Question:

How much excercise is too much?

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I know someone who has taken it upon himself this year to become physically fit. He lost 50+ lbs through diet and exercise He has a personal trainer once a week, goes to the gym a second time, and then goes out dancing with his wife a third night that week. He does these things on evenings and weekends. Recently he bought a new road bike and has been taking it out as often as possible in addition to these other things, and may even begin training for a century (100 mi ride). This takes up nearly every evening of the week. He works a regular job M-F. How much of his free time should be taken up exercising? He looks great, and continues to lose weight slowly. At some point this could be considered an obsession right? So how much is too much? He does have a family with 2 kids and should spend some time with them too.

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  1. If he still properly functions as someone who has a job, a father, a husband and a friend, I don't think what he's doing is an obsession. I am an anorexic and I exercise obsessively, like there is no tomorrow. I don't think what he is doing is wrong. Like you said, he is slowly losing weight and I believe it's perfectly healthy.


  2. I don't really think you can get too much exercise, it's always good to be healthy. But like you said, he should limit himself, and spend time with his family. Maybe you should talk to him.

  3. It doesn't sound like this man is exercising excessively - he's maintaining a healthy lifestyle and doing leisure activities that he enjoys. I commend him for his efforts - losing 50 lbs. is not easy - and encourage him to continue his program. I like the fact that one of his exercise sessions includes his wife. Assuming she likes dancing, it's a great way to spend time out of the house together.  

    But obviously someone (his wife perhaps?) thinks he's going overboard, and this may cause stress for his family, so it might be a good idea for him to think about how to balance all his activities.  

    I would think an hour of exercise on weekdays is not too much, but it should be fit into his family's schedule and balanced with an hour of free time for his wife to do whatever she wants.  There are creative ways to do this, and you can include the kids as well.   I used to run to my kids' soccer games when my husband drove them in the car.  When they were younger, we used a baby jogger and a bike trailer. As they got older they were able to pedal along on a trail-a-bike or ride their own bike while we ran alongside.  I took them to the track with me and let them run around and play with toys while I did laps, watching them every minute of course!  My husband and I played soccer and basketball with them - you can get a better workout than you think chasing all those stray balls!   Home exercise equipment, such as a treadmill or rowing machine, allows you to fit in 10 or 20 or 30 minutes while they are occupied with something else - and all those little minutes add up.  And you do need to take days off - spend them outdoors with the kids.  Not every workout has to be methodical or hard.  Think outside the box.

    On weekends, longer workouts can be done early in the morning, leaving the rest of the day for family.  Training for an endurance event such as a century ride only requires one long workout a week.  

    During my peak competitive years, I was balancing a professional job, 3 little kids, and ski or running races during two seasons of the year.  My training plan: each week I tried to do one long easy workout (2-4 hours), one or two "speed" (tempo or interval) workouts (up to 1 hour) and one strength workout  I had no set days on which to do them - I grabbed whatever time I could get.  I had some of my best results using this simple strategy.

    Yes, time with family is top priority.  But consider this: by taking care of his health, this man may be extending his time with his family by years instead of hours.  He is modeling healthy behaviors for his children.  And by reducing personal stress and taking time for himself, he is going to be a happier, more relaxed husband and father.

    I wish this man happy training and good luck on that century ride!

  4. You need to lose weight fast?  And without a whole lot of effort?  I understand...I have been in that situation many a time in the past.. I will give you the website of a great book that may give you new perspectives on how to lose weight, http://urlsnub.com/love4 .  Keep your head high and never give up!!

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