englibertm
JF-Expert Member
- May 1, 2009
- 9,252
- 6,208
One of the most common questions that new exercisers ask is: how long should I exercise to lose weight? When people ask the question, they are usually hoping for an answer that gets them off the hook for long aerobic workouts. The good news is that you dont have to go to the gym for hours everyday. The bad news is that some cardiovascular workouts should last a little bit longer if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
Adjust Your Workout Duration to Lose Weight[/h]According to the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM), you should exercise for 150 - 250 minutes per week to lose weight. They also suggest that more exercise provides better results. If you want to keep the weight off for good, the ACSM prescribes a minimum of 250 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week.
To meet the ACSM guideline, you could simply exercise for 40 minutes every day. But that workout schedule can get boring, which may cause you to quit your program. In addition, to lose weight effectively you need to exercise at different intensity levels. This requires that you adjust your workout duration to accommodate the various workloads.
How Long Should My Workout Last? How long you exercise every day should depend on your goal for that specific workout. If you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise, your workout program should include hard days, when you work at a high intensity level, easy days when you allow your body to recover, and moderate days when your goal is to build endurance, improve heart health and burn fat. Each of these workout goals requires a different exercise duration.
Adjust Your Workout Duration to Lose Weight[/h]According to the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM), you should exercise for 150 - 250 minutes per week to lose weight. They also suggest that more exercise provides better results. If you want to keep the weight off for good, the ACSM prescribes a minimum of 250 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week.
To meet the ACSM guideline, you could simply exercise for 40 minutes every day. But that workout schedule can get boring, which may cause you to quit your program. In addition, to lose weight effectively you need to exercise at different intensity levels. This requires that you adjust your workout duration to accommodate the various workloads.
How Long Should My Workout Last? How long you exercise every day should depend on your goal for that specific workout. If you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise, your workout program should include hard days, when you work at a high intensity level, easy days when you allow your body to recover, and moderate days when your goal is to build endurance, improve heart health and burn fat. Each of these workout goals requires a different exercise duration.