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Exercise

Chat to other fitness enthusiasts on our Exercise forum.

Does anyone exercise twice a day?

173 replies

GymEnthusiast · 16/08/2023 20:51

i exercise twice a day 7 days a week. I swim 2k or do a Pilates session in the morning. I then do a cardio session in the evening after work. I keep being told this is too much (mostly by people who never exercise) , but I spend the rest of my time sleeping or sitting behind a desk at work. I don’t have a specific goal, I only want to keep fit, healthy and slim.
Anyone else do twice a day sessions? Please share your routines with me.

OP posts:
MrsChilliHeeler · 18/08/2023 19:13

drpet49 · 17/08/2023 12:58

Me too. 7 days a week as well.

What was the Inov-8 advert?

“obsessed is just what lazy people call dedicated”

Chesneyhawkes1 · 18/08/2023 19:05

I do on my days off work. Run am. Weights at the gym PM or Pilates.

Occasionally I'll run AM and PM.

The other 4 days I just run and fit it around my shifts.

I walk the dogs every day too.

weebleswobblebuttheydontfalldown · 18/08/2023 18:59

Twice a day every day sounds abnormal to me I'm afraid 😳

lljkk · 18/08/2023 18:55

what is RPE ?

Tessasanderson · 18/08/2023 17:24

@SportsAndExerciseMedicineDoc I had a bit of a chuckle at your last post to me. I can tell you the RPE of every exercise i have carried out week in week out for the last 52 weeks. Its how i train :-) I dont think we are a million miles away from each other in our thoughts.

BogRollBOGOF · 17/08/2023 22:42

I do something most days and often something more than once. If I need a total rest, or go gentle, I do.

I'll count 15 mins yoga as a session, but typically the strain on my body from that is less than the effort it takes half the population to walk downstairs, make a cup of tea and carry it back up again. I might run and swim on the same day, but it'll be an easy run plus easy swim. I have regular bursts of functional walking that I don't count. There are key sessions in a week that I prioritise and build the week around. Doing a lot of outdoor sports, can me opportunistic around weather conditions which can bunch sessions up to fit them in.

I do a lot, because I enjoy it.
If my plans don't work out, I brush it off and move on. I fuel my body well. I enjoy what my body does for me, not punishing it. It's not necessarily an addiction, obsession or problem to do a lot if you balance it out. Many people have a very low bar on what "a lot" or even a reasonablr amount of exercise is, and some people, particularly those who do nothing can be very critical or give out outdated advice such as "you'll ruin your knees"

GymEnthusiast · 17/08/2023 19:53

@AltitudeCheck , very much agree with your post. Swimming and pilates I consider quite gentle exercise. I think if I was lifting heavy weights or going flat out on the HIT circuit, I would need more recovery days.

@Fancylike , I have already explained that I am not a gym bore to people not interested in fitness. You seem quite hostile.

OP posts:
aintnospringchicken · 17/08/2023 19:32

Some days I do a couple of classes like Pilates ,yoga or Zumba.Other days the only exercise I get is walking.
Today I did back to back Pilates and aerobic dance classes in the morning then played tennis in the afternoon.

oliviabonnet · 17/08/2023 19:16

I agree with the main points you've made @AltitudeCheck

For me walking would be a very gentle form of moving on a rest day. Yoga doesn't really register as exercise for me either and if I do yoga it will be before bed to relax.

pimplebum · 17/08/2023 18:27

It matter not a bit what anyone else's opinion is
Seek help if you think you have an addiction or it's an unhealthy obsession with body image but only you can seek help if you think it's a problem

I'd personally not want my partner doing this but again , it's your body , your life

randomsabreuse · 17/08/2023 18:19

Depends what the exercise is and absolutely not 7 days a week as recovery is a vital part of the fitness process.

Daily core work/ active recovery = absolutely. So yoga, walking, swimming fine to do every day. Would always aim for 10k steps too.

Daily Strength and Cardio is now considered counterproductive as it's recovery that makes you stronger, progressive overload and all that.

I'd also deliberately set up to do my "main" sport tired from other training sometimes to simulate a long competition!

TinTinCheeseHat · 17/08/2023 18:11

@UnaOfStormhold @SportsAndExerciseMedicineDoc thank you both for advice. It has put it all in perspective for me. I do need to knock some of it on the head and focus. I think I have just got carried away by enjoying exercise again!
I love weight training so will definitely build some in, and cut back the Hiit to focus on the running. I'm not a serious, or fast runner, but do want to complete London for personal reasons really after a difficult time. Once that is out the way, I guess I can then build in more strength training.

RayKray · 17/08/2023 17:20

I talk about lifting a lot. A big lot. I doubt many people get through a conversation with me without me mentioning it. I've never noticed people annoyed by it though. They seem interested, but maybe I'm just reading it wrong. I'm never annoyed when people tell me about their achievements either. Personally if people were getting annoyed I'd probably avoid them as they'd not seem like the nicest people to be around. I know it's not quite what you asked but you keep coming back to this issue of annoyance, which to me is a 'people around you' problem rather than a 'how much you exercise' problem. Share it with people who support you, pay no attention to people who don't.

Fancylike · 17/08/2023 17:07

GymEnthusiast · 17/08/2023 16:25

@Fancylike , I am not in competition with anyone. I am sure people who only exercise a few times a week can have a much more efficient exercise programme than me. I don’t lift weights because I find it boring for example. I probably should. I posted to hear from other posters who also exercise as much as I do (for various reasons) and because I find it strange how so many people seem to get irritated by us.

Ah. If so many people are annoyed by you, maybe it’s not annoying that you exercise twice daily but more how you talk about it and how often? It’s a bit like how some vegans are very annoying because their diet is their entire personality.

ForeverWinter · 17/08/2023 16:58

I exercise between 2-4 times a day.

Gym 3 times a week minimum
Pilates twice a week
I swim where I get the chance (1-2 times a week)
Bootcamp twice a week

But 2 of those times (and I don't know if they really count because with them it seems like I over exercise but I feel like based on the above I go to the gym a normal amount) are 40 minute walks with the dog. Rain or Shine, no matter how busy we are she'll get walked twice a day.

AltitudeCheck · 17/08/2023 16:34

I think there's a lot of confusion between what some people call 'exercise' and other people would call 'moving'. If the rest of your day is quite sedentary then definitely don't cut down.

A pilates class, an hour of steady walking, cycling or swimming (especially if you are already comfortably doing that distance) aren't really things that you need to take a 'rest' from. If you were doing full on swim training, working to your max for 2k that would be quite different.

'Rest' also doesn't mean you have to do nothing, only give any muscles you worked to the point of fatigue a day or two to recover. So if your evening class is a spin class one day and boxercise the next you can still 'rest' a muscle group but keep moving. When I'm training for a run for example I might swim on my 'rest' day or go for a long walk.

UnaOfStormhold · 17/08/2023 16:31

@TinTinCheeseHat that does sound like a lot. One option would be to phase out the standalone HIIT sessions and replace with high intensity running intervals (start gradually if this is new to you!) to give you back the intensity. A good rule of thumb is 80% easy, 20% hard and avoid the grey zone in between Strength training, particularly run specific work, can be really helpful for recovery, injury prevention and improving performance so I would keep that going if you can but tail off as your training intensity peaks.

GymEnthusiast · 17/08/2023 16:25

@Fancylike , I am not in competition with anyone. I am sure people who only exercise a few times a week can have a much more efficient exercise programme than me. I don’t lift weights because I find it boring for example. I probably should. I posted to hear from other posters who also exercise as much as I do (for various reasons) and because I find it strange how so many people seem to get irritated by us.

OP posts:
Fancylike · 17/08/2023 16:12

FrangipaniBlue · 17/08/2023 14:40

It's not competitive to answer a direct question from the OP FFS Confused

It’s competitive for the OP to even ask. She doesn’t actually want to know. It’s like the “people say I don’t eat enough” threads where the OP lists the handful of almonds and small undressed salad they consume daily. It’s like online body checking.

lljkk · 17/08/2023 16:09

I'm sure lots of exercise helps my mental health.
I'd rather go for a walk for an hour than watch TV for an hour.

For a lot of people, if they stopped watching tv, then they would find a lot of time to do all sorts of nice other things. Does anyone get accused of being obsessive if they watch tv more than once a day, I wonder.

Would say more, but I'm off for a walk. With my teenager who talks to me...

bryceQ · 17/08/2023 16:04

I know lots of fitness instructors who do for work. My mum is 60 and in phenomenal health

MistyTrains · 17/08/2023 15:59

I lift heavy in the gym 3 times a week, I'm trying to fit cardio in but I have 2 full days off a week. I walk 10-12k a day. I'm happy with how much I do. I was doing a lot of cardio as a way of managing my raging hormones but since I started to lift heavy and build muscle that has chilled down.

Svalberg · 17/08/2023 15:55

In a younger, fitter, time I'd swim 5 days a week before work, go in the gym for an hour each weekend morning, gym Mon, Wed & Fri evenings and play tennis Tues, Thurs and Sat afternoon, and usually Sunday too. God knows how I fitted it all in! It did help enormously that I passed the gym/tennis club on the way to & from work

SportsAndExerciseMedicineDoc · 17/08/2023 15:17

TinTinCheeseHat · 17/08/2023 14:05

This is really interesting and inspiring. I am back exercising after a year or so off when life has just thrown a lot of things at me and the exercise really dropped off (and the weight went on!)

I've started running again, slowly building up as I have a place in the London Marathon in April. Also enjoying morning HIIT sessions at the gym, and would also like to add some heavier weight sessions as I really enjoy it and I find it great for my mental health. I'm just really struggling to work out how to combine all of these without knackering myself!

Obviously as the marathon gets closer, the running will be the priority, but for now I'm really enjoying it and want to keep going. Any suggestions on how to juggle all three and stay awake for a day at work greatly appreciated. 😊

Hi,

Sounds like you’re doing a lot!

Combining marathon training, HIIT and regular heavy weight training after extended time off sounds way too much. I guess you have lots of options depending on what’s the most important to you.

If you’re really enjoying the heavier weight training I’d stick with it and focus. If it’s an option, I’d personally not do the marathon.

For HIIT, one session, maximum 2 sessions per week, is enough. Perhaps even too much depending on weightlifting volume. Also depends on what you mean by HIIT.

For aerobic, I’d take it really easy and just build a base. If weight training, brisk walking, slow jogging or moderate cycling will help save the legs for weight training while building the aerobic engine.

For weights, if possible, I’d reduce the intensity of each session and do more sessions rather than fewer hard sessions that knacker you out.

Or, reduce the heavy weights (go lighter for fewer sets) and focus on the marathon training.

ErrolTheDragon · 17/08/2023 15:07

jamontoast6589 · 17/08/2023 13:22

A recent study has found that doing exercise more than 23 times a month, or exercising for longer than 90 minute sessions is associated with worse mental health

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322734

Tbf, if I still lived in the US our daily walks (typically 6-8 km) would be a form of masochism rather than a pleasure.