Is this enough exercise for the day?

Question

I walk 3 miles 4-5 times a week at school because my class is on the other side of the parking structure. Could the 3 miles (uphill/fast paced) I walk at school count towards the 30 minutes of physical activity I need a day? Or do I need more exercise?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Well I tell ya thats more than most people do in a week.

Answer 2

Depends on what your goal is. It DOES count as being physically active, yes, but if you are looking to lose weight or improve your cardiovascular function, you may want to add a couple days a week of higher intensity cardio exercise, something that gets your heart rate up more.

Generally you need to exercise at at least 65-70% intensity (think a 7 on a scale of 1-10 on how physically difficult it is for you) to see weight loss benefits (unless you are very overweight, which I'm guessing you're not), and at an even greater intensity to improve your cardiovascular functioning.

Because you're going uphill, you might find it is quite challenging for you, but if it only feels like a 4 or 5 in difficulty, consider adding an alternative form of cardio (like biking or stair climbing), doing 20-25 minutes at a higher intensity (even better: alternate intervals of high intensity with intervals of moderate intensity) 2-3 days a week.

If weight loss and improved muscle tone is a goal for you, you will also want to add strength training to your routine. Your best bet would be to meet with a trainer at your local gym (consultations are usually free) to determine what is the best routine for your needs.

Answer 3

Well certainly walking throughout the day really helps, but you need to get your heartrate up over the cardio level for at least 20 - 30 minutes per day.

General rule of tumb for a nice fat burn is 65% of your max. So lets say you are 25 years old. This is a very basic formula, through the our more scientific ways but hard to do in this type of forum.

So you would need 130 beats/minute for 20 minutes to really have any effect on your physical fitness level. so while walking through the day is great, Plan 20 - 30 minutes per day of sustained exercise where you raise your heartrate.

Harry

Answer 4

no it isn't. Just because it all adds up to being more then 30 mins a day, you walk for a short amount of time. doctors, and phyiscal fitness people alll say to do some activity(cardio) for 30 mins. and stay doing it. walking for 30 mins straight is really good for your health, but it has to be 30 mins a day for good exercise. if you walk for 30 mins, you can get 2 1/2-3 miles a day. you on the other hand just do it at school, and count that as exercise. which is completly wrong.


so you need more exercise, and don't count your walking to school, or from school, or in school as your exercise

Answer 5

I would check the distance that you are actually walking, because 3 miles seems a bit far for a parking lot.

Assuming you are correct - 3 miles a day is pretty good, and you'd be amazed how much improvement you'll see from simply walking.

Answer 6

You are getting a good amount of exercise. If you seem to be gaining a little weight, cut back on calories.

Answer 7

I'd say that's good. That's a lot more exercise than most other people get every day.

Answer 8

That is definetly good. To burn any fat you may want to go about 45mins.
All that walking every day is great because you are speeding up your metabolism.

Keep it up!

Answer 9

That's good that you are at least doing some exercise. I think that is okay, but if you can do more, I think you should do more.