How much is too much exercise?!

[TTC5]

IG put the fear in me that any exercise especially cardio will sway pink. Now, when having my girls I did alot of cardio lost lots of weight but was dieting and around 1,200 at the most calories a day. Will it hurt for me to do cardio at a level where I am sweating,surely with all the food I am eating I can do cardio to avoid any more weight gain? I am now doing some weights on the pin machines too. Thoughts?!

[atomic sagebrush]

No, you have a handle on it! If you're eating a lot of calories and exercising moderately (not to insanity levels!!) that is FINE for blue and will actually help you, because even cardio helps to build muscle mass - walking, running, aerobics all build muscle in your legs and rear, as long as you're giving your body enough raw materials to build those muscles with.

It's not that "cardio sways pink" and "weights sway blue", it's that "shrinking muscle sways pink" and "growing muscle sways blue." Exercise in and of itself does not sway, it's just a means to an end of getting our bodies to do what we want them to.

So a person who lifted weights every day for hours on end while losing weight on a low cal, low protein diet, would actually be swaying PINK because their bodies will be cannibalizing their muscles for fuel, and a person who does cardio for 45 minutes 4-5 times a week while gaining or holding steady on a high-cal, high protien, high fat and nutrient diet, will actually be swaying blue because their body will use those calories to build muscles that will better support that level of activity.

Cardio is better at shrinking muscle than weights are, and weights are better at growing muscle than cardio is, but both can shrink or grow muscle depending on the intensity you are doing them at, whether you are losing or gaining weight, and the quality of the diet you're eating (a diet with protein + carbs at every meal plus a wide variety of healthy fats and otehr nutrients and snack is ideal for building muscle.)

How much exercise to do - as a general rule, I believe that 4-5 days a week of 45 minutes of exercise (give or take) is fine for TTC blue, even if that exercise is mainly cardio. If you're really eating a lot and you are fit to begin with, you could prob. get away with exercising every day, like if you did 4 days mainly cardio and 3 days weights spacing out the weights every other day, but you are running some risk there over doing too much and taxing yourself too far, KWIM?? The advantage would be that you could eat more (gaining extra nutrients) without gaining as much weight.

I advise pink swayers to do 6-7 days of 60 minutes intense cardio at minimum (while losing weight and eating low-protein of course) so don't do that much. Stay under or at 45 minutes a day, even if you do decide to exercise more days a week. This is because after about 45 minutes, your body stops burning carbs for fuel and begins to burn off fat and muscle, which is not what you want to do for blue. That having been said, you can do warm ups/cool downs/stretches outside of the 45 minute time limit - I'm talking 45 min. for the intense sweaty part.

Another option would be to break the exercise into two 30 minute blocks, if you are finding you are gaining too much weight. That way you could get more exercise without ever really switching into the "burning fat/muscle" mode. No one needs to gain any more than 5-7 pounds (unless they are very underweight) for their sway, so if you're gaining a lot more than that, you may even need to exercise to stay at a healthy weight.

[begonia]

What a great post Atomic! I think this might should be a sticky ... it's a great explanation IMO of balancing exercise/calorie intake for TTC boy.

[begonia]

actually be swaying PINK because their bodies will be cannibalizing their muscles for fuel, and a person who does cardio for 45 minutes 4-5 times a day while gaining or holding steady on a high-cal, high protien, high fat and nutrient diet, will actually be swaying blue because their body will use those calories to build muscles that will better support that level of activity.

Obvious correction, I think most people would know you meant week ... but lest anyone get confused I figured I'd note it since I saw it LOL .. can you imagine?!? That would be some intense exercise!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you!!! My son was talking to me as I was writing that!!

[atomic sagebrush]

What a great post Atomic! I think this might should be a sticky ... it's a great explanation IMO of balancing exercise/calorie intake for TTC boy.

Done!!

[TTC5]

Thankyou so much for your help! My body most def is not in starvation mode so
All should be Ok

[Mae]

I run about 40 miles a week but also do 2 days of strenth training. Although I am doing quite a bit of cardio, I'm definitely not losing any weight (in fact I gained 3 lbs recently UGH). I should be okay to continue my exercise as-is when swaying boy, right? I am natually muscular (I hate my arms -- not feminine at all!) so I feel like my Testosterone is probably pretty high. . . or am I just looking for someone to tell me I can keep running? haha

[atomic sagebrush]

You can try it, esp. since it's a level you are used to. Exercise is just one of those things that's so personal and individual that I really can't make a blanket prescription, it's different for everyone.