Breaking up the work out

As a working mom of a 1 year old, I don't feel like I have the luxury of an extended work out at the gym. So I have started to jog about 1 mile in the morning and then go to the gym for a 30 minute session during my lunch break. 

Working out at the gym for an hour before or after work doesn't sound like much.  But once you add in the time it takes to go, return, and clean up... that 1 hour will easily cost 2 hours of my day.


Do the math with me:
15 minutes to drive to the gym and put away my stuff in the locker.
60 minutes of cardio + strength training
15 minutes to gather my stuff from the locker and drive home
20-30 minutes to shower and clean up. 
Total: 2 hours required for a 1 hour workout.

Also, please remember... I have a 1 year old to feed and put to bed!  By the time all the home and family tasks are done, it's 8PM easy.

The question is: "Will multiple small sessions be as effective as one long sessions?"

The answer is: "It depends. Duration is important, but so is intensity.  A stroll for 60 minutes is not going to be as effective as 30 minutes of jogging and sprinting."

But REMEMBER the definition of an Aerobic/Cardio workout!  It means you have to keep your heart rate up for more than 10 minutes.  So if you're looking for improved cardio health, you will need to set aside at least 15 minutes of time for some good cardio excercise. 

Factoids:
The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend:
Adults under 65 should have a minimum of a 30 minutes of moderately intense cardio (brisk walking) 5 days a week.  OR 20 minutes of vigorously intense cardio (running) 3 days a week.  Strength training should be done 2 days a week.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend:  To lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary


The American College of Sports Medicine recommend:
Mini sessions should be a minimum of 10 minutes long. 

So, that's what I have to say about that. 

My Fitness Pal app

There are a lot of calorie counting apps out there on the net.  I've tried Lose It, Daily Plate, and the one provided by Slim Fast.  I never liked them very much. I found them to be a bit tedious or too hard to use on a consistent basis.  However, recently I found "MyFitnessPal."  It syncs between my smartphone and the internet, so I can either enter via my phone or from the computer.

I like it!

Death of the yogurt diet.

Can I really call it a yogurt diet if I haven't actually eaten yogurt in 2 days?  (-_-)  I'm a big fat liar.

It's odd, but eating 'healthy' food is very unsatisfying.  It's a psychological phenomenon that has scientific backing!  For the two days that I tried to follow this strict diet, I was so unsatisfied that when I did cheat... it was with junk food from the taco-bell drive thru!

But I'm not beating myself up.  Do you know why?  Because I HAVE been jogging every morning for the past 3 days.  =)  I jog/walk every morning for about 10 minutes before my daughter wakes up.  It's a very modest amount, but I feel motivated!  Using google maps, I measured out the distance that I'm jogging.  So far it's been 0.7 miles each day.  The stiffness in the muscle has faded, so tomorrow I'm going to try to aim for .9 miles. 

It takes me 10 minutes to run 0.7 miles.  I hope by the end of next week, it will only take my 10 minutes to run 0.9 miles.  =) 

And yea... I think I'm going to quit this stupid yogurt diet.  Back to nice normal portion control.