and exercise classes. I still can't get into team sports much. Good luck figuring out what works best for you!

It is about efficiency. Some days I only do 10 minutes, other days I will do 30. Before kids, I did 45-60 minutes, 5 x a week. Now I am very happy with 20-30 minutes, 3-4 x a week. Ideally, I like 50 minute videos that do 20 cardio, 20 strength, 20 warmup/stretch.