When it comes to weight loss or even a regular fitness routine that you wish to adopt, you may have wondered how often to exercise. Do you have to work out every single day, or should you allow a day or two of rest in between? And does it differ when you’re doing cardio workouts or weight training workouts? Will it be better if you work out three days in a row rather than spreading your exercise through the week?
Even though regular exercise has a long-lasting effect on your fitness, it also produces effects that may not necessarily linger. Take for instance a brisk walk. It will lead to an almost immediate change in the blood-sugar control for many people, but if you don’t walk or exercise in any way for the next couple of days consecutively, whatever health benefits you have gained will evaporate.
Secondly, if you don’t exercise regularly or take too many gaps, your endurance is also affected. So does your motivation. Researchers have found that one of the reasons why people continue to exercise is that they have enjoyed the previous day’s exercise. Longer periods between exercise sessions could affect your enthusiasm.
There is also a possibility that if you take too many breaks in between your active days, then you might also be more susceptible to workout-related injuries, aches and pains.
When it comes to weight training, most experts say that weight training should not be done every day because resistance exercises that stress your muscles actually create small tears in the muscle fibers, and the muscles then need 24 to 48 hours to heal and repair themselves. Aim for 2 to 3 strength training sessions per week. As for cardio workouts, they can be done 3 to 5 times a week, for 20 to 60 minute sessions.
If you choose walking, swimming, low-impact aerobics, using an elliptical machine or bicycle riding, for your fitness regime to be effective the key is to not miss more than two days in a row.