Hi all!!! This is my first time here at 3fc and I was wondering what is a good exercise plan to start with? I usually have time in the evenings to exercise if I am not swamped with school work. Any suggestions?

hey there! Glad ya joined! What part of Texas are ya from?
Alot of us really enjoy the "Walk Away the Pounds" exercise videos-it's a really great series. Otherwise, my personal plan is cardio 5 days a week(I usually just go on walks, since both puppy and I enjoy the outdoors) and then I like to mix in some weight training about 2-3 times a week, depending on my work schedule(my job is pretty physical some nights, but others pretty light). I'm sure some other girls could probably give you some better ideas than I can. Anyways, Have a great day and welcome to the club!!!

Start right away by going for a walk. Its one form of exercise you can do without buying any specialized equipement, videos, or books. Walk purposeful, taking short, quick steps. You might be surprised how soon your breath begins to speed up, and how you will feel it in your calves.

Worry about adding other stuff as you can find stuff that you like to do. Do you have access to a gym? Cardio and strength training are good options. Be careful not to expect to much of yourself at first and do something like plan to exercise two hours a day when your body can't handle it.

The most important thing, I think, is to simply start.

I started in high school doing step aerobics. Then I moved on to Denise Austin's tv show and both her shows (I would record them and do them later in the morning). I found Taebo and have been doing that for 7 years. Then I was ready to add more weight training so I tried the Firm. The best thing to do is find something you like to do. I like to walk but I would rather walk with someone. I would rent some videoes to see what you like or check out your library. I have bought some through ebay or a swap to try them out - and so many that others love, I didn't care for so it's just a personal thing. Right now I am loving Taebo Bootcamps and Turbo Jam with some Yoga Booty Ballet mixed in there. I like Kathy Smith and I think she would be a good one to start with. www.videofitness is a great place to check out reviews on workouts - they've been listed in the the fitness magazines the last few months. The one thing with reviews is not everyone feels the same way. Amazon also has reviews for workouts that you can check out.

But like the others said, starting is the most important thing and the hardest. I exercise at night when my kids go to bed and I look forward to it. Actually I have always enjoyed exercising which is good because it for sure hasn't helped me lose weight. But my body is abnormal rather then normal - my friend thinks I need to donate it to science. LOL

Good luck!!!! Rachelle

I always say just get into the habit of doing something before you worry too much about what it is. As with anything you can refine what you do as you go along to make it more effective, so pick something you enjoy to get into the habit of putting time aside for exercise. In the early stages just concentrate on starting and take it from there.

I'm doing Tae-Bo bootcamp as well right now. I love the series and think it's a great workout. I'd walk as well but seeing as it's 20+ degrees outside, I might become a popsicle :P If it's nice where you live, walking is a great way to get started! Gets you moving and the blood circulating more than doing nothing

Ebay is a great place to buy your fitness stuff as RachelleS said. If you're looking to try the tae-bo bootcamp series, I would go to Walgreens. I saw it there for $40 (I paid close to $60 off of billyblanks.com but got an extra dvd along with it), you can also find different videotapes at dollar stores. I saw a tae-bo videotape at my local dollar store the other day, it was an older one, but they still do the trick!!

I agree with the others that say, just start doing what you can think of. You only burn 77 calories by doing nothing, imagine what you could burn by walking, or running up and down stairs

I don't know if someone else already said this, as I'm in a bit of a rush and wanted to post:

Something else you could do to ADD to your exercise (once you decide what you'll be doing) is to purposely set things up so you walk extra steps during the day. There are obvious things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking on the far side of the mall parking lot, etc. But you could also carry your grocery bags into the house one bag at a time -- making yourself do extra trips = extra walking. There are all sorts of ways you could do it. It may sound somewhat silly, but all those extra steps will add up.

My other suggestion is that you pick TWO exercises that you like and alternate them throughout the week. That way, you won't get burned out on just one thing (which could lead you to give up altogether).

And I ALWAYS recommend weight training.

Good luck .