Exercises

sparkpeople.com

This site has everything you need. The best thing I liked about it is being able to put in the foods I ate and see what my intake was. It gave me an exercise program too.

It's a nicely rounded weight program/site.

Updated

sparkpeople.com

This site has everything you need. The best thing I liked about it is being able to put in the foods I ate and see what my intake was. It gave me an exercise program too.

It's a nicely rounded weight program/site.

I got a German Shepherd puppy almost two years ago. I still have some weight to lose, but I'm much stronger, and healthier. I was 50 pounds overweight. Now I am half that. I've just gained muscle, and trimmed myself by walking and running around with him. No tapes, diets, or gym memberships needed.

I bought 10 minute solution kickboxing on amazon for around $10. It is AWESOME.
Seriously only ten minutes and I feel great after. It's doable being a working single mother.
Of course eat good. I use my fitness pal.
That's all I got mama. You'll feel fantastic. You can do this. You and your kids deserve a healthy you. I've lost 40 lbs in the past year so I know how you feel. Best of luck to you!

Walking is great exercise. It gets you outside and doesn't cost anything. Start with 30 minutes (or whatever). And increase your speed and distance. You can even try jogging a block or so when you are ready. (I've completed 2 half-marathons. I'm a larger gal and not a runner ;). Also research DVD and get them from your library.
Exercise alone is not a realistic way to lose weight though, It's a great healthy habit that will make you feel better. To see results you will need to combine exercise with lifestyle changes to your diet. You can change up things gradually. But some good ideas are have a filling, healthy breakfast. Oatmeal, Eggs, Kashi-Go Lean and fruit. Healthy snacks -fruit, Greek yogurt, popcorn. Focus on protein and fiber from whole grains-they keep you full longer.
When you think about exercising and weight loss (you have to think about calories and how much you weigh). If you go on a brisk 60 minute walk you may burn or subtract 400-500 calories from your day. You have to do that 6 days in one week to lose 1 pound or 2500 calories. Or if you "reward" yourself with a treat for all your hard work your deficit can dwindle. But if you combine exercise and eating less calories you are creating 2 deficits and combined you are more likely to hit a consistent 1-2 pound a week weight loss. Journaling what you are eating is a great tool. Writing out small goals and accomplishing them is great too. And I would be extra realistic around the holidays, so you don't get discouraged.
I'm going on a special trip this summer and I'm trying to get in shape. I've been increasing my walks and journaling. I've lost about 10 pounds in 6 weeks. But my main motivation is not to gain during the holidays and endlessly grey northeast winter. You can do it! Good Luck!
Weight Watchers online program is not expensive and may be great for you. They have promotions all the time. Check it out.

You don't need a gym membership. You don't even need all those fancy DVDs.
Just walk around the block. When you go out, park a little further away in the parking lot so you have to walk a little more. Take the stairs instead of elevators in places. Take the long way around the store instead of the shortest path to the one or two things you need. If you have a house with stairs, make a few extra trips like always go upstairs when you need to use the bathroom instead of using the one downstairs. It all adds up.
You of course need to take a look at what and how much you eat as well. Even if you are eating healthy foods, you need to look at how much of those foods you are eating. Cut down on sodas, juice and other sweetened drinks and up how much water you drink. The rule of thumb is half your weight in ounces per day. So if you weight 100 pounds you should drink a minimum of 50 ounces of water. That number increases if you're sweating more because it is hot or from exertion, are outside in very low temperatures, are sick or nursing.

i like sparkpeople. i too am 50lbs overweight, and have been for years, but i know why. i work out plenty, i just haven't done enough on the food side of the equation, and they're equally important for me (to my sorrow.)
walking is GREAT exercise. i did it for years and eventually, to my shock, it DID turn into running (albeit very, very slowly.) but you need to be doing a good, strong, fast power walk, not an easy pleasurable stroll. if you're not fit, start off with 20 minutes, and if you can't really push it for that long, intersperse power walking with 30 seconds of an easier pace. use your arms, and get yourself going so that your heart rate is up and you're breathing hard enough so that talking is do-able but you'd rather not.
then start pushing out the time and distance.
dvds are great for when the weather's bad, but you'll be amazed at how much working out outside lifts your spirits. i NEVER want to go for a run, but i'm ALWAYS happy i did.
:) khairete
S. (who doesn't like to think of what she'd look like if she didn't run)

80% of weight loss/maintenance is diet - what goes in your mouth.
I'd start with what you're eating and portion sizes. Worry about exercise in a few months once you're got food under control. It'll be easier to stick to a work out routine if you've already seen positive changes in your body.

Whatever exercise you choose to do, just keep in mind that whatever calories you consume over the daily recommended amount for your age/sex (check with your doctor or look it up online) you will need to BURN. This is why so many people get frustrated with working out. They sweat like a pig on a treadmill for an hour but don't lose any weight because they maybe only burned 350 calories and then they go treat themselves to a muffin or piece of banana bread at Starbucks which has over 400 calories, all that work for nothing!
So yes, exercise is good. It increases your metabolism, builds muscle and is good for your heart and lungs. BUT, if you want to lose weight you must cut calories. It's basic math, whatever is consumed must be burned or it will be stored and become fat. Especially sugar, which your body burns first, so if you drink soda or eat a lot of sweets cut that WAY back.
I like walking/hiking, especially with a friend (or my dog) and I do yoga a few times a week which is AWESOME. I haven't lost any weight doing yoga but I have lost the arm flab and my legs are solid and nicely shaped. Plus I'm just stronger and more flexible overall which feels great, I highly recommend it!

Exercise is great and absolutely you should start a routine. But more importantly, start logging your food. See what you're eating and how much. One of the most important things I own is a kitchen scale to weigh my food. I know that 1oz of potato chips is a WHOLE lot smaller than you can even imagine. But that 1oz of air popped popcorn is a LOT more than you'd think. If you eat a lot of processed and sugary things, cut those out completely. Go cold turkey. The pounds will start to drop off right away by that alone. Start by tweaking your diet in addition to your exercise program. I like MyFitnessPal.com or Sparkpeople.com.

Start slow. Walk at a brisk pace for half an hour, turn around and walk back for half an hour (you just walked for an hour). Buy some free weights, or even better, a kettle bell and learn how to use them properly (go on youtube for hundreds of free workout videos). Learn how to do a proper squat. Google 30 day squat challenge. I recently did this one and was able to do 200 squats all at once by the end (bonus: legs looking very toned these days!). Do 3 pushups from your knees. When that's easy, do 5. When that's easy, do 10. Try a couple of regular pushups. Then try to do 5, 10. Get a fitness tracker (I have a Fitbit, which I freakin' love). Try to walk 5 miles a day. Keep logging your food!

DON'T GIVE UP when you plateau. Seriously losing weight is a commitment. You have to think about every morsel that passes your lips. Every action should be with your healthy body in mind (eg. park far away, carry your grocery bags back to your car instead of pushing the cart. Climb stairs instead of riding the elevator). Every little thing helps. Do pushups against your kitchen counter while you wait for water to boil. I'm not kidding. Little things.

But to start, kitchen scale, food tracking website, fitness tracker, kettle bell, walking shoes, youtube. Go.

Sparkpeople is a good place to start. I find it a bit cluttered and visually overwhelming, but it is chock full of information, support, and it's free. They have workout plans and videos you can watch on your computer with workouts you can do at home with no equipment.

Personally, I like JJ Virgin's workouts. If you google JJ Virgin 4 x 4 you'll get youtube videos of her 4x4 workouts. These are tough, but fast and effective and you can modify to your fitness level. A typical workout would be 30 seconds each of:

- step ups (literally step on and off a stair, I use the 2nd step up on my basement stairs), 30 seconds each side
- standing push ups - find a counter, table or other sturdy object and do push ups on it...the lower the surface, the harder it is
- bent over rows - grab a 15 lb dumbell (or whatever weight is good for you), bend from the waist and row for 30 seconds on each side
- crunches (she has a million versions) for 30 seconds

Then repeat the exercises 4 times, do a final set up step ups at the end, and you're done. Less than 15 minutes, full body workout out, your heart will be racing, and you will feel it! She's got a million variations of 4-exercise combos.

Research has shown that high-intensity intervals - getting your heart rate really going for 30-60 seconds at a time followed by double that time in active recovery - is a really efficient, effective way to burn fat. So if you're not a runner, walk as fast as you can - really break a sweat and lose your breath - for 1 minute, then slow down for 2 minutes and repeat. Do this 4-8 times, add in a couple of minutes at the beginning and couple at the end to warm up and cool down and there, you've got a fast and effective cardio workout. Even better would be to throw in some stair climbing...if you have a track nearby, you can walk the stairs as part of your workout.

Unfortunately, just going for a stroll isn't exercise - of course it's great to increase your general level of activity, but parking farther away and taking the stairs doesn't count as a workout, kwim? The problem that most people who just walk for cardio is that you don't push your heart rate up hard enough to really turn on your fat burning mode. So make sure that if you're mainly walking, it's in workout mode where you lose your breath, get hot and sweaty and feel a little sore after.

BodyrockTV is another good, free source of fun but tough workouts. Really, the key is to find things that you like and mix them up. Do cardio and strength, confuse the heck out of your body, and find things that keep you interested and challenged. Also throw in some yoga and/or pilates for stretching and tone. If you have cable, there are usually some good pilates and yoga videos on demand that you can watch.

If you want to treat yourself to something, I really like my FitBit. It's not a magic talisman or anything, but I find that it motivates me to move more. My daily goal is 10,000 steps and if I'm at 8500 at the end of the day, I'll go for a quick walk around the block to meet my goal, or throw in a few extra trips up and down the stairs to meet my stair goal for the day. You can also use the app to track meals, water, workouts, weight, measurements, sleep, etc.

1. Stop drinking junk. Water unless it's mealtime, and then drink a glass of water before the meal and enjoy some milk with the meal.

2. Eat real food. If it comes in a box or is already cooked, it's not for you. Buy real meat, frozen or fresh veggies, and growing starches (sweet potatoes, for instance). Learn to season your food with herbs instead of butter, fat, salt and sugar.

3. Walk. For no less than 45 minutes per day, nonstop. More, if possible. If you have the opportunity to take breaks, go walk. Every opportunity that you have to put miles on your sneakers, do it. Download an app like Zombies, Run! or Runkeeper and use them (you can walk). Track your miles and make goals (10 miles a week is a good start). Most of all, you have to make it a habit. Which means carving a specific spot into your schedule and sticking with it no matter what.

Well I agree that getting in shape and staying that way is 80% diet. I can eat my way through any good that a workout did easily!

That being said, I think it is important to be active...Look for times in your day to walk more, take the long way, etc...I think all that helps.
But also try to fit in some kind of regular routine...even if you start off with 10 min. a day of jumping jacks, sit ups, pushups, jogging in place,etc...anything to get you your body used to being active. Then move up from there. Good Luck!

I agree with the others that diet comes first. Really, the majority of weight loss comes from diet. Exercise can help burn a few calories and tone you up, but won't get rid of the extra 50 lbs. alone. The fact is, if you're consuming too many calories, even with exercise, you'll still be overweight. Unless you're doing extreme exercise, like marathon running, you just won't burn up THAT many calories.

The other risk with focusing on exercise is that exercise can make you hungry. If you're not in control of your diet already, you can easily offset any benefits of exercise by eating the wrong things afterward.

Exercise is great to do from an overall health perspective, though. Walk as long as you can fit into your schedule. Try 20 minutes to start and then work up as you can. For DVDs, I love the Moms Into Fitness Boot Camp 2 DVD. It's short (under 30 minutes total) and designed for busy moms. As a beginner, you'll like that they have an example person specifically for beginners. The Bigger Loser also has some good DVDs. I particularly like the 8 Minute Body Blasters. You can also get in a good workout in just under 30 minutes.

There are 2 parts to a good exercise program: cardio, and weights.

You can do cardio, if you have space in your house, with some good aerobic style DVDs free from the library. The added benefit is that you can borrow a bunch until you see what you like, or rotate them so you don't get sick of the routines. The other option, as others have said, is walking. Lots of malls open early for people who want to do what you do - just walk constantly - which is great in bad weather. Don't stop & shop of course, and carry your wallet & keys in a light backpack so your hands are free (don't leave them in the car - thieves target malls and gym parking lots). Wear layers so you can tie a light jacket around your waist as you warm up. Set a time goal or a distance goal. You can get a $10 pedometer at most discount and sporting goods stores. Your ultimate goal is 10,000 steps per day but start with a smaller goal like 2500. Take the stairs when you can, part much father away from the store than everyone else, walk the dog (or a neighbor's dog or volunteer with some shelter dogs) and do anything else to increase the number of steps you take in your daily life. Do not get discouraged! Just try to make each day a little more energetic than the day before.

For weights - you can buy a light set that can add different weights. Get a DVD that teaches you proper form and ways to protect your back. This is extremely important. You don't want to get injured. Weight training builds muscle, and muscle burns more fat. It also can add some pounds so, no matter what, resist the urge to get on the scale all the time!! Let the mirror be your friend, and let the scale be your enemy. Weight training is important in the prevention of osteoporosis too.

For a few laughs and inspiration, watch the old Bette Midler movie, "Ruthless People" - she is held hostage in a basement while her inept kidnappers await ransom money from her husband, who doesn't want her back. So out of sheer boredom, she comes up with some creative uses for household items in a workout plan. You might get some ideas there! Just be safe if you do this so you don't get injured.

Look again at gym memberships - they're going on sale now because everyone freaks out in December and gets into a fitness mindset in January. I pay $19.99 a month for basic facilities - no pool. I have access to the machines for both cardio and weight training, and usually one or two personal training sessions are included for new members. There's always free orientation or reminders on the machines - just ask the person at the desk if you don't know how to set something. I also can take free classes for most things, and there's a group of almost all women that meets 3 times a week, so it's pretty entertaining and supportive. Sure, the gym wants to sign you up for personal training which is where they make their money, but I just say no and they leave me alone.

Sometimes a YMCA or JCC can offer cheaper memberships if you don't want all the features of the center. If you don't want the pool and racquetball, sometimes basic access to just the treadmill-type machines is fairly inexpensive. These places also often waive an initiation fee too. Look for coupons and ask questions.

Also make sure you are eating - too often, when we want to lose weight, we cut back our calories so much that our bodies go into "starvation mode" (part of the evolutionary response to famine) and the metabolism slows down, increasing fat retention. So be sure you are eating a good mix of protein and healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish, etc.). And you probably need to eat 5 times a day, just smaller portions.

Stay hydrated too - use water, not diet sodas or caffeinated drinks. Avoid most "energy" or sports drinks - they are heavy in caffeine, sugar, and sodium, as well as dyes. There is no scientific basis to most vitamin drinks either. There are a few available direct from the manufacturer that have really good hydration properties, even better than water due to cellular absorption and support, but you won't find them in stores. Cutting out a lot of unnecessary purchases can give you money towards a low cost gym too.

Most weight loss supplements are not tested, or they "work" with way too much stimulation of the central nervous system. The only ones that work are truly a nutritional approach to nourishing the cells and fueling them, not just metabolism boosters. Again, there are a few available from the food science companies that are balanced and safe, but you don't want to put your money toward supermarket or health food store formulas that aren't proven clinically.

Don't get discouraged - that's the main thing! Set reasonable and small goals, and if you exceed them, great. Then set a new one.

WALK - WALK - WALK

I had a job the month of October canvassing for a local election. I walked about 7 hours a day. I held my abs tight as I walked and now clothes that would not button over my belly ---- button. I did lose some weight but not a lot because I was eating huge breakfasts eggs, bacon and toast. But I tightened up I no longer have the flabby knees, or butt and I am fitting into clothes that were too tight just before I started the job.
I recommend eating healthy meals, snacking on fruit or raw veggies, salad with light dressing with dinner, and exercise.
If you don't have a dog start walking a neighbor's dog once or twice a day. Or make the holidays happy for a rescue dog and adopt a rescue dog.
WIN - WIN for both of you -- you have a real reason to get out and walk and a dog gets a new home.

Number 1 is to get your diet under control. Plan your healthy meals every 3-4 hours and stick to the meal plan - no unaccounted snacks or meals. Eat whole, fresh, nutritious food as much as possible - stay away from fast food and junk.

Number 2 is building muscle. Walking is great, but lifting weights is better. Building muscle keeps your metabolism up for longer; muscle burns more fat when you're NOT active. There are hundreds of bodyweight exercises you can find on pinterest or youtube. And if you keep the pace up, you'll find you get your cardio without even trying!

Choose whatever exercise you can do consistently. If you don't already have one, borrow, adopt, or foster a dog. It will force you out of the house and on your feet 2+ times a day, makes for a great motivator and companion.

I have a stationary bike, and a series of 10 minute work out videos. Neither takes much time or effort.

Best,
F. B.

Somebody gave me a Fitbit for my birthday last year (right after I discovered I had gained 5 lbs in the course of the holidays - yeeks!) and that has been very handy for keeping me on track daily.

My goal is at least 10,000 steps a day (about 4.5 miles) and I usually get more than half of that from a daily 2-3 mile walk with hand weights. The rest of my steps I make up with housework, yardwork and a small "stepper" machine which allows me to do work calls or read or watch TV while getting in more steps. On average, I do about 14,000-16,000 steps a day, and sometimes more than 20,000 (though not lately with the Christmas rush).

I'm linked with some family and friends' Fitbits and we all challenge each other to do more steps and see who will "win" for the week. Keeps everybody going.

Last Spring, between the Fitbit and doing the 2 days on/5 days off diet, I was able to drop 8 lbs and keep it off. I'd still like to lose 10 more, but it won't happen until after the holidays.

Don't worry about not affording a gym membership, you don't need one to start an exercise routine BUT depending on your insurance benefits you may be able to get your membership or part of it for free.

Walking is great and if you can gradually progress to easy running you'll burn even more calories in less time. Couch to 5K program is very good, just google it and you'll find it on coolrunning.com for free. Dailymile.com is a nice online fitness log that is also free, I like that for tracking my exercise.

Remember calories in vs calories out is the best way to lose weight, so figure out how many calories you need a day and then keep a food log to be sure you're not going over that. You can safely lose 1-2 lbs of fat/week...any more and it's most likely water, so don't cut your calories too low or you'll feel deprived and your metabolism will slow down. Eat real food and don't drink your calories, avoid sugar!

I fished for the ages of your children and found that you have a son who plays football. That is perfect! My daughter and I ride our bikes for a bit, then stop at the park and use the jungle gym for exercise (while not in use by little ones). We do pull ups and use the bridge rails to lift ourselves off our feet and chase around up and down the steps. We also use the steps two footed to get up the stairs. We have a park that has a rail that looks like it is for a skateboarder and we use it for balancing. I teach her to calm herself and balance herself like a gymnast. It is our free and fun gym.

I use the backs of two chairs to pull ourselves up too. You put one chair back on your left and the other back on your right. Place your hands on the tops of the chair back and begin to elevate your body with your arms. Hold it and do it again.

You can also jump rope and or use a exercise trampoline. I also use those therabands for different exercises. You can find youtube videos that show you how to use them. Those will be good for your son too. He can strengthen without having to lift weights.

My daughter has a weak core. We use the bands around her (below) knees, while doing sit ups. She pulls herself up with the bands to complete her sit up. Eventually she will be strong enough to get rid of the bands.

If you want to find out what you like to do exercise wise, go to the library and pick up some various DVDs or weight loss books. It is all free!!