How Often Should You Exercise?

Following a consistent exercise routine is key to lasting health, and the benefits that we can get from doing so vary, from lowering blood pressure, to improving our mood and possibly even reducing anxiety. 

In addition to the invisible benefits of exercise, it also has the ability to help us all lose and keep off some unwanted weight. The boost in confidence that you get from that alone will more than likely make a significant impact in your life.

Now the simple fact is that most individuals within the US don’t exercise nearly enough. Pair that with the poor dietary habits of most of the US and it's easy to see how a large number of people feel like they need to lose a bit of weight.

It’s at this point you may be asking: “Well then, how much exercise is enough”? That would be a fair question to ask, and we’re going to look a little bit deeper in to the answer below.

Exercise standards for Weight Loss

According to the CDC and US Department of health and human services, and this study by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; It’s recommended that adults spend about 150 minutes a week on moderate physical activities or 75 minutes a week on high intensity activities. In addition to that they recommend two days of strength training every week. 

The problem is, a large amount of people can’t seem to stick to their workouts for an extended period of time. When starting to exercise find a routine you enjoy, something that will make you want to get up and do it. You shouldn’t dread the exercise that you’ve scheduled for yourself.

If you are having a difficult time sticking to a workout, or you have in the past. Check out my post about the 5 commons reasons people don’t stick to an exercise routine. There are some useful tips in there that may help you get started on a healthy habit.

Focus on eating a proper amount of food.

Losing exercise simply through exercise alone is extremely difficult... Really, Really difficult. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but you’ll probably see very minimal changes for an extended period of time. For most of us, that is discouraging and that’s why most people quit. For most of us, balancing a proper diet along with the correct amount of exercise is going to be the best bet for weight loss.

The best thing to do is track your food so you can visualize your daily caloric intake, there are plenty of apps available that make this process super simple (I love MyFitnessPal). It’s also very important to understand exactly what your body needs for an intake based on your activity level

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As you start to exercise more, your caloric intake will need to increase to compensate for the amount of energy requirements that your body needs. In addition to that, exercising is going to affect your hunger and your appetite. For some people, strenuous exercise causes your appetite to increase drastically, which leads to over eating (Obviously not what we want for fat loss). If you notice you’re “Dying” immediately after a workout, I would suggest bringing a banana with you to the gym so you can eat that right afterwards. You’ll also get a bonus boost to your glycocen levels, which will help aid your muscles in repairing the micro tears from your workout. 

Finally, ensure that you’re eating quality foods. Just because you need to take in a certain amount of calories per day doesn’t mean you can eat 5 bags of Doritos and assume you’ll swap fat for muscle. Higher quality foods will allow your body to use the fat stored in your body as fuel, which will cause the good nutrients in your food to be absorbed. This is key to fat loss.

Key Takeaways

• 150 – 300 Minutes a week of moderate exercise

• Minimum 2 days a week of strength training

• Eat healthier foods

If you’re still struggling with trying to find your way to your weight loss goals. Please reach out to me for help!