Walking as exercise - how fast is enough?

I have recently added exercise and have walked 60 min for five days now. It makes me a bit tired and I "feel it" in my legs afterwards but it's nothing close to when I used to go spinning (rpm) or running in terms of sweating and pulse. I can't really do that now so I was hoping that walks would be enough but no get a bit doubtful if it is enough to be considered exercise?

I walk at the speed 7 km/hour (would be around 4 miles/hour). Would this be ok or is it to be considered moderate? Planning on doing it 6 days a week.

Oh, would also add in another question about skipping breakfast.

Have I understood it correct that it the skipped breakfast in itself isn't the magic bullet, it's the hours of fasting that counts?

When adding my walks I just realized that it is impossible for me to go until lunch without eating, even too hard to go until 10. I finish dinner at the latest 6 pm, then go walking for an hour at 7-8 pm and go to bed almost hungry. In the morning a have coffee and at 9 am I am starving!

Would it be ok to eat at this point and still get the benefits of fasting in terms of sway benefits? Or should I add an extra meal/delay dinner and try to eat nothing before lunch?

Hi Marika

It doesnt matter what time you eat, its fasting for 14-16 hours that counts. If you finish your dinner at 6pm and then dont eat again until 9am, you have fasted for 15 hours which is great. For a long time I only managed 14 hours (dinner at 8pm and then breakfast 10/10.30am), then I pushed it gradually so that now its 16 hours. It has taken a long time to get to this point so you are doing really well by the sound of it - well done :)

I have the exact same questions...lol..I'll be following this thread carefully

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With the exercise, you really want to be working up a sweat. You should be able to do the entire 60 minutes but feel tired and be sweaty at the end. You do want your heart rate to be up. If you are doing the treadmill at 4mph I would think that is good. I was doing that for a while and it was indeed tiring.

What you're doing sounds great! I'll second what Rosie said. Although, don't obsess over/watch your heart rate. Some women think they need to hit 140+ bpm, and freak out if they drop below this... that is SO Martha! Just make sure you sweat, that it's challenging, but that you can keep it up for an hour, and that you get in your 5-7 days per week!

It is FINE to just walk without exhausting yourself. You don't need to aim for a certain speed or heart rate and in fact I don't even want you guys to think about that kind of stuff because it's the detail oriented type of thing that can send T levels (or whatever it is that sways in the Mary-Martha department) thru the roof.

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Originally Posted by Rosie85

With the exercise, you really want to be working up a sweat. You should be able to do the entire 60 minutes but feel tired and be sweaty at the end. You do want your heart rate to be up. If you are doing the treadmill at 4mph I would think that is good. I was doing that for a while and it was indeed tiring.

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If people can do it, that's great, but at the same time I don't want anyone to leave out exercise if all they can do is walk, yk? I think that everyone should get out there and do SOMETHING for 60 min in one block, even if they can't run or get their heart rate up.

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Originally Posted by Marika

Oh, would also add in another question about skipping breakfast.

Have I understood it correct that it the skipped breakfast in itself isn't the magic bullet, it's the hours of fasting that counts?

When adding my walks I just realized that it is impossible for me to go until lunch without eating, even too hard to go until 10. I finish dinner at the latest 6 pm, then go walking for an hour at 7-8 pm and go to bed almost hungry. In the morning a have coffee and at 9 am I am starving!

Would it be ok to eat at this point and still get the benefits of fasting in terms of sway benefits? Or should I add an extra meal/delay dinner and try to eat nothing before lunch?

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The only goal to reach for is that you're going longer without food coming in, than you were. There is no set number of hours and as long as you're going longer than you used to, it's all good for a pink sway.

Keep in mind too, that if you are miserable the whole time and thinking about food constantly, it sets you up to cheat and even may undermine your sway by having it require such a superhuman level of effort and attention that it sends T levels (or whatever) skyrocketing

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

The only goal to reach for is that you're going longer without food coming in, than you were. There is no set number of hours and as long as you're going longer than you used to, it's all good for a pink sway.

Keep in mind too, that if you are miserable the whole time and thinking about food constantly, it sets you up to cheat and even may undermine your sway by having it require such a superhuman level of effort and attention that it sends T levels (or whatever) skyrocketing

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I am for sure snacking a lot less now than I did when conceiving the boys. I usually had breakfast first thing in the morning so even waiting 1 hour is a challenge for me :-) Thanks for relaxing advice, I really need them to not go martha maniac here! :-)

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Originally Posted by LilithWiser1979

What you're doing sounds great! I'll second what Rosie said. Although, don't obsess over/watch your heart rate. Some women think they need to hit 140+ bpm, and freak out if they drop below this... that is SO Martha! Just make sure you sweat, that it's challenging, but that you can keep it up for an hour, and that you get in your 5-7 days per week!

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Well, about sweating - I do get warmer during the walks but it's only between 1-5 degrees celcius here (freezing!) so the sweat isn't really flowin from my forehead ;-) Wish I'd be in a warmer place and could enjoy my walks a bit more. Now I most days just wanna get the done. I a few weeks we'll have springtime here, then I might hopefully see some sweat :wink:

I do have a heart monitor but have decided NOT to use it. I am obessive enough as it is :bigsmile:

In regards to skipping breakfast, try doing it gradually. Each day wait a little longer before eating, even just by 15 min. It takes time for your body to get used to missing that meal. Also when you feel very hungry in the morning, have a hot beverage - tea, coffee, even broth - it really helps fill the empty feeling in your stomach.

Haha, well of course you can't worry that you're not pouring sweat in freezing weather! Just make sure it's something that's challenging for you, but not so challenging that you can't keep it up for an hour. A lot of successful pink swayers were just speedwalking or spending an hour on the elliptical (which is what I'm hoping for!)

Right now I'm moderately active - yoga and running after two boys - so I think that 6 weeks before we start actively TTC (it's soon! Eek! Yay!), I'm going to start the C25K workouts, which usually take 25 minutes or so, and then walk (fast!) for another 25 afterwards. Maybe do 2 C25K sessions in a row if I'm feeling good, but it seems like a manageable way to get in the amount of exercise without ramping up too slowly. Having done C25K before (and stopped because we are in the Snow Belt and it gets really stupidly cold in winter), I know that after these workouts I am definitely tired, but in a way that feels good, not in a way that is overwhelming and stressful and "oh no I really don't ever want to do that again."

Oooh, maybe I'll alternate and do an hour on the elliptical so that I can alternate running days and don't end up overstressing my legs!

I think that's a good idea. MOre than one person has ended up injured and can't continue with exercise.