According to some research done back in 2005, it was discovered that people who want to maintain their weight and a decent fitness level should do 60 minutes of exercise a day, and people who want to lose weight should do 90 minutes of exercise a day.

Now ... before anyone gasps in horror about that as they have in other subforums here on BF ... this is a cycling forum, right? A forum where people ride bicycles? Of all forums on the internet, ours should look at that 60-90 minutes a day recommendation and say, "Oh yeah, no problem".

Also the recommendation is for moderate exercise, not flat out sprints or intervals every day ... and it allows for exercise to be at different times of the day and in different forms.

So ... you might ride your bicycle for an hour, and walk for 30 minutes. Or you might spend 15 minutes of your day climbing stairs at work, and 30 minutes lifting weights while watching TV, and 45 minutes on the trainer. Or some other combination of exercise. But the key is to aim for 90 minutes of exercise each and every day.

90 minutes a day equals 630 minutes a week, or 10.5 hours of exercise a week. Sometimes I might take a day off ... but then the next day I'll do double the amount so that I'm exercising a minimum of 10.5 hours a week. From my experience, if I do not exercise a minimum of 10.5 hours a week, I will either maintain my weight or gain weight. I seem to need lots of exercise.

I've gained weight over the past few months what with my international move, DVT, being hospitalized, etc. ... but now I'm back on the bicycle and I've already lost 3 kg. I'm on my way down!!