Trainer Tip of the Week – How often and how long should you work out?
I’ll start by saying this, more isn’t always better! The first thing to ask yourself is, “What are my goals and what is a reasonable amount of time I can dedicate to exercising on a weekly basis?” It’s crucial to set yourself up for success here. Don’t expect 6 days out of the week, when only 4 days is reasonable. You can see fantastic results exercising 4 days out of the week! Also, at the end of your workout, I always encourage you to feel like you pushed yourself in some way (don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone!), but you should feel back to normal in roughly 20-30 minutes after your workout is over.
Most of us fall into the general population category, meaning a lot of our goals are similar, and typically include one or more of the following: Lose fat and build muscle (get toned), get healthier, get into shape, or stay in shape. Does this sound like you? If so, I strongly recommend aiming to exercise 3-6 times per week, at 30-60 minutes per workout session. On days you don’t exercise, I still encourage activity in some way, such as walking your dog or another light activity. Let’s say you exercise 4 times out of the week, with each workout lasting 45 minutes. That’s only 3 out of 168 hours in your week, or less than 2% of your week! If I told you that you could see a lifetime’s worth of results simply for dedicating less than 2% of your time in a week to fitness, would you do it? Dedicate this small amount of time to fitness, combine it with healthy eating, and you are on your way to seeing great results!