Posted on 03/15/2005 11:06:22 AM PST by LouAvul
Sixty to 90 minutes of exercise? Every day? That's what the government now suggests.
Even people working out at the gym say most folks won't consider that, and the experts behind the government's recommendation say 30 minutes a day is enough for most.
Paul Steinkoenig, 45, of Arlington, Virginia, now works out about 90 minutes a day three days a week. Sixty or 90 minutes every day "sounds higher than certainly what the average American is going to consider," he said while using weight machines that the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington.
"I think 60 minutes would be a little much for me," added Joseph Allwein, 84, who was pedaling a stationary bike at the center. Allwein said he bikes, rows or walks for 30 minutes five days a week.
The panel of doctors and scientists that developed the recommendations put an emphasis on getting 30 minutes of exercise. But its 25 pages of recommendations were scaled down to three when they were released as part of the government's new dietary guidelines in January. Those guidelines gave equal billing to the 60- and 90-minute suggestions.
"There's an enormous need to clarify that," said Russell Pate, a panel member and professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina school of public health. "I have no doubt that if we all met that 30-minute guideline, we'd have a lot fewer of us that have weight problems."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Actually, I used to work out 60 minutes a day. 30 in the AM and 30 in the PM.
It tore my knees all up. Now I just do 30 minutes in the afternoon.
I'm having enough trouble trying to get in 30 mins every other day. I wonder if these are the same people who keep changing their charts to the point that define Ethiopian Marathoners as "obese"?
I work out an hour a day, six days a week, but then again, I've been doing so for forty years.
Done correctly, a 20 minute cardio workout 3x/week combined with 3x/week 45 minute weight training sessions will get anyone in excellent shape.
Now, no matter how hard someone works out it's all worthless if your diet is crap. Diet is 80% of the game.
My parents do it. Last year, they participated in a study; "Seniors, Diet and Exercise," or some-such thing. They walk an hour a day, and eat lots of fruits and vegtables. They are both down to their highschool weights, and, according to my mother, have never felt better. They've decided to start doing thirty minutes of weights a day, so they'll be up to 90 minutes a day.
Bill Phillips...is that you???
They're called "12 ounce curls" Moleman.
I walk at least 40 minutes every weekday, maybe more soon.
Gotta love the "12 ounce curl"!
A half hour five times a week is fitness. 60-90 minutes a day is TRAINING!
Yes, they do, and it is the number that is important so take small steps. Also try to carry some more weight on each trip. Many people find that switching to 16 oz.'ers really helps, but don't cheat - keep the numbers of trips up there! Also, watching execise shows is just as good as doing them. Hope this helps.
That seems to be about right to get in the optimal amount of aerobic and resistence training for someone who is otherwise sedentary. Someone who does manual labor wouldn't need this much. But for someone who sits at a desk all day, 90 minutes are probably required to counteract all that inactivity.
When I get home after working all day I typically sit on the couch and drink beer. Do the steps I take from the couch to the fridge and back count as exercise?
Nah but the 12 fluid ounce curls do.
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