50 kms a week on the stationary bike - enough?

[lellow 1,713]

Actually I'm fibbing. I also walk 30 mins a day at lunch and on Sundays, I cycle for an hour with my DH.

I just keep reading that to be successful in losing all your excess weight, you need to exercise and exercise a LOT.

Now I leave for work at 6.30am and don't get home until 6pm. I then cook, clean, spend time with my toddler and my teenager, then study for university from 8.30pm to 10.30pm.

I withdrew from uni this semester because I wanted to concentrate on getting my fitness up, but I'm mindful of the fact that I need to fit my exercise into my schedule of work and uni next year, so have been doing 25km on my bike (takes me about 30 mins) Tues and Thurs. More than that, and it'll start impacting on my study time, and my schedule is already very very tight, and I cannot afford to slip in my uni work. I would like to exercise more but once uni starts again, I honestly will be struggling to fit everything in.

SO, I guess the main thing I'm asking is: is 30 mins minimum walking 7 days a week, 2 x 30 mins on a stationary bike and 1 hour on a regular bike enough to get me to my goal weight?

[Jachut 487]

Dont know, its totally individual.

I lead a similar life, work, study, kids etc. I find a 45 minute run most days enough to have gotten me to goal and keep me there.

45 minutes of hard-ish aerobic work five times a week ought to be enough.

I dont have time for the gym and strength training so I just dont do it. I do some pushups, tricep dips and stomach work in front of the telly a couple of times a week. Despite the doomsayers who insist you'll lose all your muscle and not lose weight I havent found it to be true. I not only am fit, I actually LOOK fit with good muscle tone.

Its hard. Stationery bike is a good thing, anything at home that you can still do at 11 pm at night if you really have to is a great back up. I really need my treadmill because sometimes i simply cannot get out at 5 or 5.30 for an outside run. And I make sure that I run both days on the weekend because I know I have time then, so at the very minimum if I can get out two days during the week I know I've done enough.

I think you sound like you've got a fairly good routine going. The only other thing I could suggest is get up in the early morning, but I know that just makes me really really tired after a few days.

[lellow 1,713]

Lol thanks for replying Jachut. I admit to so NOT being a morning person. I prefer to stay up after study and exercise than wake early in the morning. Morning's are hard work for me. And my 2yo can hear a door close from all the way in the back of the house, so wakes up as soon as he hears people stirring.

I wanted to get a treadmill as well as a bike, but we just don't have room for a treadmill. My bike is in the middle of my study, like a huge elephant.

I'll see how it goes on what I'm doing now, I guess. I feel fitter, and I'm liking that, but I know how exhausted I was when I was working all day and studying all night, and I don't want to set myself up to fail at continuing to exercise if I put unrealistic expectations on myself.

Though I can see myself getting addicted. In fact I'm sitting here thinking I could surely do another 25kms tonight, even though I hadn't planned to cycle tonight.....