30 mins power walking x 3 per week; decent swim 1 x week. Enough?

[Erebus]

DH and I are both trying to lose weight. DH is using an aerobic fitness thing on the XBox Kinect, which he's doing 3 times a week.

I tried DH's cardio aerobics but, at 50, found it was taking me 3 days to be able to walk up the stairs comfortably again

Instead, I power walk as fast as I can without breaking into a run on a treadmill for 30 mins 3 or 4 times a week (about 1.75 miles each time). I break a decent sweat from it.

I am thinking about trying to go swimming at least once a week. I am useless at it and tire really easily but of course, even if 2 lengths exhausts me, I am gettimg my high level cardio exercise from it, aren't I?

Do you think it's 'enough'? Or should I grimly press on with DH's aerobics?

[catladycourtney1]

As long as you get your body moving and raise your heartrate for a good half hour, then it should be enough to improve your general fitness and wellbeing, and of course burn calories. Of course if your aim is to run marathons or climb mountains then you might need to do a bit more.

If you make your workouts progressive - IE do a little bit more each time or each week, either by walking or swimming a little longer or a little faster, increasing the incline on the treadmill, doing different activities, etc, your strength and endurance will improve as long as you stick at it, so in time you'll be able to do your DHs aerobics without crippling yourself :)

[Erebus]

Thanks. I also suspect exercise is going to be easier once I've shifted a bit of weight! I've lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks but I want to lose about 2 stone in all to be 10 st 10lbs (which'll just put me in 'normal BMI' territory!)