So I have heard people say that if you do the same thing over and over that your body gets ammune to the routine of your work out and it no longer will help you loose weight. Is that true ? Mostly I found this in a gym from trainers. I walk a mtn 3-4 times a week and it is the same , but my heart rate is up and the hills are steep and some flat areas ..........it is about 2 miles long and takes me an hour. So would that be something that it won't help anymore because my body is adjusting to the routine ??????
Do what is called "interval training.'
There is lot of info about it online.
Athletes do this as well, for increasing stamina/fitness/weightloss etc.
Yes, your body will plateau.
Now, if you are looking for continuous cardio improvement or weight loss, changing your routine up every 6-8 weeks is important. If you are looking to maintain what you have, and are happy with how you look, it's less critical (although it will help with boredome). You're still burning the calories, just fewer as your body adjusts and your workout is no longer a "challenge".
I've been a fitness junkie for years. Personally, I see my best results when I change my workout every 6 weeks or so.
Hello,
I would recommend Jazzercise. I have been going for over 10 years---started right after I had my first child and never looked back. It is GREAT and so NOT the workout from the 80's that you are thinking of. You will get the cardio you need to raise your heart rate and effectively burn calories as well as the strength training to build and tone your muscles. That is really important for us as women to prevent things like osteoporosis later on in life, etc. And to top it off, it's a lot of fun! Go to the jazzercise website--they are always running specials! :-)
No that is untrue. However many calories you burn during any workout -- that is how much weight you will lose.
It's possible that if an exercise routine becomes extremely easy for you, you might burn a few less calories, but it won't make that much difference.
The truth is, most workouts burn less than 500 calories an hour -- which you can make up for by eating three or four cookies, or a big bowl of ice cream. So unless you want to exercise for hours, it is really important to eat less if you are trying to lose weight, and cut out the junk food.
Exercise is more effective at improving your health, vigor, looks, stamina, and mood, than it is for losing a few pounds.
It's not that your walking does you no good; it's that your body isn't surprised at having to do it. So it's being very efficient, and it won't burn as many calories. This is very smart of your body!
But you do want to burn calories if you want to lose weight. So you want to surprise your body with different routines. Make it work in ways it isn't used to. Do you know about cross-training - doing a variety of things to work out? You might ask about it. Ask also about interval training. (You have some intervals built into your trail!)
I was doing 5Ks (mostly walking with some jogging), and I had a particular race-day plan which worked for me. But, while that's handy during a race, it wasn't so good for working out. I had to take last year off because of an injury. Now, trying to get back in shape, I'm trying to mix it up a little and surprise my muscles. When I do my "regular routine" on the treadmill, I try to make my intervals of walking and running different every time. It wears me out faster, but it burns more calories and is much more interesting.
Don't stop what you're doing! Mountain walking is a wonderful opportunity. Just see what you can do to make it a little different. You might ask your experts at the gym for suggestions. (And don't forget your smart nutrition!)
If I 'actually' did exercise *cough cough* I'd advise you to do some interval training. Mix things up......your hikes are great for cardio but you need some stretching, yoga, weights, or something else to work different areas and muscle groups.
In your case, the biggest issue will probably be that as you get in better shape and the walk gets easier for you, it WON'T get your heart rate up as high, so it won't have the same kind of cardiovascular impact that it had when you first started. Also, as you lose weight, the same walk will burn fewer calories because you are lugging less weight around.
That DOES NOT make your work out worthless. As it gets easier you can up your pace, lengthen the route, add some lunges along one stretch of the walk, add push ups or dips or crunches at the end, etc.
Keep up the good work. I wish I could find time to get my behind back to working out :(
Try to mix it up with some interval sprints. But really walking is one of the best things you can do for your body.
The reasoning for that is that your body "learns" to function maximally. So anything that you do repetitively, your body learns the most efficient method of performing that particular task. So mixing it up keeps your body from getting TOO adept at that one task. If you don't mix it up, it does the work but uses less energy to accomplish it.
It doesn't mean you won't continue to lose weight. It MIGHT mean that your rate of weight loss drops slightly as your body acclimates and adapts to the task you are having it perform.
In addition to the advice already given, consider adding some weight training to maintain your muscle mass.
You get stronger, so the work outs get easier. They are never ineffective unless your diet is defeating your effort. Some people do the same exact exercise routine every day for many years to stay in superb shape. Don't worry about specifics, just keep up the good work exercising. But beware, I don't know your age, but at 35 I had my first child and used to push the jogging stroller over 2 miles up very steep hills several times per week, and didn't really lose weight. I had to join a gym and add muscle training. I got a trainer, learned how to use the weights, still do 40 minutes of cardio after muscle training. I also mix it up with yoga and spinning just so I don't get too bored. I've lost 50 pounds 2 more times for 2 more kids this way. Any good work out, if it includes enough muscle training and cardio, will help you lose weight even if it's always the same. As long as you do not increase your calories and cancel out the benefits. More exercise, less calories, ALWAYS works.
walking is fabulous, it's something that is useful to us throughout our entire lives! keep it up and if you aren't challenged or get bored, go longer or pick up the pace to a fast walk or slow jog...enjoy what you're doing for yourself, congrats!
I just had a stress test (walking uphill on a treadmill) done at my cardiologists office. He told me that hiking/walking uphill is one of the best things you can do for your heart. If you are looking for more of a workout, you may try to pick up your pace or go a little longer. If you want to change things up a bit, you could walk for two minutes, run for a minute and then jump rope for 1 minute and do that for about a half an hour. It is a great workout.
