Is 3 Miles in 30 Minutes Good for a Workout?

N.,

I am a personal trainer (BS in Exercise Physiology) and yes, if you are pushing 3 kiddos in a stroller and doing 3mi in 30-min pat yourself on the back, that is excellent! You can tell if you are working hard enough by doing the talk test, if you can say 3-5 words in a sentence, you are working out hard enough, if you can only say 1-2, you are working too hard, anything more than 5 words you need to kick it up.

Keep up the good work!
J. W. MPH, ACE-CPT
Wellness Educator in Maternal and Child Health
Master Trainer for Healthy Moms Fitness
www.healthymomsfitness.com

3 miles in 30 minutes is a ten minute mile (I'm sure you figured that much out!), and a good workout. Pay attention to your heart rate - you want to stay within a range that burns fat/is aerobic. Quick and easy calculations for that:

220 minus your age.
multiply by .65 for your low end number - beats per minute
multiply by .85 for you high end number - beats per minute

I'm sure there are more sophisticated methods but that will work. You areen't doing yourself any favors by pushing too hard and getting your heart rate up too high - you don't burn fat that way.

Good job!

N.

Three miles in thirty minutes is a very good workout--especially pushing three kids in a stroller. I run/jog and can't do a 10 minute mile yet. Great job. If you walk regularly for exercise, or are planning to begin an exercise regimen, maybe consider investing in a heart rate monitor. When you set it, it uses the same calculation that the PP recommended, but you can get a calories burned total as well. I love mine.

I'm going to assume you ran part/most of it. Walking 10 minute miles is a super duper fast pace. Continuous running at 10 minute miles or slower is normal and typical for a beginner. At any rate, 10 minute miles are a great start!

Determining whether a workout is good is better based on raising the heart rate into the target heart rate zone and sustaining that heart rate throughout the workout. In other words, if you are 40 years old when you take your pulse in the middle of a workout it should be between 108-144 (if you're 35 it should be between 111-148 and if you're 30 it should be between 114-152)

3 miles in 30 minutes is great, especially if you are starting out. You can then work up to 5 minutes per mile. of course, pushing a stroller gives you a little resistance as well.

You should get a heart rate monitor and workout to your max heart rate- 220- your age X 60% for low and 80% for high. You can vary periods of low and high exertion to burn fat. That's a pretty decent pace for pushing kids in a stroller- I always find pushing the kids very draining.