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Individuals at Fitness Level 3 have been exercising at a high level of intensity and on a regular basis (about 4 times per week). At this level, most people will lose weight. If you are not losing weight, see your doctor (there may be a medical reason for your problems with weight loss). You can also examine what you are eating and when you are eating by keeping a food diary. (Write down everything you eat and how many calories it is.) Sometimes people eat when they aren't hungry and most people eat more food than they think - a food diary will help you identify and control what/when you eat.
There is a set point at which your weight loss will stop. This will occur when the amount of calories you eat equals what you expend. If you are eating a healthy, well balanced diet and feel you need to exercise more to loose weight, then try increasing the number of aerobic workouts to 5 times per week, 30-60 minutes per session. By lengthening your workouts, you will burn more calories and your body will go to the fat cells for energy after the glycogen(carbohydrate) stores have been depleted. (Glycogen stores are usually depleted after 20 minutes of aerobic exercise.)
When you exercise at this level, you are more likely to experience overuse problems such as tendonitis, plantar facitis, etc... Make sure you are doing a variety of aerobic activities that utilize different muscle groups and different motions (not all involve stepping or pushing off on the toes). You need to listen to your body - if an exercise starts to bother you, immediately change to something else. Overuse injuries start off as a nuisance and if they are not taken care of, they can become a major problem - you may not be able to exercise at all for an extended period of time.
In addition to aerobic exercise, you should also do some form of strength training.
While aerobic exercise gets rid of your body fat, strength training will help build and
tone your muscles. A body that is muscular has a higher metabolism than a body that isn't.
Strength training doesn't mean you are going to get large and bulky (which is a major
concern for many women). If you train using less weight with a high number of repetitions,
you will tone your muscles and you won't bulk up. Strength training can be floor work
(such as abdominals, push ups, tricep dips etc...) or it can be work with hand weights,
weight machines, rubber bands, tubing etc... At this fitness level, you should try to train
4 times per week for 30 minutes each session.
The last thing you should do while exercising is some form of stretching. In addition
to relieving muscle aches/pains it will reduce your chance of injuring muscles. You should
stretch before you start exercising and after you are done. If you are exercising
aerobically 5 times per week, stretch 5 times per week (5 minutes before and 5 minutes
after should be adequate). You should try to stretch major muscle groups such as:
Quadriceps (front of the upper thigh), Hamstrings (back of the upper thigh), Calves
(Gastrocnemius(upper) and Soleus(lower)), Gluteus Maximus and Shoulders/Chest. When
stretching, try to hold the stretch for at least 20 seconds.
Back to Determining an Exercise Program