Do short trips count for cadio?
 

I'm supposed to do a certain amount of exercise every day for my own health reasons.
However, my mother is having some health problems and has just been released from the hospital. I've been tending to her and have been skipping some of the exercise.
We've had some good weather and she's had to have me run some small errands for her. Most of them involve going to a destination about a mile away for some small item, such as a prescription, getting a book from the library, mailing something, or at one point taking some transactions to her bank. All of which are about 1 mile away in various directions (well, the post office is only about 1/2 to 2/3 of a mile). I've been using my bike instead of the car for them to save gas and get my cardio.

Are these short trips, if you figure one per day enough to count for the minimum for some cardio, or do I need to try to work more in? They aren't as long as the doctor recommended as it doesn't take "at least 20 minutes of elevated heart rate, 45 preferable" to go that short a distance, but are they enough considering the situation?

Sorry if this the wrong forum and I should be asking in medical or exercise forum instead.

You need an indoor trainer or a stationary bike. That's the best solution in your situation.

We are in the same situation. I'm also looking after my mother who is a stroke survivor so I can't stay long outside. Stationary bike fulfills all my cardio needs and I can watch my mom while I exercise. I used to have hypertension. Indoor bike exercise got my blood pressure down to my teenage levels - 110/70 and resting heart rate down to 40 bpm and still going down with only 50 minutes exercise per day. 5 minutes of it in stretching, 15 minutes in warm ups and 30 minutes of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

This is excellent advice. The short errands won't do much for you.

As I read the latest research and advice, it all counts. OTOH, if it takes you 4 minutes to ride to the bank, you probably only get 2 minutes of elevated heart rate, so that's half as much "exercise" time as you might think.

If everything is within a mile, have you considered walking rather than biking? Weight-bearing exercise, more time with elevated heart rate.

not really. you need to take care of yourself, or you won't be able to care for others. hang in there, you sound like a very good Son :thumb: but take care of you, too. Mom will want you healthy & happy

Somebody else also gave me advice about indoor training in my situation that is similar to OP's. Additionally, I live in a city. I'm still able to ride outside for up to one hour but it seems indoor training gives better results.

HIIT might be excessive though. It doesn't have to be HIIT, can use easier training intervals.

So you aren't quite getting what the doctor told you to do. And now you want us to sanction it so you feel okay with yourself.

Hmmmmm!

Isn't a lot of time, on a bike. Getting heart-elevating cardio can be done rather efficiently in a gym or a stationary bike. Even a good brisk, even hard-driving, walk can be a good way to get that heart rate up over shorter distances.

If well under a mile (each way), you might consider walking that route. I'll bet you'll get quite a lot more cardio that way, simply due to taking longer. If done briskly, to a pace where continual talking is getting hard to do, it will be a decent amount of cardio on a 2mi walk, at least compared to that brief stint on a bike.

You could also consider getting a rucksack type of pack, whereby you'd walk with the sack weighted down with several pounds. A brisk walk with a rucksack can be noticeably more challenging, particularly if you've got any elevation changes to speak of along the routes you walk. And at under 2mi of distance overall, you ought to be able to cover that distance in a half hour or less.

The only correct answer is "ask your doctor." I'm sorry that's not very helpful. None of us know your health situation or why your doctor recommended this, so all we can do is guess.

That short of a distance....within reason of your time.......walk. Then indoor trainer otherwise.

Actually, mom has an old stationary bike we inherited from one of my grandparents in her basement. It's currently being used as a make-shift clothes rack for some of her winter clothes. I don't think it's been used in 20 years. If I can figure out where to put her winter gear (may need to buy some storage boxes, but I never learned to fold clothes to her satisfaction) I could probably use it, assuming it still works.
The stationary bike itself is older than I am, it's from the '60s or '70s.

It should work as long as you can get it to good mechanical condition, friction pad works, and can make it fit you comfortably. Should raise your heart rate to 120 beats per minute and you'll get good cardio!

1/3 mile won't even get your aerobic metabolism going. So...no, it does not count.

Some coaches say a minimum of 90 minutes are needed, your doctor wants 45 minutes.

A third of a mile is what? 60-90 seconds.

A trainer or treadmill in the house might be a better if it is something your situation allows.

Sure, give it a go. But those old things can be pretty clunky and difficult to enjoy. If it doesn't work for you, then your next least expensive option is probably to find a used trainer, rather than looking for a stationary bike. You don't need a fancy trainer. For example.
https://neloscycles.com/Trainers-Rol...-Bike-Trainer/
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16552028413...1&toolid=10049
etc.

Trainers and stationary bikes don't give me much motivation to ride them. So I rarely use the one I've got.

Outdoor riding gives me a lot of motivation to ride often.

So maybe consider what motivation you will be getting. And then ask your doctor if anything changes with his advice for time you spend on them.

They aren't quite the same

If circumstances prevent you from riding your bike outdoors long enough to get a good cardio workout, you need to find another form of cardio which can be performed indoors.

I do a lot of indoor training on my rollers. I just do it. It rains here a lot and it's quicker than the maintenance required to ride outdoors. Except for recovery spins, I don't think I get much out of a ride of less than 45'. That's about when one begins to get a training effect. It takes me 15' to warm up, then 15' with my legs still not feeling right, then everything comes together. I play loud rock music, which helps. Might not help your mom.

I used to play some literal garbage pop music (not the Garbage band) when exercising indoors on the trainer but mom did not like it either! I'm in the same situation as OP.

Earphones did not work for me as well because I sweat a lot. I used to have sweat-proof earphones, it didn't last. Now, I workout in silence or whatever TV show or movie mom's watching. We share the same trainer between me and my mom but hers on the lowest resistance setting. If working out is hard enough even with music, without music, it's just a little bit harder but otherwise, you can get used to it.

In an alternate reality, a long outdoor ride in a never ending empty road and nice scenery would have been nice.

Watching cyclocross events on YouTube keep my mind off the drudgery of stationary or indoor trainers. And they last almost long enough for a short session.

Don't know if he does the same, but it was several cyclocross events that MinnMan posted a while back that got me started watching them while on a trainer.

Running is a great alternative. You can get a better workout more quickly than on a bike.

Rowing is also a fantastic workout but requires equipment.

Get yourself a kettlebell and start doing kettlebell swings .Best cardio workout ever.

Oh, cool. No, I don't watch them while on the trainer - I do Zwift. But I'm glad you've been enjoying watching cyclocross. It's true that the shorter duration format would make for a good training session.

If you really want to ride your bike, even for a couple of minutes, then go ride your bike. If you currently aren't doing any exercise, then it's better than doing nothing but as others have said, it's not a replacement for what your doctor said.

Also, if you haven't done any exercise, going all-in with 20 to 45 minutes of intense cardio may not be a good idea. Start lightly and make sure you progress.

Start riding your bike for those errands. Then ditch the bike and start walking. Then start jogging.

Do you have any dumbbells or weights at home? Squats and deadlifts can get your heart pumping pretty hard.

It all counts

I'll parrot what others have said about walking if its that close.

I went from an active job (roughly 12-15,000 steps per day) to a sedentary job - (maybe 3000 steps) - all other things being equal , nutrition, cycling , etc. i gained 30 pounds and am fighting like heck to get it back down.

Base activity level is very important even if we dont consider it exercise

Unfortunately, Chicago has issued a "heat warning" that may become a "heat emergency". I drove my car to pick up a prescription today even though it's only a mile. It's just too hot to walk in 90 degree heat. Tomorrow it may break a hundred.
Normally I'd take the bike, unless it is raining, icy, or over 80 degrees. The latter is too common in the Chicago suburbs.
It's supposed to be in over 85 for the next week :-(. No bike riding for me.
Although I recall I used to ride my bike about 3/4 of the mile to the public pool in this weather when I was a kid, I'd be REALLY hot when I got there, and I used to stay until the pool was closed in the hopes it would cool off a little in the evening. I never went anywhere else in this kind of heat even then.