Hi All!

I've been thinking about my workout routines.. I'm curious as to what your all doing to buff up your bods.

I do a lot of cardio, and weight lifting... But I want to try something else.. like boxing, kickboxing, or maybe a hip hop dancing class!

What works for the rest of you? Working out shouldn't just be all about blood, sweat, and tears.. I think you should actually somewhat enjoy your workout.

I think you should try kickboxing. I find it a lot of fun, plus since your upper body and lower body are both working hard, you burn more calories and get a better workout! HTH

Kickboxing IS great and if you can't get a class there are some great DVDs. I like the turbo Jam ones which are sorta dance/kickboxing but there are more serious ones too.

Personally my workouts consist of swim/bike/run or combos of because I'm training for races, but before that I was into the DVD thing.

if you want a workout that will consistently kick your rear every time, try boxing!! Like "real" boxing...join a boxing gym...it is by FAR the hardest workout you will ever do!! YOu will leave everytime feeling like you were going to throw up! i HIGHLY recommend it

I do a lot of workouts at the gym -- mostly elliptical and weight/strength training -- but more and more I like being outside. I just walked to and from work yesterday -- 2 miles each way -- and definitely consider that part of my workout.

I'm also doing a lot of work outside. Lately I've been ripping weeds and large roots out of our yard to be able to grow vegetables. Some of this has been a MAJOR workout!

The only class I do is water aerobics, plus cardio and the strength training machines. My gym (a YMCA) offers a lot of classes but it seems like half of them are Zumba classes - something I've tried but don't really have the coordination to enjoy. I wish they'd offer more variety. I'd love to take a kickboxing class.

I really enjoy Pilates. But I also enjoy my other workouts-I play basketball, I walk on the treadmill or on an outside track, I love lifting weights, and I want to try water aerobics.

Right now I just do my elliptical for about 40-60 min daily, I do want to start weight /strength training. But,I am not joining a gym right now,so I reall don't know how to get started.Any suggestions anyone?Thanks,Tracy

Hey Tracy,

I know that this may seem a bit odd, but I think you can use household items to work out. As an example, you can easily use a gallon of water to lift in the front, or do curls for your tricepts.

You can also use a chair and by facing away from it, do a backwards pushup. So your arms are forming a 90 degree angle, and your butt is close to the floor, then back up again.

Pushups also help. I used to be able to do a ton of them, then lost all my upper arm strength. By doing pushups, you can utilize a lot of the different muscles in your arms because of all the different types.

Also, if you wanted to, you can buy a pull up bar from pretty much anywhere and install it in your home like your bedroom doorway.

And lastly, I bought a jump rope with weights in it. It may just be me, but I can feel it in my arms when I do my jump rope.

Hope that helps!

Thanks MacAttack,
Those are great suggestions,and easy to start with.

Hey Mac,
I have a lot of joint problems, so I am blessed to have a swimming pool. It's a 24' round above ground. Currently I walk (yes, round & round) for 20 to 30 minutes, next I bought this awesome float made by swimways, it's like a Papasan chair. As I'm sitting up as straight as I can I draw my knees towards my chest. At the same time my arms are straight out in front of me and I'm wearing webbed gloves for resistance, I pull my arms straight down along side my hips. It's just like doing a sit-up or stomach crunch w/o the strain on my lower back and my neck. After I do 400+ of those (takes about 15 minutes) and while I still have the webbed gloves on I do a lot of arm rotations. The gloves have really helped and I have lots inches, but I'm not big on taking measurements. The only reason I know is by the way my clothes are fitting. My routine takes about 50-60 minutes. Then there's 20 more minutes of playtime with my son. He likes it when I walk because it makes a whirlpool effect that he can play in.

I have been an exerciser off and on. Finally getting back on! Been devoting 90 minutes daily since off work at the moment. I rotate among swimming, biking, walk/jog on treadmill.

Have yet to rejoin the gym...but love classes, esp kickboxing. My legs feel so strong and toned when I am doing that.

I love belly dancing and salsa, so I've got DVDs for both that I do in addition to cardio and weight training. When I first started them, I really felt it in my abs and I much prefer doing that to crunches!

Georgia

Any thing over half an hour is just not realistic for me.

Right now I'm doing jillian michael's 30 day shred, day 9ish...i had to take 2 days off somewhere in there because my body hurt a bit, its not used to moving.

Strength moves aren't too bad by themselves but in general I've always hated cardio, moving floppy skin is the worst ( i'm sorry it is and its gross)....
BUT the video only makes me do 2 minutes of cardio in between 2 minutes of strength, so I'm not dying of running for 15 minutes together and my heart rate is actually elevated for a longer period of time.

Sure I have to sit in the cold shower for 5 minutes because the sweat it dripping off me but it's been the only time i've ever felt like I've done an effective work out... its 25 minutes and I can survive that, the goal is 30 day shred in 35 days, it isn't a choice of whether or not I'm going to do I'm simply going to do it...