I am addicted to reading magazines, so this month Glamour is doing a "Body by Glamour" thing. So I cut out the workout, joined their website to track my food and exercise, sounds like a great idea to me. They give tips on weight loss, very very vague ones, but I already have a eating plan that works for me. The weights are crazy, I just finished my first workout and my legs feel like jelly! I'm going to try and stick to their plan for the next couple months, they are doing a month-to-month series I believe (plus I can justify buying the magazine to my bf ). I'm always looking for new things to try, so I'm hoping this will capture my attention for the next couple months!

What do you all do to mix up your workouts? And I'm curious how many people workout at home, vs the gym. The gym near my house is 50 dollars a month, and you have to sign up for 2 years minimum, and you can't cancel without some insane penalty. Fortunately the weather is getting nicer and I'm hoping to train to hike a mountain

-Aimee

What's the glamour workout like?

I've always exercised at home, but this month I joined a gym. Now I still do most of the home exercises, and then three days at the gym.

I like doing free weights (5 lbs) and the resistance machines to build muscle and tone (right now I'm at about 20 reps on the resistance machines, I'm taking it slow). And I do a mix up of the tread mill, recumbent bike and elliptical for aerobic. The minutes are still short, since I've just started, 10, 15 and 6 to 10 respectively.

I do marching in place at home and I take walks just about every day for 1/2 hour. My walks aren't much of a work out though, more for relaxation, circulation (I do about a mile).

I also do stuff at home like crunches, leg lifts and sidebends.

I love mixing it up. I recently took up geocaching (www.geocaching.com) with the Cute Boyfriend. It's a combination of geeky gadgets, puzzle solving and hiking. Depending of the level of the terrain, it can be a mountain trail or a sidewalk. Anyway, the first weekend I tackled a mountain trail that was crazy hard (although the terrain rating was 2!!) and my butt felt it the next day. I think mixing it up allows your muscles to be suprised.

I'm a gym girl, we live in a tiny house, and I haven't got the space to exercise. Also, and the main reason is, I need the accountability factor. I have tried exercise DVDs at home (I salsa-cised straight into our open fire place, much to the alarm of the cat who was watching) - but I get distracted and wander off and do something else. I am suprised how committed I have been to the gym, I really enjoy it now. Prices are higher in the UK than in US, and my gym is a bargain at £27 per month - but you do have to sign up for twelve months. And I have my work gym which is free, but has a lot less equipment and a lot fitter people, I feel a lot less out of place at my local gym.

Do you like Glamours exercise tracker? I use the american heart associations and its got a cool little chart you can pull up to see your progress. Thats kinda neat.

kykaree- I'd kill for a gym membership! It would end up costing 100 bucks a month for the bf and I, and there is no way I'd join without him. But only because he's my ride I loved going to the gym when I used to, trying new classes, trying new machines, etc.

Tara - I like having a place to keep track of that kinda stuff, I don't know if it helps, but it's nice to see it written down. I don't use the journal to write all of my foods, but only if I'm on plan, or what "cheats" I have.

-Aimee

I go all on my own . The gym is close enough for me to walk to, about a 20 minute walk, so it's a good cool down afterwards!!! There aren't any classes at my local one, as thee is no floor space, but I have rights to another so I can pop there for classes, but I haven't done yet. I still feel like a hippo compared to other people, yeah I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but hey. Our Glamour magazine isn't doing this exercise thing, I wonder why not??? I love Glamour, it's one of my faves!!! I read too many magazines!!

kykaree - I have a hard time not comparing myself to others, most of the time I come out on top though.. I suspect that I'm a little uhm, dis-illusioned about how I look. Only because I think I am smaller than I really am, which SUCKS! Why? Because when I see pictures I am constantly shocked, and get all depressed. I was thinking about joining Curves, it's slightly cheaper (at 45/month), I think the walk to and from would kill me though. It's 3km's each way, the way there is all down hill, the way back is up a steep moutain. I am totally addicted to magazines, I wonder if all of our magazines are different? Sometimes we get the UK edition of Cosmo, I sometimes buy it. Join the Glamour website, so far it's pretty good, I get a few good workouts from it, it also has a chat forum, and I haven't gotten any junk email since I joined.

-Aimee

our gym is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment. Rob went with me for 6 times (I got 6 free guest passes). Now I'm going on my own. We can buy 6 more, but he doesn't work out at the gym so I don't know if it's worth it just to baby sit me, haha.

There's all kinds of women and men at this Y. Fat, skinny, young, old. I'm probably one of the biggest I see, but I don't feel particularly weird about it. Everyone seems to be concentrating on doing their own workouts (and most people are self conscious no matter what their size). Hey, at least I'm there and doing it! ha.

I always got a laugh out of the Glamour Do's and Don'ts, maybe because it was easy to see myself in the "don't" picture!

I took a look at that geocaching, looks complicated! I like puzzles and I like hiking. Interesting idea.

I can't seem to get to the US Glamour site, it just defaults to the English one, very frustrating. I saw US Glamour in the newsagent today, but I didn't buy it, but I will on Monday, give me something to read on the way home!!! I wish we had Curves (and TOPS) here. I have the same problem with viewing myself smaller than I really am. Most people think I am one or three dress sizes smaller than I am and that doesn't help either. I am sure I have body dismorphic disorder in reverse!!! LOL

Swimgirl, Have you considered just doing the walk and save the $$? Keep your cell with you, and start by going halfway there and then home. Try going another couple of blocks further before turning around, as you are able. I once lost 40 lbs that way. (Wish I'd kept it up!)

Sea - totally a great idea! And often I do go for walks... I wish I could post a picture of the mountain I live on, but it's hard to capture without seeing it in person. I gotta get in shape to walk up it.. hhehe. I used to walk everyday before I moved here, but that whole thing of once you go down.. you gotta go up.. eek! As it gets warmer, the bf and I are taking more walks on a more even ground..

-Aimee

I wrote down what I do @ the gym, but it's at home, will post it from there.

I am the fattest person in the weight room. And I am ok with that. I have just as much right to be there as anyone else.

So

When I go, I do this:

Warm Up = 5 min recumbent bike. This makes the sides of my feet BURNNNNNN. Anyone know why? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

2 circuits: that means I repeat each thing twice. Right now I am going through once, then coming back for a second time w/all of them. It hurts too much to do 2 reps in a row of the weights.

bicep curls -- 12.5#, 12 each arm

tricep kickbacks--7.5#, 12 each arm

shoulder press--7.5#, 12 each arm

5 min on either recumbent bike (level 3) or elliptical trainer (level 1)

laterals--30#, 12 each

chest press--15#, 12 each

squats--30#, 12 each. I hate these, I think as my kidney disease progresses, I won't be able to do them.

5 min on either recumbent or elliptical

cable twists--10#, 12 each

ab crunch w/medicine ball (4kg)--12 each

then I repeat this, at the end I stretch.

This still cracks me up. "I'm Jessica's boyfriend. And I'm cuuuuuuuuute!"

Aimee - When working out at home, I find that great workout video's can be a huge help... I know a lot of the ladies here have had huge success with WATP, however its getting so nice outside that walking is great too! When I'm working out at home, I tend to usually go for walks or go for a swim (I have an indoor pool in my building).

Jessica - My boyfriend has been in to Geocashing with his best friend for the past couple years (they even got a cool GPS for it).. he's been totally wanting me to come and I think I'll give it a try. Have you done a lot of it? Found anything really cool?