[rainlips]

Hello! I just love this site!
I am new to all of this. I have never really worked out or even excrise. I work as a nurseing assistant so we lift heavy patients for 12 hours three days a week. So that work well for me. well I had my thrid kid about 10 months and things are not bouncing back like they did with the others!! So I decided to start toneing and working out. We have a treadmill and a bowflex that my husband uses.... any ideas on how I can get going??? My husband lost the workouts for the bowflex, can I do his workouts? how much cardio should I start with? Thank you so much for the input!!!

[baffled111]

Welcome!

I don't know about the Bowflex--I've never seen one--but I can't imagine why you couldn't do hubby's workouts. What works for men works for women also. You're very unlikely to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger by accident.

As far as cardio goes, it really depends on your current state of fitness. You're not very overweight but you also say that you've never exercised, so it depends. For some people, 15 minutes of walking counts as a lot of exercise; others can run for an hour without much trouble. I'd say, ideally, that 60 mins of cardio 5 times a week is best for weight loss. But if that's too much to start with, do 45 or 30 or 15 and work your way up to the longer sessions. If you don't run, walk or walk on an incline. Just don't push yourself too hard too soon. You don't want to hurt yourself.

Have fun!

[rainlips]

Thank you so much for the info. Do you really do 60 min of cardio a day? That sounds like so much!! lol I think that Satrting with 30 a day would work for me. Thank you again.....

[JerseyGirl69]

Bowflex is okay--not as good as free weights. And for the money, the machine left something to be desired. I did the Bowflex for years and never got results, personally, so I'm not a fan. (Bowflex free to good home : ) )

However, you can get the exercises online from their site.

Best bet, go to Walmart, buy some freeweights, buy a strength training for Dummies or Body for Life for Women or some other book and do the routine, while also doing a high protein-based diet.

Best of luck in 2008.

[baffled111]

I do 30 mins 3-4 times a week for maintenance (plus strength training) and when I want to lose, I bump it up to 60 mins 4-5 times per week (plus strength training). But 60 mins is something that you have to work up to. 30 mins a day is great to start with and maybe it will be enough forever for you.