Very Basic Exercise Question

[Netbrian]

Hi! I'm currently a nineteen year-old college student, and finally decided that it might be a good idea to start exercising regularly. I generally don't enjoy doing it, but I do enjoy not being a blob. In general, I've been powerwalking. I wanted to know, about how many times a week and how long is reasonable? I'm not training for anything, just trying to stay in half-decent shape.

Thanks!

[Geek Mecha]

Start off slow and don't push yourself too hard, especially if your lifestyle is generally sedentary. You don't want to undertake anything major, since by your own admission you don't enjoy exercising and you're likelier to abandon a routine that is too much of an adjustment for you to make. Ten to fifteen minutes per day at two to three times per week should be a nice start. In a couple weeks, when this routine becomes less challenging, you may (gradually) increase the time, distance, or intensity of your workouts.

[Vezer]

If you really want to lose fat and get your heart and lungs in shape, do it military style (without the yelling)!

20 Minutes of elevated heart rate (preferebly within 80% of your maximum heart rate) activties. This is running, skipping, basketball, anything you can do for 20 minutes that doesn't involve real resting. The heart needs to keep pounding.

Do that three times a week.

Always stretch out. Here is a great guide on stretches to get you loose http://155.217.58.58/cgi-bin/atdl.dl...20/Ch4.htm#4-1

Drink plenty of water (as in hey, no coke today, ill have a water with my meal). Hydration helps remove those sticky cramps.

If you are interested in toning your body do some Pushups (Regular, close hand, wide) and Situps. Set a goal and just do it.

There you go, no pilates or whatever the trend is these days. I swear it gets easier and easier.

[vasyachkin]

walking eh? if you're 19 you could do better than that. do yourself a favor and get a gym membership.

walking could be a good exercise for a 12 year old.

[fezpp]

Don't want to turn this into an IMHO debate about best ways to exercise but from the tone of the initial post I would say that a Gym membership is a bad idea.
Powerwalking is a good, low-impact exercise for maintaining basic cardio-vascular fitness.
To echo what Audrey said the most important thing with exercise (as with dieting) is to get a routine that you can stick to. The majority of people that get Gym memberships use it frantically for a couple of weeks and then never use it again (no cite!!).

20 minutes 2 or 3 times a week is a good way to start.

Here is a decent article from NHS direct about exercise for newbies!!

[Geek Mecha]

Instead of a gym membership, try the free alternatives first. Your local neighborhood may be a good place to walk or jog. Since you attend a university, see if your campus weight room and other fitness facilities are open to you.

[Innanna]

Originally posted by vasyachkin
walking eh? if you're 19 you could do better than that. do yourself a favor and get a gym membership.

walking could be a good exercise for a 12 year old.

Hate to disagree, but walking helped me lose 50 pounds. It is free, effective, and can be done just about anywhere. You get to know your neighborhood, meet loads of people with dogs, gain a real appreciating for what a mile actually is, and oh, yes, did I mention the 50 pounds?

[KidCharlemagne]

Netbrian, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming you're male. At 19, your high levels of testoterone will help you build muscle really fast. Muscle gains are a real motivation to both lose weight and gain more muscle. More muscle will help you lose fat although the benefits are hyped a bit much these days. Would you consider lifting weights?
It's a lot less monotonous then cardio and, while it doesn't replace it, will often motivate you to take up cardio with more enthusiasm.

[Small Clanger]

What eveyone else says. And.. I have found that running for 20 minutes every weekday I stay fit(ish) but I don't get thinner. On the other hand. I now have one slice of toast for breakfast instead of two and suddenly I'm shrinking. (There are other factors I'm simplifying this a bit.) Would you miss one slice a day?

Also, to burn off fat excercising you need to keep it up long enough (20+ minutes) that your body switches from glycogen stores (from carbs) to stored calories (fat), so I've heard.

[ultrafilter]

Originally posted by KidCharlemagne
Netbrian, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming you're male. At 19, your high levels of testoterone will help you build muscle really fast. Muscle gains are a real motivation to both lose weight and gain more muscle. More muscle will help you lose fat although the benefits are hyped a bit much these days. Would you consider lifting weights?
It's a lot less monotonous then cardio and, while it doesn't replace it, will often motivate you to take up cardio with more enthusiasm.

I'll second this. At your age, weightlifting is the royal road to fitness. Keep the weights heavy and the rest periods short, and you'll get a hell of an aerobic workout too.

[Dignan]

If you're in college you should defnitely look into whether or not your school has a fitness center. Every place I have heard of is free for students. This is a great opportunity as the facilities are usually decent, and any other time in your life you will have to pay for the privilege of a gym membership. Right now is probably the easiest it will ever be to stay in shape because of the way things are. With a young body, and not as many obligations you have time. If you're not in shape now, then what are the chances you will be later on? You could also look into intramural sports programs at your school. Good luck!

[vasyachkin]

Originally posted by Innanna
Hate to disagree, but walking helped me lose 50 pounds. It is free, effective, and can be done just about anywhere. You get to know your neighborhood, meet loads of people with dogs, gain a real appreciating for what a mile actually is, and oh, yes, did I mention the 50 pounds?

my health / fitness is not something i am trying to save money on. gym memberships plus supplements run me about $300-$400 per month. as such, to me, being free is not reason enough to chose walking over pumping iron.

[vasyachkin]

Originally posted by fezpp
To echo what Audrey said the most important thing with exercise (as with dieting) is to get a routine that you can stick to. The majority of people that get Gym memberships use it frantically for a couple of weeks and then never use it again (no cite!!).

this might be true. this is why Ballys only offers a 3 year membership cuz they know you will quit after 2 weeks and end up having to pay for the full 3 years. this is why it is crucial not to fall for that Bally's crap i have long since switched to NYSC which has a month by month no-contract membership, but i am still paying for Ballys, though i will not set my foot in that sh1thole any more.

just find a gym with no commitment and try there. have reasonable expectations - meaning you will not actually see any difference in appearance for months but you will start feeling increases in strength in just a few weeks.

[vasyachkin]

walking is a low intensity exercise, though i dont know what power walking is.

low intensity exercise, compared to high intensity exercise is a waste of time. high intensity exercise includes weight training and sprints, or in other words activities above about 75% maximum effort.

low intensity exercise has pretty much same effect as just skipping a small meal, that is its not good for much more than helping create a caloric deficit.

the effects of high intensity exercise are many, and almost all positive. various hormonal substances are released which ultimately cause muscle gain, fat loss and elevated caloric expenditure for about 24 hours.

[Tripler]

Netbrian, even though I don't play a sport professionally, the best thing I found that I could do was to "work out" for it for my 'beer league'.

Case in point: I play hockey in a local Saturday afternoon league. To be more prepared for it, so's I can "skate better", I kinda tailor my workout for it. I do a lot of leg workouts and a lot of upper body workouts.

My point? If you have a sport you like, that you may play occasionally, workout for it. It'll give you some motivation for your game and yer workouts.

Tripler
Hey, I dropped the better part of 30 lbs on the "Tripler Hockey System".