As my baby will be 1... it is time to stop blaming "baby weight" for my excess belly bulge.... lol
Work has given us a 200 stipand to spend on fitness/weight loss. Right now between work and kids... I do not think I will make effective use of a gym or class. So I am thinking videos i can use here... I have 30-45 min in am between getting hubby and baby out and waking son up for school. While it will cut down on my mamapedia time...so be it!
so what have you used/loved/hated
I do have some hip issues... so nothing to high impact....I want to lose some weight, tone up a bit. But I have no delusions of getting a "bikni body"
I had considered Kettlballs, but my brother who is a trainer nixed those for me (poor coodination , precise technique perfect recipe for me to hurt myself)
Right now I am looking at Zumba and Turbo Fire.. p90 X scares me........but again open to any and all suggestions
Try Jillian Michaels workout DVDs. I tried the 30 days to shred and liked it. Level 1 gives very good work out , level2 and level 3 are much harder but you can just continue with level 1 as long as you want to. Best part is these are only 20 min workouts and she promises it helps lose weight. Lot of good reviews.
I've done Zumba and it was fun but not a lot of strenghth training/toning. Check out ChaLean Xtreme which is part of P90X but shorter workouts and not as intense. I have the series just haven't started it yet but the few people I know who have strated it love it!
I love, love, love the newest Weight Watchers dvd series called Points Plus Fitness Series with Jennifer Cohen. You do not have to belong to Weight Watchers to walk into a center and purchase it, or I believe you can even order it on line. All you need is hand weights. It also has an express workout that is ten minutes, as well as different levels from beginner to advanced.
The most important thing is to do something movement wise. Anything moving is good..extra stairs, parking further etc. I am a life long weight struggler. My original goal was to move from obese to overweight and be done, but to seriously focus on changing my lifestyle. Twenty months later I have lost over 110 pounds and am in the "normal" BMI range for the first time in my life.
Good for you for thinking about how to make it work. You can do it!
Zumba is great, but usually is more cardio than anything. but my zumba class mixes in weights too so you are definitely doing toning stuff on your upper body too. you get out of it what you put into it. if you do what you're supposed to do, your abs and legs will burn by the end! I love Jililian Michaels 30 day shred...it's fantastic! I just started a spinning class and it is excellent! talk about toning :) wow! i would give yoga a shot too, but since you have issues with your hips, i would definitely do that in a class environment so the teacher can give you alternative things to do if a pose bothers you.
I second Cha Lean Extreme - LOVE THEM!!
Kettlebell has dramatically improved my life, but its been done during classes with supervision for proper form. If you have cable tv and/or video on demand, there are tons of exercise videos on tv - you can try several and see which work for you, or which keep your interest.
Good luck!
I love the Moms Into Fitness Boot Camp series (especially Boot Camp 2). You can get in a great workout in about 20-25 minutes. The whole workout is designed for moms trying to lose baby weight. I am very uncoordinated and even I can get it done without looking like a fool.
I go to a Zumba class and I love it. I am pouring sweat when I leave class but, had a blast doing it. I know they sell lots of great DVD's for Zumba. That would be my vote. Also, if you have a Wii the Zumba for it is great as well. Good luck! I wish more companines would encourage fitness like yours. GREAT IDEA!
Cathe Friedrich, has been whipping my a** into shape for 10 yrs.
www.cathe.com.
You can preview videos, sort by rotations/skill type and see what you think.
She has TONS of variety.
I second Zumba, if you like to dance that is. The feedback I've heard is that it is best in a class, but it is also a really fun way to burn calories if you like to dance and blast loud music! My husband takes classes and it has helped him learn to dance - he was a real elephant before he started:)
Good luck!
Michelle P - Can you recommend some zumba dvds? I looked all over on line at Xmas time thinking that would be a great gift for him, but I could only find a few and they were both dvd "sets" that cost big bucks and didn't really look like what he'd like.
I bought the Golds Gym Dance workout game for wii and I LOVE it! It was $20 at Walmart. You have a personal trainer on there (lol) and it builds a workout for your needs and starts you gradual. The first workout was 6 minutes and I was sore the next day!
My 3 year old just sits there and stares at me when I do it. Doesnt move a muscle, just stares. Its funny.
