Is doing 30 min cardio 3-4 times a week enough to see improvements?

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ladyinjury1818

New member
I'm 22 and I've been quite sedentary most of my life. Now though I'm planning a 2 months trip this fall where there'll be a lot of walking involved together with some hiking and swimming. I'd like to get fitter by the end of September so to make the most out of my trip.

What I've been doing for this past month is either jumping rope or using my stationary bike 3-4 times a week for about half an hour. I'll usually add 10 more minutes of light weight lift for my arms and at the moment that's my entire work-out for the day.

I'm not sure I can tell how intense an exercise the biking and jumping are but I do sweat a lot and I'm quite exhausted by the end of it, which is why I've been only doing 30 minutes.

Is this enough to see any progress in the span of three months?

The only other thing I do is going on longer (at least 1 hour) walks once or twice a week. Otherwise I sadly sit at my desk or on the couch but if anyone has any tips I could try to do more.
 
@ladyinjury1818 Definitely yes.

Keep doing it and keep pushing the difficulty and you will see steady progress. I did the exact same thing (was 7 times a week but started at 20 minutes and then progressed to 30, then 40) and kept going. If you keep pushing the difficulty you're progress will remain steady for quite some time, enough time for you to notice the difference both physically and mentally. The progress will motivate you further.

Don't worry about diet or food intake, you can consistently see results doing 30 minutes (hard) cardio daily (5x per week) and still eat however you were eating before.
 
@ladyinjury1818 I run 3-5 times a week but my sessions are pretty long (1-2 hours each time) and my VO2 max improved significantly after a month of training.

Not just VO2 max but my resting heart rate was 70-80 before running and now it is low 50s. That happened also within a month or two of running.

I also seem to have less sugar or junk food cravings, sleep better and have better proportions. So for me yes it absolutely is enough! In many ways 3-4x is better than 5-7 because you can build a lot of recovery into that training timeline :)
 
@ladyinjury1818 if you’re doing nothing right now and you are sedentary, you will absolutely see progress with just cardio. Your heart will be stronger and your body will be more toned
 
@ladyinjury1818 Just wanted to throw in a recommendation for the C25k program. It's a free app and it will guide you each workout by gradually increasing your running time, and within 8 weeks you'll be running 5 km. You can do this on top of long walks on other days
 
@ladyinjury1818 I think it's a great start! I bet you'll start doing more once you get more into it and feel like you can do more. I started with only doing 15 minute walks on the treadmill. 5 months later I'm doing 3x HIIT a week, 2x light lifting a week, cardio every day 20 - 45 minutes depending how I'm feeling, and 3x reformer pilates a week. Plus I'm out every day being active with the kids, going on walks, skateboarding, basketball, etc.

Keep doing what you're doing and see how you go!
 
@ladyinjury1818 I agree with adding long walks.

I recommend structuring it a little differently.
Day 1: at least 30 minutes incline on treadmill. This is INTENSE and it will prepare you for the hiking.
Day 2: Rest.
Day 3: Swim about 25-50 laps.
Day 4: Rest.
Day 5: stationary bike or jump rope.
Day 6: rest
Day 7: arm and core exercises for at least 30 minutes. Even body exercise type of Strength training is good. Push-ups, planks, sit-ups, and if you have a pull-up bar, dips, bicep curls, and tricep extensions. Do 3 sets of 8-10 each and feel free to pick and choose what you want to do.
 
@crosswalk1991 That's really helpful as I had just thought about doing generic cardio but not specifically the kind of cardio I'd need for my trip. Sadly swimming and treadmill are not things I can do regularly as gym memberships in my area are very expensive while the bike and jump rope I have here at home. I'll make sure to walk more though, maybe even go on a few hikes and go to the pool at least a few times over the summer.

Strength training has always been what I was most intimidate about when trying to talk myself into starting to exercise but you're right, I might just give it a go.

Thank you so much for the great advice!
 
@ladyinjury1818 In short, yes, you will likely see improvements.

I'd recommend doing the activities you plan to do on your trip: walking, hiking, and swimming. IMHO, that would give you the best results [results being better equipped for the activities you'll be doing on your trip.] With that said, doing any activity is better than nothing. Just find something you enjoy.

I'd also recommend tossing in some calisthenics/bodyweight exercises, if you feel up to it. Squats, lunges, calf raises, etc might help. Doesn't need to be complicated. And feel free to modify the exercises to suit your needs. Eg. Try half squats or quarter squats. I like to incorporate bodyweight exercises into my daily life. Eg when I brush my teeth, I do calf raises.
 
@ladyinjury1818 It sounds like you're doing great!

There are some good suggestions below but one that I would add would be doing some intervals once or twice a week. Intervals are where you go as hard/fast as you can at an activity for a period of time then back of for a period of time and repeat that cycle multiple times. It's not a lot of fun (especially if you're really pushing hard) but I've found it incredibly helpful in building up my endurance and particularly helping for times when I need to push harder (walking up stairs, hiking up a steep incline, running to catch a bus or get across a street, etc).

There are a lot of ways to structure interval training. You can do tabatta style...20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds (total of four minutes). This is good for things like jumping jacks, sprinting, burpees (no one likes burpees!), jumping rope (with or without a rope...an imaginary rope works too...and you have to stop less because you ran into the rope) and other things where it's super easy to stop and start again. I like to do 1 minute hard and fast with 1 minute of recovery for 15 minutes on the rowing machine. That might be a good goal to work up to. You can start simple, 20 seconds of work, 60 seconds recovery (or 70 to make the math easier...You can also download an interval timer for your phone). And you don't have to do this every day. Two to three times a week would be ideal...but it's going to depend upon how your body works. Everyone is different. I'd start with twice a week and see how you feel after a couple of weeks.
 
@ladyinjury1818 Don’t neglect strength and balance training training too! I focus mostly on strength and I am terrible at consistently doing cardio in the summer. I just got back from a hiking trip in Colorado and there were many hikes where I was glad to have strong legs.
 
@rosieisaposie Balance training is a great idea for anyone. And it's easy to do! You can start by just standing on one foot while doing any task you normally do while standing. I stand on one foot while washing my hands after using the restroom. Sometimes I stand on one foot while brushing my teeth or rinsing dishes. You can level up by shifting your eye gaze or closing your eyes while standing on one foot, bending down to pick something up/squatting, using a balance cushion, bosu ball or a folded up towel either with shoes (easier) or without (harder). It doesn't take a lot, especially if you incorporate it into things you're already doing, but it can have a significant positive impact.
 
@ladyinjury1818 In my experience, definitely! I started running a 5k 3x a week in September (even though I “hated running”), and focused on running my best every session, and my 5k went from 30 to 26 minutes over a whole year! I also definitely get less tired doing physical labor. As long as you progressively push yourself to do better (faster/higher/longer) every session, over time, you will be upping your intensity and keep seeing improvements! For me, cardio is all about being able to move and perform strenuous activities more comfortably (and the mental health benefits) and I definitely have seen that 3 times a week is enough for that!
 
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