Extreme Exercising is a Thing of the Past

We can all agree that exercising is good for us. We can reap many benefits from a sweat pumping workout! However, there are many of us that fall into two different categories when it comes to exercising. The first group I am going to call the "Over Achievers" because these people are the ones that think the more you workout the better in shape you are. The think that spending hours upon hours at the gym is a healthy lifestyle. The next group is the "Under Achievers" with little to no will power, and I fall into this category! The under achievers believe that walking around the house while cleaning up or getting up from the couch is considered exercise.

People are really misinformed on how much (or even how little) exercise is too much. I was the same way until I read this article at http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/a/exbasics_2.htm and the information it had on exercise guidelines. Now I would like to share the insight with you.

First I want to list the benefits from exercising and staying healthy. I think once you realize this then your conceptions on exercising might be a little different.

Benefits From Exercising
1. Improves your mood.
2. Reduces risks on possible diseases.
3. Manages your weight.
4. Boost energy.
5. Promotes better sleep habits.

Now if you are one of those "Over Achievers" and you are exercising more then the required limit per day, you may find that list working against you. One, your mood can go from being happy and upbeat to to irritable and even too much exercise may cause you to be threatening. Second, your weight will increase as well. Everyone knows that muscles weighs more then fat. So, the more you exercise the more you gain muscle and the higher the number goes up on the scale. Third, your energy level will go down. With working out for hours on end everyday then you will find yourself tired and your "mojo" will be long gone. And last but not least, your sleeping pattern may be affected by to much exercise because once your body gets so tired from working out to much it may be hard to get to sleep because you will feel restless and hurting so you can not get comfortable.

OK, you are not the "Over Achiever" but you fall into that second category we talked about. If you are lazy about working out then that list I just gave you will work against you in the same way as the "Over Achiever" and worse and to be honest with you because you first have to find the will power to want to start exercising, Finding that will power is hard at first. Just think exercising is not a job, but a privilege. Make it fun and find a way to create that fun in your workout.

Now that we have gotten all that out of the way we need to talk about what kind of goal you are working for and what exercise level you will need to make sure you are not working out to much. If you are exercising just to maintain your healthy status then you will need to do a moderate style workout which involves cardio exercises. You will want to do this style of workout for 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week. If 5 days a week is a little to much for you to take in then you can do a vigorous cardio workout twenty minutes a day for only 3 days a week.

If you are trying to loose weight your intensity will be determined by your will power. If you are full into wanting to start an intense workout regime then do a moderately intensive workout 3 days a week for 60 minutes a day. If you are just trying to test the waters and do not want to over work yourself, but still want to loose weight then do the same moderately intense workout, however you will want to do this for 20 minutes every other day. After about three weeks, and once you have trained your body to know you will be working out, then you can bump up to the 60 minutes a day for 3 days a week.

Remember, when you are working out, if you are to a point where you are not able to talk during your workout, then you are doing the exercise routine either too intense or too much. Slow it down some. The point is to sweat but still be able to talk through your workout. Also, listen to your body. Your body will tell you when you have exercised to much. If you are cramping up during your workouts and water is not stopping it, then you need to rearrange your workout routine to a little slower pace. Cramping does mean you are working out way to much. Have fun with exercising!