walking

Hi,  I have a question about my excercise routine.

I take 2 walks a day with a stroller--both for 1.5 hours (only way my baby nape =) ).  Is this enough or do i need to do some serious cardio like running or whatever.  Will this help firm up my legs?

i am 5'4, 125 pounds and am basically ok with my weight although i wouldnt mind losing 5 pounds.

Thank you!

that is a ton of exercise -- i would reccomend you get a jog stroller and you power walk one of the naps.  this way you will higher your heart rate.  I lost a lot of weight power walking when  i started.

well i guess it would depend on how fast you walk...one way to guage it is by checking your pulse to see if your heartrate is up. If you can walk and sing and talk easily you may not be working hard enough for a lot of fat burn but for maintaining your weight and just being healthier I think what you are doing is great :)

to firm up a bit maybe when you are at home you can try doing things like squats, lunges, plies, leg lifts while watching tv? that's waht I do and I hike on weekends and walk every day (a powerwalk probably hard to do with a baby in tow lol)

this may sound dumb...but what exactly is considered power walking?  i definitely feel tired by the time I get home but not out of breath or anything.  I've never really thought about whether I can carry a conversation because I walk by myself. 

basically very fast walking at a regular pace that gets your heart rate up here's some training info on it :

http://www.walkthewalk.org/get_walking/Traini ng/training.htm

What your doing for that length of time is great for maintaining your current weight, but I would agree with [zombies1] that if you want to see an improvement in your stamina and a loss of any fat, you should consider getting a jog stroller and increase your walking pace on one of your walks to more like 4mph (15min/mile), even if it is only for 3-4 days of the week.

This should increase your heart rate to a level that will get you the kind of results it sounds like you're after.

I power walk often and seem to lose weight (which unlike you, I NEED to do) only when I do it more than 3 times a week.

I don't have a stroller to slow me down, and I'm 73" tall, so my pace is closer to 4.5mph (13min/miles).

thanks for the advice!