Stretching for exercise
 

I am so tired of starting an exercise regimen just to abandon it within days. But I may have solved that problem for now ... hopefully. For the last six days I have been stretching and doing yoga and pilates-inspired exercises. Really, I only burn around 150-250 calories per 30 minutes, but it is better than nothing, and I am trying to build up my flexibility and relieve stiff muscles. I feel pretty good afterward, and am actually experiencing achy muscles. I don't usually experience that when doing DVDs, but this is relaxing and nice. I just roll out my pretty green yoga-mat and crank up my playlist. :) My exercises just come to me, and I do them. It's kind of nice not following the orders on a DVD. Sure, I probably won't lose weight doing it like this in the long run, but for now it's nice. Anyway, I can probably build up my time when my stamina increases. I'm using a heart-rate monitor.

Does anyone else workout this way?

I say do what you need to do to stay motivated. 80% of your weight loss is going to be because of dietary changes so unless you are super worried about cardiovascular health or want to build muscle, yoga and pilates seems fine to me. It's low impact, and it's GREAT to find something that you enjoy.

What's the saying? The best exercise is one you'll do!

Good on you for finding something that works for you!! That's what counts!! The overall goal (at least for ME) is HEALTH, and any exercise is healthy exercise!

That's awesome! It really helps when you find something that you truly enjoy doing. My workplace offers 45 minutes of pilates on Tuesdays and yoga on Thursdays, and I so enjoy the classes. Sometimes I feel bad counting those as my exercise if I don't get in any cardio because I don't break a sweat too much in Y & P, but it feels soooo good and it is a form of exercise. :)

I want to just find something that I can stick to and that is what we each have to find..plus that crazy thing called motivation..

Well, I actually do break a sweat. I ended up writing a list of exercises to do, and it took me about an hour to do them all, and my heart-rate monitor said I burned 586 calories today. That's pretty insane, and my muscles have been SO sore today and yesterday, and I'm feeling more loose than usual.

I love yoga and pilates although I'm not particularly good at it. I stick to kundalini yoga though because the fast paces stuff is just not for me. I know what you mean about it making you more sore than some more intense exercise. I get a lot more sore from a very good yoga or pilates session then I do with calisthenics sometimes. If you like stick with it! You will notice a differnce.

P.S. way to go on the sweat session!

I recently tried a kundalini yoga dvd and liked it. It was pretty interesting, and provided me with a nice change. :)

I'm trying to make this exercise as nice as possible, so I don't grow to detest doing it every day.

I've been doing it in the morning, and will start with a relaxing soak in a hot bath (for my sore muscles) then I will get dressed, turn my music on, and roll out my mat.

I start with a few things to warm my body up further (marching, jogging, jumping-jacks, jump-rope) then move on to warm-up stretches (ankle, wrist, neck, hip, knee, and shoulder rolls).

I go through numerous stretches for my legs and back (which also target my mid-section). I do a little strength-building for my arms (tricep-dips, planks, ect), and, of course, yoga and pilates-inspired moves.

It all adds up pretty good, and I feel well-worked-out in my whole body.

I'm a yoga junkie, so I'm always happy to see others getting into it :-D. Yoga is great for so many reasons, especially because there are so many different types to keep the yogi interested and not bored by the same routine. Your stretching is great, and if you can build up to more strength-building yoga and intersperse with some power/vinyasa for cardio, even better! If you get bored with jumping jacks/marching in place, try some slow, intentional sun salutations to warm up your body. 4-8 Surya Namaskars are great for a little bit of upper body strength and getting the body warmed up.

Videos are great, and if you can get to classes, even better. I find that having a teacher and others around me makes me work much harder than I would at home. Teachers can also correct postures to make sure you are getting the most out of your exercise and are not in positions to injure yourself.

Also, you made a comment about losing weight -- I haven't been able to run for the last year due to an injury, so I've been doing yoga almost exclusively and have no trouble losing weight/burning calories with it. As someone who has always run/played soccer competitively, I've found I can get just as exhausting a workout and just as high a sustained heart rate from an intense power yoga session. Running is undoubtedly a great way to lose weight, but I've found yoga has been a pretty good substitute.