When is it Enough?

[Jskaf]

Hello Everyone,

I am 25 years old and up until the beginning of last month I never put much thought into what I eat or exercise. My whole life until now I did not like “exercise” (the kind where you are scheduling work outs). In January I bought a scale and it said that I gained 30 LBS (in 2 years). Now I have tried really hard adapting new eating habits, sleeping habits, and I have successfully brought exercise into my routine. I do exercise at my job 6 days a week just from the work I do, and 4 times a week I use the MaxTrainer from Bowflex as well as walk my dog and other activities when I can.
I chose the MaxTrainer because it’s a 14 minute intense work out in which you literally feel the burn for hours after, however I still wonder…what is enough?

How do you know when you’re routine is enough? I often ask myself: “Is this enough, should I be doing more?” It is a daunting task at first to change your whole approach to eating and being healthy, but what if you just want to feel good? I don’t need a six pack, I do not need to be a lean tree, I just want to fit into a size 4-6 again and continue to be a size 4-6 the rest of my life.
So, is there anything else I should be doing or should I stop worrying and continue what I am doing since I do feel and see some results already?

It’s easy to doubt ourselves as humans so I go through the motions and tonight I remembered that I am part of this awesome trim down club with people that may just understand what I am going through.

🙂

[lenarw1]

I have felt the same through out my health/fitness journey. My personal thought on the subject is this, we as human beings have a void that never seems to be fully satisfied with anything we do, the jobs we have, the entertainment, striving to be the best at something, etc. I think its more of a mind/ spiritual thing. I could easily tell you to stop worrying but the thought will always linger in the back of your mind. Health and fitness is not just about the physical but its mind, body and spirit as a whole. I feel that all 3 should be attended to in order to achieve a ‘completeness’. I would say to focus more on always learning and doing more for your health/fitness and not so much on whether or not you are doing ‘enough’. This is a journey that never ends until God calls you home!

[Ossie-Sharon]

Hi, jskaf. Lenarw1 is spot on! Generally there is a minimum of about 20 minutes per day, and the rest is icing.

[Jskaf]

Thanks! Your responses really help! 🙂

[philpayne]

Hi Jskaf, it’s not a matter of how long you exercise but the intensity at which you do it.
You can spend 30 mins on a treadmill at slow speed and you won’t get much benefit from it, or you can spend 2 mins at high speed and get exhausted at the end. As long as you are getting out of breath and working hard till you feel you need to stop, then that should be good enough. Look for short length high intense workouts, they are what do the trick. By the sound of it that is what you are already doing, with that and controlling your diet all will be well. From experience I have found that mixing up your exercises to get more variety will stop you getting bored and likely to keep you on the right path.

Hope all goes well.

Phil.

[jeanclaydon]

i don’t like exercise very much
BUT i find that if i jog a bit……like out of the garden gate and up the hill…………when i come puffing back i have more energy to get on with things
it’s nice sharing
all the best
jean

[Ossie-Sharon]

Many, many thanks, Jean! 🙂

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