[Mandafay]

So here's the basics... I have 2 sons (almost 2 and almost 4) that I am home with all day. In the evening after dinner, I go into my home office and work, usually from about 7pm-1am, but I can be flexible with my hours.

I have come to realize that I am paying for a Curves membership that I NEVER use anymore. I am calling to cancel.

So I am trying to put together an exercise plan on my own, but I don't really know where to start! I was thinking that I could walk/jog 4 nights a week. But is that enough or should I try for every day? And what distance to start? I was thinking 2 miles but have no idea if that is a good starting place or if it is way to easy.

Also, I have a 10 pound weight. Other than that, I have no equipment. Oh wait, DH has one of those really heavy exercise balls...but again, I don't know what to do with it. (I don't think he does either since it is out in the garage hiding in a box)

Can you guys give me some ideas? I am open to buying some less expensive equipment now (weights, resistance bands, ball, etc) and am planning on buying a treadmill in a couple of months (darned root canal comes first )

It has been a while since I looked at actual workout videos, but in the past I have never found any that I liked. I am willing to try again though if the recommendation is made

I weight 195 at 5' 6" and I am hoping to get down to 130.

Thanks in advance everyone!
Amanda

[Get n healthy]

Dust off the stability ball in the garage. You can get on ebay and find a Gunner Petersons Fundamentals dvd. Or walmart. It is wonderful. Any of gunner's core secrets workouts are great. I do a lot of pilates as well.

I am home with my kids all day too and i find it is easier for me to do my exercise around 7 at night. My husband gets home and we all eat dinner around 5:30, so by the time 7 rolls around everybody is off in their corner of the house doing "their" thing, so mom gets to do "her" thing. So find a time in your schedule where you are left alone, although with little ones that age, it might be while they are napping or whatever. Find that time everyday and make a habit/routine out of it. Just like you find time to take a shower/bath, find time to exercise.

The walking sounds good, for me, i dont measure how far i walk, but how long i walk...ha ha, that sounds crazy, but in other words, i do a good 30 minute walk a couple of times a week but i couldnt tell you how many miles i get in. Mine is based on time not mileage.

Get outside with those kids and go on pic nics, i can get a lot of activity done during a pic nic. Get creative with exercise. Me and my kids can hike and explore for hours, that counts as exercise in my book. Get out on a bike, kids LOVE to ride bikes. That is a great family activity. As long as you are up and moving, instead of sitting.

Buying a treadmil is great. But have you walked on one before? I dont care for them, they hurt my knees, although regular walking does not. A treadmil hurts my husbands back, although regular walking does not. My favorite is an ellipitical, but buy what your body prefers. Just make sure you try it out first.

Good luck. My mentality, move more, eat less.

[adaem]

I am also home all day with 2 kids (2.5 & 5.5). I get up 5 days a week at 6am and do my working out before anyone gets up. I don't have any fancy equipment either (I have a tredmil and 5 lb weights). Mon., Wed. and Fri. I walk 40 - 60 min totalling 2-3 miles. Then on Tue. and Thur. I do a toning DVD. A good way to experiment with DVD's is to get one at the library. It also helps you change things up a bit now and then so you don't get bored. By doing this first thing in the morning I am done for the day and don't have to think about it. If I do it in the evening it wont get done. It was hard the first couple of weeks (I started out shooting for 3 days) but now I really look forward to it. I still hate walking but I love the energy it gives me the rest of the day.

I also do little things throughout the day as "accidental" excersize. I mow the lawn once a week (DH loves that). I try and take a walk with the kids when it is nice (thats an extra mile or 2). If I have to bring things up or down stairs I make more than one trip.

I hope this help. Good luck!

[adaem]

Oh, I forgot. I also bought a 6 lb weight belt. I think it was like $20. I will wear it around the house when I am cleaning or whatever. Carying around an extra 6 lbs must be worth something?

[Jayjay55]

All great suggestions -- I am slowly getting into this fitness thing and found the best thing is the mix up. Do not just do one type of exercise. Mix it up with cardio (minimum 4 days a week), some abs, some strength -- that way you and your body won't get bored. I take classes here at work and do three different types of workout. This past month I have been doing a fitness bootcamp and its an incredible workout but the main key is mixing up all the different types of workouts. The bootcamps may be expensive but with little or no equipment. I use 3 - 5 pound weights (using heavier when you are starting out will only discourage use), take my stability ball -- as was said earlier they are the cheapest and best workout for a multitude of muscle groups. Bands are good. There is also a group of workout DVD's that have 5 different workouts each 10 minutes -- you can do 1 or combine as many as you want for a personalized workout.

I can only repeat mixing up the workouts is the best best thing to do. Somedays when you are walking/jogging/running take the weights to power walk -- other times leave them home.

Good luck with it -- great time -- I wish I had done all this when I was younger.

[FitMomEB]

I'm home with a 1 year old in the morning and then the 7 year old gets back from school at 2pm.

I do workout videos (DVDs) for my exercise. I'm getting back into it and I do a short one (20 minutes) in the morning during the baby's nap or right afterwards, when she is more likely to stay in the playpen for 20 minutes (the playpen is right there in the living room so she can see me while I exercise).

I also modified our schedule slightly so that I can workout while my family eats dinner - I'll eat before them and then workout when dh gets home, while he eats with the girls. I'm starting tonight so I don't know how it will work but it should be ok.

I also try to be active during the weekend, particularly now that it's warmer outside. Last weekend we went for a hike and I had the baby in a meitai carrier (sort of like a backpack) on my back almost the whole time. It was great exercise!

If you want to start exercising again, I'd really go for a video. There are several short ones:
- Quickfix and 10-Minute Solution have a whole line of videos that are broken down in 10-minute segments so you can do as much or as little as you want.
- Denise Austin also has some short ones;
- Winsor Pilates has several 20-minute workouts;
- Sara Ivanoe has a whole line of yoga videos that are only 20-minute long.
There are also others, check on Amazon.com.

The cool thing about videos is that you don't get bored because you can pick and choose which workout you want to do on any given day; you workout at home, where and when you choose; and there is infinite choice as far as what music, instructor, etc you want to workout with.

It can be a challenge to workout when you have little ones, but it's doable. And if worse comes to worse, you can always pop them in the stroller and go for a long walk

P.S. I really woulnd't start jogging or running if you need to lose weight, excess weight is very hard on your joints. Go for walking, hiking, dancing or bouncing lightly on a rebounder.

[Mandafay]

Thanks everyone for all the great tips!

Last year was great because we could put both boys in one of those little wagons that hook on to the back of the bike. Nothing like pulling an extra 65 pounds around! Unfortunately, I don't think my 4 year old is going to want to squeeze in there with my 2 year old this year But we can let him ride on his own. We really enjoy bike rides!


Elisa, I'll definitely check into the videos you suggested...I like that they are shorter, since I don't think a longer one would hold my attention (or that the kids would actually let me get all the way through it!)

Thanks again!
Amanda