Fitness Ideas Anyone

THE FIRM!!!!!!!!!!!!! I started at 244 pounds and started counting calories and walking and doing the Firm exercise tapes. I lost @ 50 pounds. Then I joined the gym and now my total weightloss is 94 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!! I would recommend The Firm to EVERYONE!
T.

I know you're looking for fitness suggestions, but I have a great book that has worked wonders for everyone I know (including me). The book is called "You Are What You Eat" by Dr. Gillian McKeith. She also has a show on BBC America. Anyway, it is not a diet more a lifestyle change focused on the foods you eat and how to get in that exercise. I am a very picky eater, a very busy mom, teacher, and wife, and I like my sweets. :) This book has really helped me to eat health, live healthy, and be healthy for my family. My family (husband, son, parents) and friends have all joined in and we're seeing results. It's a great book, quick and easy read, and you can find it on amazon. Good luck.

I use Wii Fit ang it is really good and has many different exercises that give you an all around good workout. It has balance, aerobics, strength and Yoga and I think it is one of the best things I have ever bought to exercise with.

D.

Bounce Back After Baby, done by Denise Austin. It's fun, energizing and effective! I'm still into it, and my "baby" will be 2 on Friday. :)

~ R.

I never enjoyed working out until my stepmother bought me an A.M. and P.M. Yoga for beginners by GAIAM dvd (www.gaiam.com). This 15 min set of simple moves gives your body a chance to wake up and stretch before you do a more intense workout. I follow up the A.M. yoga with a sampler dvd that overstock.com sent to me when I made a purchase: 3 sets of 10 minute workouts, Bootcamp for upper body; Lower body sculpt; and yoga core conditioning. I have found that if I force myself to wake up just 45 mins earlier, than I get my workout in for the day. At night I do the yoga P.M. because it helps me relax and have a restful sleep.

I'd recommend starting with a beginners yoga dvd, followed by any cardio/strength dvd workout. Good Luck! :)

working out is hard when you have a family to care for. I was able to get all my baby weight off after my second child because I begged my husband to buy me a treadmill. I know they are expensive but this way I didn't have to spend the time to get to the gym. If I only had 10mins then it was 10mins jogging. I give my children free play time in the same room so I can watch them. Or you can wake 15mins earlier (easier said then done!) As for buying one you can always check craigs list to see if anyone is getting rid of one they never use.

However, that is not for everybody. I also swear by my jumprope (that takes even less time) And of course squats and lunges.

But of course I think eating plays a big part too. I have always done weighwatchers. But just being more conscious of what you are eating is a good idea. Good luck and don't worry you aren't the only one out there! We have all gone thru (or are going thru) this!

Gyms memberships are one of the most wasteful purchases in America, because most people do not really use their memberships to the fullest. Gyms know this very well.
With time a precious commodity...I'd do workouts of varied intensity (there is a special term for this...bursts of speed/effort...then back down and back up again) as they have been shown to be superior to just one speed/intensity workouts. (They take less time too) I think one program was PACE. Another was "Eight minutes in the Morning" .
Good luck...maybe get a buddy to join you.
There are also the baby and me type classes...at least then you do not complicate your life with yet another thing...like a babysitter.

Hey B., I have been havng the same problem too....I am acutally online right now trying to find out some ideas... maybe that new product ALI would help. I try to track my intake of food on sparkpeople.com, but that is time consuming too.

I know what works well for my sister is that she eats Lean cusine meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner just to keep her calorie intake down since she does not exercise due to her busy schedule. Let me know if anything works for you .

Hi! I LOVE the Turbo Jam videos. For me it is something that I will actually do. It has fun music and I really enjoy them. Everyone is different with what they recommend and prefer, but they really are great. And when I stick with the videos and encorporate them into my schedule, I can see a difference. Good luck!

Walking was my best activity, especially if you can do it with a friend. (You might have to wait til the weather cools down.) If my neighbor was not at my house at 4 pm, I was at hers. We walked every day for a couple years until I moved away. We started with one baby and one on the way. By the time we finished, we had 2 each. We often had to switch who was in which stroller, who was in a carry pack, or who was walking, but it was fun to sort through the day with a friend and both of us lost our "baby fat" after each pregnancy. A friend is the biggest stress buster too!

My favorite stomach crunch is the one where you lie on your back and pull your knees up to your chest. Put your baby on your chins facing you and blow in their face every time you come up. Both of my kids loved that. It was more of a game than exercise.

An exercise ball might be fun if you use one of your older child's balls for her to do right along with you. (If the ball is really small, she can't get hurt.) Some exercise balls come with exercise DVD's or instructions.

I'm sure your older daughter would love doing any kind of dance, aerobics or even floor exercises with you.

The more you can make it a fun thing with your kids, the better. And always be sure to talk about "being healthy" with your girls and not about "weight loss."

I like to try out different workout DVD's via Netflix. I get to do a particular workout for a week or so and then switch it up.

Hi B.,
I was in the same boat as you were. After trying different things, the 2 things I found that worked was joining Weight Watchers and exercising to "The Firm" DVDs, which I would rent for free from the library. With doing both of these I lost 30 pounds and am now down to a weight skinner than I was BEFORE I got pregnant. I totally stand behind Weight Watchers. You can eat regular food (not their food like Jenny Craig) and they even have a plan to follow if you are breast feeding. Also, with the weight watcher meetings, you can bring your baby with you. I attended many meeting with new mommies and their babies. I joined the weight watchers at 7th street & Bell and Linda (one of the leaders) was awesome. If you join while they are having their no registration fee special, the cost is minimal. They have that sale a few times a year. If you go onto their website www.weightwatchers.com and search for meeting locations all the specials they are running will come up. Also, with regard to "The Firm" DVDs, they have many different DVDs focusing on all different parts of your body. I would get mine from the Foothills Library in Glendale. They have a good selection. Good Luck!!! Don't give up. You can do it :)

I suggest signing up for something that is so much fun that you will absolutely insist on carving out the time to do it, whether that means you will insist that your husband is available to watch the kids while you go, or you insist that your budget cover babysitting money.

Don't just look to gyms -- look to community recreation centers, city parks and rec programs and the Y. You can find a wide variety of

* Dance classes (belly, hula, salsa, African, flamenco, jazz, hip-hop) Advantage: You can often bring a nursing child.

* Yoga, pilates, and mixtures of the two

* Roller and ice skating

* Tennis and racquetball lessons and leagues

Also, it sounds like your gym doesn't provide babysitting. There are so many that provide it that if you like working out in gyms, I would switch.

I also stuggled with finding time to exercise. I purchased Jillian Michael's DVD "30 Day Shred" and I love it! It has three levels, so you aren't stuck doing the same workout every day and the workouts are only 20 min! It is the perfect thing for me. She does weights/cardio/abs in each workout.

Try it out, I have noticed a huge difference since doing it.

i had my daughter 5 mnths ago and found this exersice dvd in my local library. Its called postnatal rescue with erin o brian. She has a 15 min. workout that targets all the important areas and its also in progressions so they get harder as u move along. I did the first progression for two weeks and moved to the next. she really helped me and i never exercised much before. its great if u dont have much time hope you try it.

Power 90 is great! Look it up online and you can order it there. It's a little expensive (60 I think) but comes with an eating plan and two dvd's. One is for beginning and the second is for more advanced. It's great. It alternates cardio one day and weight/strength training the next. I have lost 10 pounds in 6 weeks. Good luck!

The easiest cheapest aerobic activity you can do is : walk/run
I don't work and have 3 kids (6yrs, 2yrs, 1month) so I have to walk before my husband goes to work before 8am. I am not a morning person by far, but if I don't do it then, then I don't get to at all. I found it easier to workout when I worked because I could run at lunch instead of before work.
I feel better for the whole day when I force myself to walk in the morning but I can catch up on my podcasts too! It's something I have to do for myself to have some quiet time to myself as well as get exercise, and hopefully you can find a way to do it for those reasons too. Going to the gym adds commute time that you could just be out walking/running.
All working moms are supermoms! Good Luck!

Power 90. It may be hard to get into at first but it's awesome and fun and the guy even tells you to take it easy and take rests not to over do it and its actually really easy to work your way up to doing it more fully. It helps me to do it with my husband having an exercise buddy really helps period. But I highly recommend it. (don't get it mixed up with P90X that is a higher level). It's not easy for me to get into an exercise program starting out overweight... but this one is great. Good luck and God bless ^^

My favorite forms of exercise are trail biking and swimming. I always feel better after having a chance to hit the dirt or get some laps in. I don't like running/jogging because it puts too much stress on my bones/joints. If you don't have (or like to) a bike or a pool, you could just start walking every morning or evening - by yourself or with a neighbor or even with the kids along - just do it! If that really isn't an option try getting up at 6 a.m. and turning on PBS channel 6 and doing the Body Electric exercises with Margaret Richard - they look easy but they really work the body well and she rotates focus areas. I have used several "shows/videos" and she is the most consistent and it works great for toning. You will still need to make sure to do some aerobic activity to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Good luck.

Hi B.,
I've been looking for a workout routine that was very detailed and easy for me to follow and I finally found it!! It's called UltraFit by Cindy Whitmarsh. She provides a 6, 12 and 18 week program. I go to the gym 2 to 3 times a week to use some equipment, but it's not a requirement. You can do all the exercises with some dumbells and a jumprope. Also, if you're looking for some supplements to help improve your metabolism and energy levels, I suggest AdvoCare (I'm a distributor and LOVE them). Check out www.advocare.com/0708565. Hope this helps!

Check out Baby Boot Camp (www.babybootcamp.com)! It is a stroller fitness program where you get to bring your baby with you. You basically get a personal trainer for a fraction of the cost! All of the instructors are personal trainers and you get a workout catered to YOU! It is the best program out there. No other program offers the personal attention that this one does. Plus, it is really fun and you get to meet other moms! Check it out!

Check out npngfitnessandntr.com. That is my website. I am a personal trainer that specialized in weightloss! First session is free and after that it's 15 bucks

for me, yoga's the best...you can borrow videos from the library, buy some from amazon or gaiam or check out yoga journal's podcasts.

I love the Wii fit. It makes working out fun and you can track your progress. There was a study on the news the other day and the Wii fit burns almost as many calories as running. I hate to run so this is good for me! Also, there is a website called The Daily Plate where you can track your food diary. They also have groups to talk with like a wii fit group, arizona group, etc.