How much exercise do you do each week, and why?

[Blissybop]

Bit of a debate with a friend about how much the average person exercises so I was wondering if you were being totally honest how much do you excercise? Not just the gym but any sport, class, hiking etc.

And also why? As in why do you/don’t you?

How is everyone exercising in these heatwaves?

I usually walk my dog a good 45 mins twice a day then I will go on my walking pad for 30 mins five times a week but atm I can only manage a quicker dog walk around 9pm. I’m a sweating panicky mess if I try anything more intense in this weather. I see people out jogging in this heat and admire their strong constitution because I’d collapse, I’m sure of it.

This is true, DH religiously finishes work bang on time or early to get to his choice of sport one, sometimes 2, evening a week. Its literally non negotiable even on birthdays
I didnt go to my own sports club for about 4 years because it clashed with one of DC activities and one of us (me) had to take and collect them. Until I decided it wasnt going to be me because I wanted to prioritise myself for that hour, for both physical and mental health. It took a lot of nagging/reminding what time DH needed to be home (no earlier than for his own activity) and where the class was (same place for about 5 years) and what time it finished but it got me back into prioritising myself.

Air conditioned studio and lots of swimming in a pool and in a lake.

@TeasAndSeasApply i get up at 0515 to fit in either a walk or run before my kids wake up. Lovely and cool!

I do 45 min classes, 4 aqua, 3 Pilates and 5 strength and conditioning currently but in September I will add another S&C and probably another couple of classes or some treadmill time. So currently 12 x 45 min classes is 9 hours a week. I'm 70 and need to lose 2 stone.

My parents are in their seventies and fast walk most days about three miles. I do the same and enjoy my bike

Some of these responses are wild in terms of the amount of classes people are claiming to do. Mr Monkey is a sub 3.30 marathon runner and outside of run up to Marathon training he runs a 5k and 10k run every week and walks at least 10k steps a day. Although he did do a half marathon on Sunday on the spur of the moment.

I do three one hour classes a week - 1x pilates, 1x Vinyasa yoga and 1x weight training. Plus 30 mins of at home yoga a day and most importantly as I do not own a car my base level of walkin is pretty high. At least 10k steps a day, and more at the weekend.

Walk my dog for 1.5/2 hours a day 4 days a week.
YouTube weights video 20-30 mins 4 times per week
Walking pad 1 hour x 3 days a week

Why use the word ‘claiming’?

At the spa I’m a member of lots of the members do three or four classes a day most days of the week and lots are members at a tennis or golf club or other gym too.

Determination with a dose of stupidity in my case I think! I know if I miss too many sessions I will get out of the habit and end up missing loads.

where possible I did go very early in the day, did slightly lighter weights/less strenuous activity but in a gym with no air con it was horrible at times!

I do a 45 min class a week of high intensity a week and a 45 min pilates.

unless I am on a walking holiday I’ll do a couple of hour long classes a week - strength and cardio. I usually fail to to a second strength session. Then Some yoga and lots of walking 6 days out of 7 and at least one good walk ( with some hills ) every week

why ? Because I feel like shit if I don’t. Because I would hate not to be able to run for a bus or spend hours dancing at a gig

@MacDot I do dumbbell workouts at home - I’ve got 2 x 5kg and a 15kg kettlebell. There are loads of workouts on YouTube (I like Caroline Girvan, fitness blender also has lots) that combine the weights with compound movements (eg lunges, squats, abs exercises) and if it starts to feel easy (hasnt yet for me) you can move faster. I’m sure there will come a point where I need to go heavier and would benefit from the gym, but you can definitely still get useful work done at home.

Air conditioned gyms....outdoor pools.

In the 30°+ weather i was pretty lazy and took a week or so off. But for the last few weeks going out early, or late, has been an acceptable temperature to run. Yesterday I went for a run at 8pm, which was fine. I want to keep up momentum as I have races planned in the autumn.

15k steps at least a day + gym 3 times weight lifting

2 x 50 minute reformer Pilates classes a week
walk 1.5 hours x2 week
25 minutes yoga x 5 times a week
want to add in more power plate sessions

Im 54 and the fittest I've ever been

I just don't let it bother me. I always sweat during exercise - my cycling jersey and helmet straps will be literally caked in salt after a hard ride. As long as you drink enough and take on electrolytes it's fine. Cycling has the advantage that you generate your own breeze, on the flat and downhills at least. The climbs can be brutal in the heat, but there are no climbs where I live longer than 15 minutes or so. I take one bottle with electrolyte mix and the other bottle is just plain water so if I'm really overheating I can just dump some over my head and neck.

I walk on average 24k steps a day. But that includes riding my horses, which varies from walks round country lanes to galloping and jumping. Mind you, it also includes mucking out, lumping hay, pushing a wheelbarrow full of horse 💩 up from the fields. I don’t do any other form of exercise as I’m usually knackered after all that!

Strength training and lots of walking with my job. Would love to do reformer Pilates but the classes are just too expensive for me.

A little bit all the time.
I have terrible problems with sticking to routines and although I try to go to the gym four times a week and swim twice a week I inevitably will hit a point when I feel overwhelmed and stop for a bit, then realise I feel shit and restart.
I saw a reel about doing a little bit of exercise all the time and it’s really stuck with me. I do squats, pushups and dumbell workouts throughout the day. I go upstairs two at a time. It’s really made a difference to my strength and fitness. As I can do it any time I don’t get the suffocating feeling of being stuck in a routine.
I do it because it’s good for my mental health although I don’t realise when I’m consistent I do notice how crappy I feel when I stop. I want to be strong and fit. I’d love to lose weight too but that side of things seems trickier for me.

Unless my arthritis is really bad I exercise every day.

I do some exercises by Lucy Wyndham-Read on YouTube. I do her 20 minute Tai-Chi inspired exercise for weight loss, followed by her 7 minute exercise to lose belly fat.

I do 30-60 minutes hooping with my smart hula hoop, depending on how bored I get. I need to have something engaging to watch on TV to pass the time.

I do 30 minutes Japanese Walking on my walking pad, and 30 minutes on my "wobble board" (which I think is a waste of time, but it gives me 30 minutes on my Kindle)

And 3 or 4 times a week, my husband and I walk two laps of our local park, which is about two miles.

I'm doing it to support weight loss

Currently 8 hours per week on average, in BST it's mainly gardening about 3 times a week for about 3 hours each time, not always formally classed as exercise but this year has included laying 3 garden paths and carrying all the slabs, turfing the garden carrying turf etc, as well as clearing leaves and planting. Also do walks around gardens. When weather goes will garden once a week, some walks and swimming. I also do as hoc rowing / canoeing. The gardening has been a bit hot in the heatwave but the garden needs me more than ever, husband gardens with me and our silkies come too and sing when we garden. If I am too hot I put water on me. Do it for health reasons and as enjoy it and creates a beautiful garden which my asd son loves and we do too.

I do 2 one hour gym sessions with weights and a 5k run every week. When kids were little I just did lots more running as it was easy to pop out for 30-45 mins rather than get to a gym. Then I got injured so had to cut back on running

I walk every day and ride my bike sometimes but just see that as a mechanism to get places (don’t have a car) rather than exercise as such