If I run & walk for 15 mins each for 3-4X/wk, is that a good workout? How much weight will I lose over time?

Question

If not, what is a better workout routine for 3-4X/wk? I do not have a health club membership, so I rely on the free outdoors, but prefer to run/walk only. I am slowly building up my endurance as I just started a month ago and have not previously exercised in the past. I am 25 y/o & 108 lbs. I know I am not overweight, but just a year ago I used to fit into my size 0 pants, not anymore! Also, I'd like to exercise for health purposes too.

Answer 1

It really won't do a lot for you. It takes more than 30 minutes for a workout like that to really start being effective.

Answer 2

You are already on the right track !! You have a routine, you are conscious of your body, and you are concerned. Without knowing how tall you are, I can't comment on whether you are overweight or out-of-proportion.

You have some really good replies here, but I want to add this: Make this a lifestyle for you, just like eating and sleeping. Eat good foods and fruit, and continue to exercise, taking at least one day off from aerobic to do stretching, flexibility, and toning for the upper body.

Work up slowly to an hour of aerobic exercise no more than 6 days a week, but slowly increase your time to an hour, and never increase more than 10% at a time. I suggest a month after each increase. Remember, regularity and continuity are the most important things. And a day of rest is as important as a day of training.

Good Luck

Answer 3

You don't need to lose weight. If anything, you should probably gain some weight, but that's something you should talk to your doctor about.

A good workout is one that gets your heart pumping. I have always heard you should do this for 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

If you just want to stay healthy, it's usually helpful to force yourself to walk more. For example, park at the back of the parking lot and force yourself to walk to the door, instead of parking as close to the door as you can. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Little things like that can really help.

But again, talk to your doctor. It isn't a bad thing that you can't fit in you size 0 pants anymore.

Answer 4

Fifteen minutes is good for a start, but it's not a lot of time to have your heart rate increased ... and it is the increased heart rate that burns the calories. Also, the more you exercise, the more muscle mass you create--and muscle takes more energy to maintain, so you're burning more calories there too. Try to add 5 minutes to your workout each time you walk or run. Or, if you don't want to increase the length of time, increase your speed. The point is that you have to keep going out of your comfort zone a little so as your heart and lungs have to work harder each time. This is the thing that does the job of increasing your metabolism and burning the fat.

Answer 5

You're certainly not overweight, but as you age you will find that your body will change. Regardless it's always good to incorporate exercise for your health. My best recommendation for you would be to warm up for about 2 minutes...walking, then for 20 seconds try to run as quickly as you can/sprint, then walk for 20 seconds, sprint for 20 seconds, walk for 20 seconds....repeat. Do this for as long as you can. It seems easy at first but once you get closer to the 10 minute mark it'll get quite a lot tougher. Try to do this for a total of 12 minutes 3-4x a week and you will help with your endurance and body tone. If you can do the 12 minutes you can increase that to a max of 20 minutes. If you really want to help with your body tone do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach(no food), water is fine. It's not about duration...you're obviously not trying to run a marathon, it's about intensity and the run/walk will help you with the endurance and toning. Best of luck to you!

Answer 6

I heard somewhere that 150 minutes/wk is considered good exercise.
I also heard that 30 min/day was good.
But I KNOW that in order for it to be healthy exercise, it needs to be 30 min. long and should be atleast 3-4 times per week.

If you are planning on not using a gym, you could use more resistance by using ankle/wrist weights.

The important thing is that you get your heart rate up to where it should be (you could buy a little pamphlet at wal-mart for this) for a good 30 minutes.

But PLEASE, don't exercise because you can't fit into your size 0 pants. Those things shouldn't even exist. : )

Answer 7

The best type of running for losing weight is a slow, 30-45 minute run. I've lost 5 pounds this week running every other day for 30 minutes at about a 5mph speed.

Also it helps if you do it in the morning, as running will keep your body burning calories at a higher rate all day.

Answer 8

The first 20 minutes burns sugar, so walk for 20 minutes and then begin your run/walk for 20 minutes. You can increase the time weekly or biweekly or increase the intensity of the last 20 minutes. The weight loss can only be determined based on your input. As a whole, most of us have desk jobs and we don't need to eat as much as we're made to believe.

Answer 9

Here is what you need to do, if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off. Eat 6 small meals a day about every 4 hours. Here what that will do for you, your metabolism will increase (i.e. Loose weight) and you will have more engry. If you go on a diet and eat less, your metabolism will slow down and store to fat. That is why diets dont work. Only the size of your fist, carbs (examples:baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, whole wheat breads)in one and protien (examples:chicken breast, swordfish, shrimp, turkey breast) in the other. You can also eat vegetables and salads with any meal, they dont have none or little fat). 30min cardo exercise every day. Any of these(examples: walking, jogging, swimming,running, biking, ect), Monday cardo, tues upper body (arms: curls, tricep extensions,pull ups, front press)(abdominals: leg pull crunch, leg raises), (chest: bench press, butterfly, pullover)(shoulders: front press, arm pullover, cross county skier machine)(back:seated row, lat pull downs, back extension)(YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IN ONE DAY, mix it up) wed cardo, thurs lower body (legs: leg pull,leg press, squats, lounges) fri cardo, sat upper. Sunday eat anything you want and dont exercising, you do this on sunday so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. YOU NEED TO TAKE SUNDAY OFF. If you stilck with this you will have a great body. also drink aleast 8oz of water daily! Stay away from Mcdonals, Wendys, ect because there is nothing good for you on the menu's even the salads are bad (beaon bits, cheeze, dressing, ect) Good Luck :)

Answer 10

i heard somewhere that exercising less than 20 mins is a waste of time. try bumping it up to 20 or 30 mins and it will start to benefit. you'll get fitter & feel healthier. well done & good luck :)