Anyone working out often?

[cbmeeks]

Just signed up for a "Summer Membership" at a gym that is literally 3 blocks from my son's daycare (which I take him to in the mornings).

So, looks like I get about an hour or more I can work out M-F if I want.

Anyone else going? Any drastic changes you've noticed? Especially positive ones. ;-)

cbmeeks

[Lori63]

I go to Curves Mon-Fri. and walk in the afternoons (even if it's just a 20 minute walk). I am 30 pounds overweight, and besides that I find Curves is wonderful for my mental health.

[Broken Arrow]

I used to workout it all the time.

But, I don't anymore.

[PrincessPerky]

I try to walk daily, and we try to swim most days (4 or 5 times a week) unfortunatly the swimming is not nearly the excersise for me it is for the kids, I stand around holding UE, while they swim all over the pool. I try to bounce or pass him off to get a bit of motion in, but mostly it is for the kids .

I always figured before I would join a gym I would walk to it, if I still needed mroe excersize when I got there I might think of joining

[cbmeeks]

lol...good responses.

I just finished my first real hour of workout. Walked for 15 minutes and lifted some weights, squats, etc.

Tomorrow I am going to focus more on the walking because I need to drop about 30 lbs.

[Broken Arrow]

Hmm. For dropping weight, the most effective way to do so is with cardio. Running, swimming, and biking are the most common choices. Soccer is good too if you're into sports.

And of course, a little bit of weights and a healthy diet are also necessary.

Regardless of what it is, I highly recommend to start out with stretching and warm-ups everyday, especially before and after your main workout regiment. This will go a long, long way to reducing injuries; one of our greatest enemies, second only to boredom or becoming discouraged.

[Ima saver]

I walk on my treadmill every day.

[flash]

Broken Arrow, you have good points. But for someone just starting out, walking is great! Strength training, too, very important for bones as well as weight loss.

I love having a full gym in my home. But I did belong to a gym before that.

[boomeyers]

Who does'nt need to lose thirty pounds?? I admit, I ordered the Windsor Pilates the other day off the tv!! How unfrugal can you get??? I was only 9.95 and comes with a resistance ring and extra DVD's. We'll see, hope I do'nt end up putting myself in the hospital-now THAT would be unfrugal!!

[curimind]

I think that yoga is the best...I just sign up for random classes at my gym. Other than doing yoga which is good for my mental state of mind I also like to do kickboxing...esp. after driving through traffic and sitting at work all day.

[sakigt]

Lifting weights can be even more beneficial than cardio for burning fat. Muscle requires more calories so even after you are done your workout you are still burning them off.

Dont forget to eat! Diet is just as important. Have a good breakfast, lean lunch and lean dinner. Dont forget healthy snacks in between meals so you wont be hungry.

Im a skinny girl, but I am trying to tone my legs. My best friend and I walk/sprint then run up the condo stairs 3 mornings a week.

[DivaJen]

Originally Posted by sakigt

Im a skinny girl, but I am trying to tone my legs.

That's me too - it's not a matter of needing to lose weight so much as toning up and strengthening what I've got. I don't belong to a gym, so I'm trying to walk when DD rides her bike or scooter, and I just started using my little dumbbells again at home.

[funnyvalentine]

I got a soloflex machine from a member on my freecycle board, and three sets of dumbells from another member. I make a point to do 12--15 sets every day (some days it takes me 8 hours......). I integrate my workout into my housework and office work so it's not so painful, but I find that for me, once I start, I'm motivated. If I had to go somewhere to work out, I'd never get there; it's almost like I have to trick myself.....

[baselle]

Since late November, I've been working out 3X (now 2X) / week with a personal trainer in a gym across the street from where I work. My boss supports me going; we have a deal where I use my boodles of vacation time for that hour. I'm arranging it so that my workaholic tendencies work for me.

I do 10 min of cardio as a warmup, then along with the personal trainer's guidance, 60 minutes of resistance, free weights, and calisthentics, including a few pilates type exercises for the abs and back. The personal trainer is very helpful to me - I didn't know about form or how to use the machines (hated gym as a kid). Now I do. In addition to that, I walk home about a mile everyday for the routine cardio.

I really should lose about 50-60 lbs. So far, I've only lost about 15 lbs, but I have toned up a lot! 15.25 inches in various parts - 6 inch on the waist, 4 inch on the hips, 2 inch on the chest, 1 or so inches on calves and upper arms. The transformation is pretty clear. But I've successful in a lot of other ways...

Bath towel goes all the way around my body.
2 little fat pockets in the inner thigh now don't rub.
I'm genuinely hungry, instead of just suffering from caloric withdrawl.
I take most hills when I walk and don't alter my walking route based on how hilly it is.
My balance has improved - it doesn't matter what foot I use when I step off a curb.
I've made friends of my muscle groups.
All of my clothes are one size too big.
I've gone into hotel gyms and I don't need to pout because a machine is being used. I can cobble together an exercise routine based on what is free for the taking.
My mood is better.
I feel more energetic.
I sleep better.

So go for it!

[PrincessPerky]

Awesome report Baselle! I am way impressed with all you have done!

[mud]

I sometimes visit a gym with a friend. (Just hitch a ride into the gym as a "Guest", I do that about once a month.

I do pushups every day and run and sit ups every other day.

My number one tip to getting out and running is getting a dog.
I got a dog about 2 months ago. I had a hard time running before that on my own. It gets kidna boring. So I now take the dog to a local park. Take him off the leash, and I start running around the park with him running around. He loves to tackle leaves and small stuff.

[Ima saver]

I joined curves for a year and really enjoyed it. But I did not lose weight. Also, they close from 1-3 and that is the time I like to go in the afternoon.

[BCHGRL]

I do Carmen Electra's strip tease DvDs. One video involves no dancing, it is just a good cardio work out and I like the trainer she has instructing it.

My husband fussed at me the other day because he said I don't work out enough. I said "I work out, you know I swim," and he said, "you don't swim, you float." tehe....

I lost 30lbs from Nov 04 to Jan 05. I would say that I kept it off, but I dropped to 121lbs which is below my weight range for my height, so now I'm a healthy 128lbs. The most dramatic change was when I stopped eating out so frequently. That helped me 300% more than working out alone.

[Broken Arrow]

Lifting weights can be even more beneficial than cardio for burning fat. Muscle requires more calories so even after you are done your workout you are still burning them off.

While this may be true, it's not something you will want to rely on for any signficant help in toning your body. The best example of this are sumo wrestlers, who are actually in very good athletic shape, but you wouldn't know it just from looking at them.

I do pushups every day and run and sit ups every other day.

I used to do tons of push ups and sit ups every day as well. That is, until I learned one day what I had been suspecting all along: Regular push ups and sit ups are actually bad for you. It's true! The sudden shock and change in motion can wreck unnecessary havoc to your muscles.

Instead, I've found a book that is about as close to a miracle in fitness that I have ever seen. It's called "Tiger push ups" or "Furey push ups" by Matt Furey. The basic idea is that you're doing yoga-like circular motions, but for the sake of strength and muscle building. Best of all, because you're introducing no shock to your body, you're actually less prone to injury than regular push ups! Bonus if you're into martial arts like Matt Furey.

However, I have been told that Matt Furey's book isn't... edited well. Instead, there is a similar book out there that is also based on the Furey push ups and is better to read. It's called "Pushing Yourself to Power" by John Peterson. Great book, very inspirational, very easy to read and understand, and not very costly ESPECIALLY when you consider the fact that most of his routines does not require extra fitness equipment!

Hopefully, beginning tomorrow, I will be working out often. I was going good through March, then got sick in April and recovering still in May. Started again in June, then got sick at the beginning of July. August 1, will be my new January 1. I can seem to lose anything or even maintain without killing myself at the gym - I guess going there makes me think a bit more about what I am eating,.

I will have to take a look at those books.