So, if i had the chance to go to a gym i wouldn't be posting here..lol! I'm just looking for some advice on at home workouts.. The closest gym there is to my town is 30 mins away and i have NO way to get there!!

I have 2 5lb dumbbells, and elliptical and a pillates dvd..is that enough? Should i be switching up my work outs every other day to avoid a plateu? Can i use house hold items to help my workout? Are there any other tools i should get to help me? It would reallyl help me since it's winter..and can't do much outside! Brr... hehe

I'm also thinking about working out before i go to school in the morning? What do you think? I heard that it really helps your metabolism boost in the morning.. and gives you energy..tho..i'm not a morning person...I'll try tho! THANKS!:banana:

It doesn't really matter what time of day you work out. The time of day that works best for you is when you should do it, whether its in the morning or at night. I've heard that morning exercise can rev your metabolism for the day but I don't think it makes a significant difference.

It sounds like you have some good tools to get started at home. Definitely use that elliptical!! Turning up the resistance can really give you a good workout. I have one too and on days when I really want a challenge I do one of the pre-programmed workouts w/ high resistance and my legs are killing me the next day. Pilates is great for strengthening your core and toning in general so definitely work that in too! 5 lbs sounds like a great place to start with the weights. There are all sorts of articles and videos online to give you ideas of what types of moves to do with them, so just look it up and you should have plenty to keep you going. Once you get used to the 5 lbs you could buy an 8 or 10 lb set for more of a challenge. They aren't overly expensive if you go to Walmart or Target. And I know they totally stink but push ups are a great upper body exercise if you need more of a challenge. I HATE doing them but I've been forcing myself to do them and I'm getting better and better.

Good luck!

Sounds good to me- when I dropped my gym membership I decided I wanted to run so I bought a treadmill for $100 on craigslist and I bought some weights and stuff and use them- works for me- I am not a morning workout person so I do it when I get home from work.

Also consider a fitness/stability ball. I just hired a personal trainer to help me plan workouts at home, and most of the exercises she recommended for me involve the ball and hand weights. I never really wanted one of these giant balls, they seem silly to have taking up space in the house but now I'm convinced... don't know how this will work out, since I don't have it yet, but there are tons of exercises and stretches that can be done on one. Some people even use them to sit on while watching TV - better than vegging out on the couch.

I have been looking online, there are MANY at Amazon in the range of $20. I want a burst-resistant one and according to the research I have done, those are the textured ones, not the smooth shiny ones.

Good luck with getting your home routine together-

I thinks i actually will consider a stability ball.. I always thought those were useless..but i might..see what happens.. try something new.. lol Thanks for the advice! :]

Stability balls are good.
5 lb dumbbells are not too bad, unless you are at the stage that they are too light for you. But I think you need a few more exercise DVDs that you can follow - I would suggest Jackie Warner's Work Out DVD - it has three 20-minute sections (upper bod, lower bod, abs). When I do all 3 in a row I am covered in sweat. (You can start with 1 section per day).
Also, lots of folks love Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred DVD, or you can get Tony Horton's P90.

You don't need to get all three, one would be enough for a start, I am sure they are all pretty similar. Try eBay if you don't want to pay full price - I got most of my DVDs there.
Good luck!