I'm exercise-ignorant. Part of the reason I haven't developed a good plan is I don't know what I need to be doing. What really got me in track diet-wise is having a clear menu and meal plan. For some reason, writing things out and sticking to the plan really helps me.

The last two weeks, I've been walking/jogging and working. I have a very physical job (part time college kid job), and it's 2+ hours of intense physical labor. I lift/pull/push heavy things, walk tons, and so on. I also have a Wii fit, and I play on it most days, but I honestly don't get much of a workout from it. But hey, 20 min of not sitting on my butt, lol.

So here's my workout schedule so far.

Sunday: Rest day, maybe go for a walk
Monday: walk/jog for 30 min...I'm doing the C25K plan, and I can jog 90 seconds and walk 60 seconds for the full 30 min
Tuesday: 120 min of work
Wednesday: walk/jog for 30 min
Thursday: work for 120 min
Friday: work for 120 min and 30 min walk only
Saturday: walk/jog for 30 min

I do NOT have any exercise equipment, and I honestly can't afford a gym membership. I'm going to push my walks to 40 min starting this week.

Anybody have any suggestions? What do you all do for exercise?

On a good week...

Sunday - Run 5K
Monday - 30-45 minutes spinning, intervals
Tuesday - C25K workout plus arm weights
Wednesday - 1 hour hip hop, 1 hour contemporary
Thursday - 30-45 minutes spinning, endurance
Friday - C25K workout plus arm weights
Saturday - 1 1/2 hours modern dance, 1 hour ballet

Of course, that doesn't always happen - I usually wind up taking at least 1 day off for rest, depending on how I'm feeling. Plus money has been a little tighter lately, so I'm not always able to get to all 4 dance classes. But that's my goal every week, and I figure it's better to shoot high than to take it easy and not push myself.

Sounds like you're building up your cardio well! Jogging is a fun, cheap way to get exercise. I would suggest adding strength training. You build up strength so quickly that it's rewarding and motivating. And it doesn't take much time out of your day, especially because you don't sweat as much and don't need to shower immediately afterwards. I had a session with a personal trainer once a while ago, and she gave me a few exercises you can do without a gym or gym equipment. Some are the basics, but they're tried and true!

I hope this doesn't sound obvious; I found out I had been doing a lot of the standards wrong for my entire life, so I'm hoping my mistakes were common!

- Squats. When you do these, try to keep your knees over your ankle. Stick out your butt--it's all in the glutes, not your knees (I did this wrong for MANY years!).
- Lunges. These are vicious. Lower and raise your back knee slowly for 10-15 reps, hold for 15 seconds, then lower and raise it in tiny pulses for 10 reps.
- Plank. Get in a push-up position with your arms directly under your shoulders. Keep your back and butt flat; do it in front of a mirror if you can. Hold for one minute. When you get good at this, try it on your forearms. Better for your abs than crunches!
- Push ups. Start small and build up. Keep your hands farther apart than your shoulders and you might not need to keep your knees on the floor!

Do different muscle groups on different days (legs MWF, arms TuThSat?) so everything has a good 24 hours or so to repair itself.

Again, I'm sorry if this is a little too obvious and dumbed down. I swear, basic moves are so much better than gym equipment. Everything will end up strengthening your abs/core since a lot of these rely on balance and posture, too. I hope this is close to what you were looking for!

I absolutely agree with JMC. It sounds like you have a handle on cardio, but you'd be amazed how much of a difference strength training can make. Even just doing some crunches, sit-ups, or squats one evening is a good addition to your plan. And if you want to add some hand weights to some of those moves but don't want to buy any, you can just use something around the house - like canned goods.

Another tip is to vary your exercise plan as much as possible each week. You can make your schedule up for the week, but just try to make your schedule for each week different. That helps prevent any stalls in weightloss.

My exercise plan right now is something like:
Sundays - Running
Mondays - Running or elliptical + pilates
Tuesdays - Spin Class
Wednesdays - Running or elliptical + pilates
Thursdays - Spin Class
Fridays - Running
Saturdays - Strength training with my personal trainer

And I mix these days up whenever I can.

I hope some of that helps! You're doing a fantastic job!!

I live out in the middle of nowhere (literally, I'm at the end of a dirt road) in Alaska which means outdoor exercise at this time of year is out of the question and I can't really afford to spend money on a gym membership either, not to mention it's hard for me to find a gym I feel comfortable in. What this means is that I am very much a workout DVD person. I've got a pretty large collection already and I'm constantly expanding it because if I don't switch things up every so often (a few days, a week, etc), I easily find myself burned out. The days that I work out are pretty steady, though. And I like to do at least one 35+ session (20 if doing 30DS) of a DVD that mixes cardio with sculpting in the morning after I've had breakfast. In the evening, I like to try and squeeze in one of my Yoga DVDs at least 3 of the 5 days that I work out. If it's a busy day and I'm in a pinch (like today), I will sometimes forgo the morning workout and do just an evening yoga session. Below is an example of what I'm talking about, it's my workout schedule from this past week; I weigh in on Tuesdays, making it the start of my workout week, so that's why the days are listed below the way they are. It should also be noted that all of my Transfirmer DVDs as well as 30DS require the use of dumbbells after you master the basic form of the moves, I do recommend in investing in some. I have 2-3lb weights and 2-5lb weights at the moment and it only cost me about $30 for all four. The two DVDs listed are The FIRM: Cardio Sculpt Fusion and Cardio Burn Yoga w Patricia Moreno both of which I got at Target.

Tuesday - CSF
Wednesday - CSF / CBY
Thursday - CSF / CBY
Friday - REST
Saturday - CSF
Sunday - CBY
Monday - REST*

* I always try and make sure I have a rest day the day before I weigh in, especially if I did heavy strength training on Sunday. This is because it give me all of Monday to drink enough water to help my muscles repair and flush out any water weight they might have been retaining from the previous day's workout. It's good for my morale. XD

Angee is right. Cardio is great, but adding strength training will do wonders! I started out doing just the C25K, with some of the 30 Day Shred DVD when I had the time. I found that I lost faster (and got leaner) when I did strength training regularly. Problem is that I don't push myself hard enough if I do it alone at home. So I signed up for a kickboxing bootcamp. My trainer puts a LOT of emphasis on strength training to build up the muscle (and turn me into a lean, mean, fighting machine, hehehe). He pushes me to the limit during every workout, which I would never do at home.

Right now, my routine looks like this:
Monday : 45 mins Intense bag workout (mostly cardio, but it builds up my upper body strength at the same time)
Tuesday : 1 hour Lite bag workout and overall body strength training
Wednesday : 45 mins Cardio kickboxing
Thursday : 1 hour Lite bag workout and overall body strength training
Friday : 30 mins Running in the morning and 45 mins intense strength training at night
Saturday: 1 hour Running
Sunday : Rest

Although the strength training is wicked intense, my trainer never makes me work the same muscles two days in a row, except for my core. It's only been three weeks and I already see a HUGE difference. I have muscle definition in my arms! Me! The girl with the perpetually flabby arms!

And, best of all, it's so much fun! I LOVE kickboxing! :-)

My weekly routine usually looks something like this (it can vary from time to time, and I will give myself the odd day off).

Monday: Spin class in the morning and 2hr dragonboat session in the evening
Tuesday: 30-40 minute run (7.5mph) and 45 min weights
Wednesday: Spin class in the morning, 2hr dragonboat session in the evening
Thursday: 30 minute run (7.5mph with interval sprints) and Spin class
Friday: 30 minute run and weights
Saturday: 2 - 2.5hr dragonboat session
Sunday: 30 minute run (7.5mph with intervals) and weights.

I usually do:
Sunday: 45 mins elliptical
Monday: 45 mins stairs
Tuesday: Weight Lifting class- very motivating
Wednesday: Yoga or Pilates
Thursday: Weight Lifting Class
Friday: 45 mins elliptical
Saturday: rest

Hope this helps- I also do videos when I get bored- LOVE LOVE LOVE So You Think You Can Dance workout videos- if you like the show- love the videos. And the 30 Day Shred is an awesome one too!

mckendrick, you're very pretty.

I'm doing the C25K thing too!

Sun: Walk 30 min with my doggy (she's a big girl, so I have to walk fast to keep up! =])
Mon: C25K workout
Tue: 50 min balanceball workout
Wed: c25k workout
Thurs: 50 min balanceball workout
Fri: c25k workout
Sat: rest or walk with the dog

I'm planning on taking a spinning class when school starts up again in the mornings every weekday. I'm not entirely sure if I am getting enough exercise right now, though...

My workout routine is fairly easy to explain. My weekly goal is to do 1 hour of cardio 5 times a week and to lift weights 2-3 times a week. I usually do 20 mins of walk/jog on the treadmill, then 15 mins of hills on the elliptical, and then 15 mins on the stationary bike. I also do the cool down. I tend to do interval rather then consistantly keeping my heart rate the same, also hills are awesome. I use the machine weights since its more simple. As long as you get moving and keep moving i wouldn't stress about anything else. The gym is free for me since my husband is in the Army

Since I'm just starting out (I'm on Day 4) i'm trying to do an hour on the elliptical everday. I get just over 4 miles in that time frame. I'm not really pushing myself yet, but I can tell its working!

When I get down to about 140, I'm gonna start a pilates class hopefully so that will be twice a week

And when I get down to about 130, I'm gonna get a personal trainer to help me kick off those last 15 pounds since that's where I always get stuck, and show me how to use these weights I hear so much about

It sounds like you're already doing this, but I like to do HIIT (High Intensity Inteval Training). I would suggest you do a Google search on it so you can do it more. It is VERY effective for weight loss. I use a heart rate monitor so I can tell when I'm ready for the next intense interval. The nice thing is that it doesn't have to be done for a super long time.

I also recommend an exercise ball. There are some really great exercises that can be done and you can get it for a good price at a discount store. I like to do crunches on it and I also do this pilates move where you lie on the ground and take the ball from over your head, over to your legs that straddle the ball and then touch the ground and then bring the ball back up from legs to your hands and over the head and repeat. You can also put the ball behind you and do assisted squats up against the wall, which I think is easier on the knees.

The Plank position is great for building core strength and costs nothing.

You're already doing great though!