Are you working out enough?

So, I started out just doing the healthy eating thing and I was doing weights and core work two to three times a week, and wii a few times a week. My weight was just NOT dropping. Someone on the Livestrong boards recommended higher activity levels to break through my plateau.

Then I started the Lenten Challenge and now I'm doing at least 30 minutes of activity a day, SEVEN days a week. As I posted a bit ago, this is how the minutes stacked up:

Monday - Pilates for weight loss - 30 minutes (moderate intensity)
Tuesday - Zumba - 1 hour (high intensity)
Wednesday (start of the challenge) - Candlelight Yoga - 30 minutes (low intensity)
Thursday - Zumba - 1 hour (moderate intensity)
Friday - Jillian Michaels DVD Shape Up Front - 30 minutes (high intensity)
Saturday - Wii Fit - 30 minutes (low intensity)
Sunday - Jillian Michaels DVD Shape Up Back - 30 minutes (high intensity)

My total minutes for the 7 days = 4.5 hours or 270 minutes.


Now check this out:

Adults need at least 250 minutes per week -- equal to 50 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week -- to lose significant weight, according to the latest recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

This article says that 150 minutes is okay for preventing weight gain, but is more for maintenance and not really for loss. That means five 30 minute workouts don't do much for you in terms of losing weight.

The challenge is good for me, y'all. I think I'm going to swap the Yoga DVD for something more challenging, and do it in addition to other workouts instead. I just like it for stretching and relaxing. :)


So, how do your minutes stack up?


~J