How much exercise is enough to get started?

Question

23 year old male, 5' 11", about 220 lbs, I'd say for my body type I am 20 pounds over weight (give or take.) Struggled with my weight all of my life, but my real concern is not so much appearance but general level of health. There is quite a bit of heart disease and diabetes history in my family and I know I need to -if nothing else- work on my cardiovascular health.

Lately I have been working on my diet and have lost about 5 pounds in a month simply by cutting junk out of my diet and adding fruits and veggies. I have been working to walk a lot more, taking stairs instead of elevator, etc. Today, however, I decided to do some pushups / situps. 20 pushups and 20 situps killed me and I had to quit.

Question is: Is 20 pushups and situps a day going to get me anywhere? It took about 5 minutes or less to do them, if I continue like that will I realize any benefit and eventually be able to do more without dying (figuratively)? Or should I face facts and push harder?

Good tips all around. I think I will try to get out in the mornings and go for little runs. I have tried -and failed- to get in to jogging in the past, but mainly because I was running with people who were cooking off 7 minute miles. I have never actually just jogged by myself and I have a good neighborhood to do it in.

Answer 1

hahah mate that's the most common mistake most people make out there, your 220lbs and are you expecting to push about 220lb of weight back?? sorry mate that thing wont to do much difference the thing you should be doing is every morning walk for half an hour it's a good way to shoot your metabolism which help you loose fat, do light weights which can burn calorie further along and like you said avoid fatty and junk food eat more veggies and fruits and drink lots of water or fresh juice and strictly cut the fizzy drinks and later on when you start loosing weight then you can start doing push ups, REMEMBER mate loosing weight is a proccess not an event it takes time, the routine i gave you isn't that big differencebut every small changes in long term makes big difference. ALWAYS BE POSITIVE!!! dont listen to others who are trying to influence you by saying do this or do that and loose 0killo in 10 days damn they are lying trying to suck our hard earn money they are gold diggers just follow what i said and you will be great in few months time, remember what i said loosing weight is a proccess not an event.

Hope it helped fitness trainer for 7years

Answer 2

Hi Going, Instant of push-up and set-up,start jogging and get an exercise bike and a stair stepper. Start out jogging for 15 minutes for the first 2 weeks and them add on 5 minutes every 2 weeks.Exercise on a bike for 20 minutes for a month and then add 10 minutes each month. A stair stepper is very good for strenghtening your leggs and thighs and a for tone and smaller butt. Exercise for 5 minutes and add 5 minutes per month. This is a healty why to tone your body and lose weight the heathy way. You will also start feeling a lot better and look more heathier.
A Friend.

Clowmy

Answer 3

Forget the push ups for the time being and concentrate on walking for 15 -20 Min's a day increasing to 30 Min's 4 times a week!

when your at that level try some gentle jogging,(maybe jogging for 30 seconds and walking for a Minuit followed by another jog for 30 secs. Eventually increase jogging time gradually/slowly(theirs no rush)! when you are jogging or doing a similar exercise that works the major muscular structures of the body for 30 continuous minutes then add the abdominal exercises and push ups!

Answer 4

Just do a little more each day. If like, on the first day you start working out and you do 50 push ups and push your self to hard, your going to be tired, very very sore, and that will prevent you from working out the next day. When i started gymnastics, i ran and did a double back tuck and i did it for like an hour, but i wasnt ready for that trick so i had to stop for a while cause i was sore.

Ok to answer your question:
DONT DO MORE! Once doing 20 pushups and 20 situps is easier (it will get easier), try to move it up to 25 or 30 pushups and situps. Then when thats not hard, move it up to 35. Get it? So your still challenging your body ad getting a workout. I didnt make this up. tHIS ALL FROM MY TRAINING COACH.
_just trust me on this
-Logan Pretorius

Answer 5

I think any exercise is good. Even just 5 minutes a day. If you feel that burn then you know you are doing something. For example eventually those 20 pushups will get easier and you will be able to do more. Don't push yourself too hard otherwise you will get too sore and maybe not be motivated to exercise. Keep up the good work!

Answer 6

First of all, being able to do twenty push-ups your first time round is quite an accomplishment and you should be proud! Push-ups and sit-ups are great to tone and build some muscle but not for weight loss. Try working in some cardio into your routine. Ideally you should be doing 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week, but even one 30 minute session a week would help.

Answer 7

Alright, I'm trying to stick to a regular exercise routine myself, and while any exercise is 100x better than none, most experts suggest a minimum of 90 minutes of mild to moderate exercise/week. Walking and/or jogging fits into this category. Your level of intensity w/ your routine will have a direct effect on its duration according to some experts. At first, I would suggest more than anything to do exercises that are mild to keep your interest and help you reach 90mins./week. You will always be able to increase your efforts in the future. Add cardio exercise and the strength training too. Stay fit. Well-wishes!

Answer 8

Do what you can! Don't overdo it! If you start with what you can do, and work your way up, that's the way to go!
A general recommendation is 30 minutes 3x a week of cardio (dancing, walking, biking, jumproping, etc). However, if you want to do 20 sit ups and push ups a day for a week, then next week try for 25, and increase by 5 per week, work your way up until you get somewhere.
Don't think you have to make change overnight to get started on exercise. Some exercise is good exercise and a great place to start. Do what you can, and work your way up!

Answer 9

20 pushups and situps a day is good though it will generally give you stronger stomach muscles and a more toned stomach and not necessarily shed the excess weight. Do excercise such as running, swimming or cycling as well as those and the weight will drop off. Good luck!

Answer 10

Any exercise is better than no exercise. I would try to increase the time of exercise to 20 minutes twice or three times a day. This increases your metabolism. After you get your heart pumping, it takes about an hour for it to go back to normal. This whole hour is increased weight loss. Try to do a little more reps each time you exercise, work diff. body parts and cardio and don't eat for that hour after you work out. This will all help you maximize the benefits of exercise.