lodonnel

Hi gals, looking for some exercise ideas. I am 41, in good health but lazy!!! I need to loose 30 lbs. What can I do to kick start my weight loss?? I am a member of a great gym but don't seem to get time to go ever!! My life is too busy...

changeisgood29

Hello there! After much trial and error, I find that I do best working out at home to exercise DVD's (you can also find them online and/or On Demand). There are so many to choose from, so it's super easy to change it up. I like the convenience and variety, so even though I kind of feel geeky working out to a DVD, I find that I'm WAY more consistent/diligent (and therefore get WAY more results) doing it this way than when I used to go to the gym. Hope that's of some service.

heather.72

changeisgood.. i am about your polar opposite lol. There are too many distractions at home. I never manage to move the furniture out of the way much less push the play button. On the other hand.. needing to loose quite a bit myself, i was not comfortable going to the gym with all the "beautiful people". What I did find that works - both with my schedule and motivation is heading to the gym at 9 or 10pm. The place is basically deserted and it is the only time all evening that i am in control of the tv remote lol.

lodonnel . the body for life book has really good pics/explanations of the free weights. If you want to change fat to muscle you have to lift one way or the other and free weights are better than machines. As for the cardio... my preference is the elliptical because it doesn't make your body hurt from the impact like a treadmill. No matter what you do, commit to sticking with it for at least a week.. once you find that runner's high you will be addicted.

Heather

Lizzycritter

I second the elliptical. I can't run (bad joints) and going all out on the elliptical is easier on my body than brisk walking on the treadmill. I prefer the machines because for me, it's less risk of injury than the free weights since the motion is more guided. You have to be aware of form though, it's easier to "cheat" a machine. It's also easier to let your weaker side slack off on a machine.

I can't work out at home these days. The house is way small, and my 2 year old will be up as soon as I open my bedroom door, even if it's 5 am. When he was still in a crib and confined, I really liked the on-demand workouts. Just see what looks good that morning, always something new. I'm working on getting to the gym more consistently, too many other things cutting into my already tight schedule. It's a work in progress.

One other mind trick I use, I don't hop on the elliptical with the goal of 30 minutes in my head. I aim for 5 minutes, then 10, then just five more, and another five, then I've been on it 20 minutes and it becomes a countdown for the last 10. Gotta have my headphones too, makes the time go much faster.

lodonnel

thanks for the advice. Appreciated. I am going to make a concerted effort to exercise more. I always, always put myself at the bottom of the list...gotta make some changes!

LisaAnnie

I find that having an exercise buddy can be useful, for motivation and accountability. In the spring, I usually line up some people to walk with, or ride my bike with. My dog is always willing to go for a walk too. When I have the grandkids over, we all hit the trail or park and spend a few hours walking/running about.

At home, I like the elliptical, my Wii, and a few DVD's. One DVD I have has nine 10-minute workouts that target certain area's (arms, legs, buns, abs). It incorporates both strength training and cardio. I like that one a lot because I can do just 10 minutes, or up to 90 if I want.

gopgirl1

I love that my gym has a women's only work out room, so I never feel strange or intimidated by others. I also go late at night since I work during the day and wait to go to the gym after I put my kids to bed. My emergency back up is a set of hand weights I keep under the bed, worse case a do a few reps prior to bed. Find a routine you can stick with and you can do it.

almeeker

What works best for me is to have something of a weekly schedule, different workouts for different days of the week etc etc. M-F I treat like the work week, which means I get up early and work out at home, I use videos, the elliptical, exercise sheets from my physical therapist, etc etc. I shoot for an hour, but many of the videos have 10, 20, 30 minute workouts for those days when things aren't running so smoothly.

When the kids have sports practice after school, I hit the gym or walk around whatever field they're at. On Saturday morning it's "me" time, and I hit the gym for a really hard 60-90 minute, full body, knock down drag out, sweatfest. It's brutal, but I love it. On Sunday's I like to take an early morning walk down to the store to get my newspaper.