I am on day four of my weight loss journey. I know at some point I need to exercise, but I hate it!!! I am not coordinated enough for aerobics and I always feel like a loser when I attempt it! I of course have about a dozen exercise videos that I have purchased and used once or twice over the years. Many moons ago when I was in shape and looking good I used the "Body of Steel" video every morning and then went to the gym every night for cardio. The thing is I am in a very small town with no gym in sight except for a Curves and Curves doesn't even make me sweat. I also don't want to pay for a gym membership. Do you think if I just danced around my family room doing random things that got my heart rate up that it would be adequate exercise? Right now I am 252 pounds and I can't really do anything strenuous. I am up for walking too, but it is hard for me to leave the house for a walk when I have 3 kids. Taking them would only slow me down. Help!!
You can get a rebounder, a mini trampoline and just bounce around while watching tv, that's as easy as it gets. Or get outside and go walking. Start with 20 min of walking then increase slowly every day, then walk/jog if you enjoy that. There's some good dvd's out there that will help you learn to lift light weights after you get started with cardio. Check out the video/dvd review discussions on this site. One way to start with dvd's is to hit your library and watch them for free. Or if you use netflix.com you can rent some exercise dvd's and try them out before you buy them. Also try Ross believe it or not for some cheap dvds. I'm a dvd nut, I have ov er 30 of them. If you do dvds in your own home it doesn't matter if it takes time to learn the moves! Personally I think kickboxing and tae bo is fun, burns more calories then just aerobics and walking too.
Do you have a house? If you do, cleaning the house, as well as gardening etc is great exercise.
Combine that with some walking and I think you have a great start.
Do you have a gaming system? I play dance dance revolution on xbox 360 several times a week. It's great exercise and it's fun! It also has a workout mode where you can track your calories burned/steps.
vdaybaby, my trainer at the Y told me that 4-5 days a week was necessary to support weight loss. I go 5-6. I also walk about every day for a mile or two.
So, if someone is doing workouts at home, it would be good to have a few different ones for variety.
I also recommend the WATP videos. I'm terribly uncoordinated, but I could still do those videos! At my highest weight, those videos got me started on exercise (until I felt comfortable walking outside or going to a gym).
I do yoga there are some websites that show the postures and sequences step by step. If you look under Ashtanga or Sun Salutation. Its fairly simple to learn from the material presented online. I want to do a class but not looking like the tub of lard I am right now. I find that way intimidating. I don't use the ones on youtube because they go too fast for me. I alternate that with walking. I'm now at 45 minutes and building to 1 hour. Snow shoveling also seems to comprise a significant amout of activity this winter.
I walk 5 times a week on my lunchbreak. There are tons of hills in the area and that really gives me a good workout. Then one day on the weekend I run around town, do luandry, clean house etc. I am thinking about joining a gym b/c my work pays for half.
I would suggest that you try yoga, or pilates. You can do the exercises that require more coordination later on. I like the combination of both, called yogalates. I don't know (without googling it) of any video for yogalates but I am sure there are some. Yoga in itself can be pretty demanding, especially if one has not exercised for a long time. You can do it!
I've also heard it called Pi-Yo or even Mat Pilates.
If you want to lose weight, definitely 5 days a week of exercise! I work out 6 days a week with one day off, and it's the only way I can keep myself motivated. If I were to drop down to 3 days a week, I'd find more and more reasons to not go. For me, going every single day makes it a habit and part of my daily routine ... so I'm less tempted to skip.
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Mary, congrats on starting your weight loss journey!
I can completely relate to the aerobics thing..I never was coordinated enough to do that, either. Taebo is pretty easy to learn, and a good video workout...I like the basic one best. I get bored with video workouts of any type, though, if that's all I'm doing.
I can relate to trying to exercise with young ones. One idea would be bike riding as a family...even if you're not going that fast, or have to ride circles around the kids, or let the older ones ride while you push a stroller and walk/jog, it's still going to be a workout.
Roller skating at a rink or in a fenced in school yard or tennis court is another good one. The local playground (school or public park) can be your friend, too. Lots of schools have a place for the kids to play and also a running track, so you can walk/jog while the kids are playing nearby or tooling on their bikes/ride-ons. Kicking a ball around is good, or simply playing on the playground equipment with them, swinging on the swings, or walking along with the kids on the hunt for cool seashells or rocks or critters (whatever keeps them occupied). You can also clear a path and walk/jog in the house, or as you said, dance in the living room. If your kids take a nap, you can get out and walk back and forth on your block or even just in front of the house, or set them in front of a half hour show they like on tv, while you get some walking in. Also, if there's another adult home, you can get up early or stay up late, to get a walk/jog in while the kids are still in bed.
We all have our obstacles to getting exercise. Just stay focused on your goal. If you want to make it happen, you'll find a way. If you haven't worked out at all before, then I'd suggest starting small, either just a few minutes a day, or 30 mins 3 days a week. When you feel like that's a habit you can live with, and are ready for more, you can add in more time or days where you see fit. Good luck!
Pilates - I did a few classes and it kicked my a**, as a spectator it looks easy but it's not. It's nice though b/c you can build up to the full workout and modify what's too hard to work for you.
Other than that walking - I love it, lets me clear my head and feel focused again.
Exercise???
