How much exercise should be enough?

[CrimsonMama]

OK I may have to admit my exercise regime is a bit extreme! I'm always trying to find balance between work, chores, exercise, study and time for my daughters! Most often I get frustrated as the one that I don't get time for in that list is usually my study time.

Now I am at my maintenance weight I am currently trying to find the calorie level that keeps me stable. I seem to be doing OK on 1800-1900 calories weekdays and up to 2000 weekends.

I am wondering if I can cut my exercise down a bit? But I am in fear of gaining weight! I know I shouldn't fear it and my journey has taught me tools to lose weight if I gain. But its almost obsessive now. At least, my family seem to think so. My mum wants me to break my diet every time I visit her which stresses me out. However I had "a treat" last weekend with her and it doesn't seem to have effected my weight.

My daughter is having "issues" at the moment and has said I never get time to do anything because of always exercising.

Currently I do 95 minutes a day weekdays. This is spread between a morning 40 min walk or jog, an afternoon 15 min aerobics and a 40 min walk or home-treadmill session.

Weekends is a longer hour walk or 1hr 10 mins 10k run. Another hour walk (with my younger daughter). Then 40 mins treadmill and another walk later. So maybe about 180 minutes weekends. Unless I'm visiting my mum then one Saturday will be about 120 mins.

I don't want to change my runs. They are 40 mins Tuesday and Thursday and the longer 10k run Sundays. I love my runs and they burn the most calories!

Maybe I could cut the walks and treadmill times in half? The aerobics can be tedious but I feel its good for stretching and core strength work out so I should keep that one right?

When calculating calorie allowance based on exercise I want to be able to keep my max calorie allowance but its unclear how much exercise counts for the "active" category instead of sedate or moderate...?

[PippiRuns 6kg Restart Jan 2025]

I am glad you are taking this up, CrimsonMama, because I don't think it is sustainable for most people to exercise 90 minutes per day.

Have you tried to calculate your BMR? globalrph.com/medcalcs/harr...

I'm female, 48 years old, 168 cm and am aiming to maintain around 70 kg at the moment. If I am sedentary (no exercise) the Harris-Benedict equation says the the number of calories required per day is around 1700.

I am currently testing this level - but I am not completely sedentary. I cycle to work and do a weekly warm water gym class and at the moment I am also trying to get some extra movement into my day by walking, so I expect 1700 calories to be too low for maintenance. If it turns out I am still losing a little bit, I will increase my calorie intake next week to 1800/day.

Why don't you find out what the calculator says when you enter your numbers and then do a week where you test what happens? If you gain, you can easily moderate your approach.

[CrimsonMama in reply to PippiRuns]

Very useful thank you! Its hard to know if I fit into moderate or heavy exercise.

Moderate puts me at 1953 calories per day.

Heavy puts me at 2142 calories per day.

Maybe that's why I have been feeling a bit hungrier? As I am under the 2142 limit. But if I cut my exercise down I can still keep my current 1900 max limit which seems plenty to me in a day?

I think I will try 20 min walk mornings (non run days). 20 min tread mill and 20 mins aerobics? On run days 40 min run, 20 min walk or treadmill and no aerobics? That should be easier to manage time wise!

[PippiRuns 6kg Restart Jan 2025 in reply to CrimsonMama]

Its a big step in the right direction to cut down from 90 to 60 minutes per day. Give that a go for a week or two at 1953 calories per day and see what happens to your weight. If you are still losing, you can cut back even further on the exercise to free more time for all the other things that matter in your life - your daughters and your studies.

[Gizmocat Moderator 13kg Maintainer]

Nhs.co.uk/live-well/exercise

Have a look at this. The NHS recommends 30 mins per day and strength exercises twice a week. Your runs are plenty without all the rest and you could cut down the aerobics. Maybe you can do something with your daughters such as swimming or a bike ride together. You might find you are needing to eat more because of the amount of exercise you do. Cutting down the exercise you might be able to refine the calories you need. The NHS BMI calculator will give you the calorie range for your height and weight. Hope it helps

[2718281]

I've read somewhere that people running in Copenhagen for 1.5-2 hours a week showed better life expectancy than those running more than 3h, and those not running at all (3h/week was better than not running too, but worse than 1.5h/week). I've started running on may and I wouldn't want to cut down on my runs either. My plan, when I get to maintenance, is to keep my runs, and have a session of strength training the days I'm not running.

I don't think you are exercising too much, but I think it's more than enough for your objectives (you don't seem to be training for a specific race or event) and if you are struggling to fit everything in your day, you are probably ok to cut it back a bit. You mention 3 sessions some days, I find that getting ready for each session takes me a lot of time, so I rather do a longer one combining strength and cardio, and that works for me as I can increase the time I work out without interfering too much with other things, but that might not be the best option for you if you are using one of your sessions to bond with your daughter and one to be with yourself...

[S11m]

Hi, CrimsonMama

I am 95kg, with a lean mass of 82kg.

I walk an average of 5.5km/day, which, my Apple Watch tells me, is an average of 621 calories per day. I think I would burn about 2,000 calories per day if I did not exercise, and some days I burn over 3,000 calories.

I could easily eat half as much breakfast and maintain my weight without exercise.

It seems that the problem with your exercise regime is the time it takes... and the total time it takes includes the time it takes to have a shower - as I only walk gently, I do not have to bath/shower every time I exercise.

I am 70, and I just want to keep reasonably fit for comfort, longevity etc. I keep my calorie intake down by not eating after 14:00 - but that would be difficult for you if you eat with your family in the evening.