How To Work It All Out?
Okaaaay....nevermind. I'm not even close to being able to run or even jog. Not to mention that I live near too many strange men and dogs. ANYWAY! Now that you know that walking or jogging is out of the question for me, can someone please tell me (if possible) what exercises I can do at home to lose 100-120 pounds. I don't plan on being poor forever, but at this time, I can't afford a gym membership, or an exercise machine. I do own a step for the purpose of aerobic step exercises, but I was wondering if this is enough. Is it possible that I can slim down by following exercise DVDs? I have so much doubt in my mind, that I always end up giving up on my weightloss journey within 1-3 months. I would really LOVE to hear your personal opinions and success stories!
P.S. I forgot to mention that I live in an apartment. Yes, I'm at the top floor. Whatever exercises you suggest, please keep in mind that I'm a big mama and I have neighbors underneath me. Stepping doesn't seem to create as much noise.
I have bad knees so I cannot do any motion with impact, but I have find light weights, just moving around (ok, so some people have refered to it as flailing around, but never mind the haters) helps to lift the heart rate.
I think that by lifting the heart rate, the body starts to convert some of the excess weight to energy and sheds it.
But then again, I really do not have ny expertice in this, just adding my thoughts.
Is there a school track nearby? Somewhere that you can drive to that is comfortable for you to walk?
You can start by doing short, intense exercises that focus on full-body movements—like squats with biceps curls—to quickly fatigue the entire body, mainly cardio since you don't want muscles, accompanied with a healthy diet.
If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to eat less and exercise more. And this will take time, dedication and patience.
For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in one week, or more. It's very important not to cut calories any further -- that's dangerous, and could get you sick, your immune system would go down.
For your diet you need to minimize starches, added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods, focusing on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.
Fighting fat is 80% healthy diet. Eat vegetables to help you feel full, drink plenty of water, get tempting foods out of your sight, stay busy -- you don't want to eat just because you're bored, eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the 'fridge. Don't skip meals!
Reduce calories by filling yourself up with protein, vegetables, whole grains, and replacing bad habit snacks with good ones. For example, if you have a sugar craving, replace your calorie laden latte with a Muscle Milk lite, because it has zero sugar and a ton of protein that will satiate while also torching sugar craving. Another great trick that I heard of is a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning coffee or oatmeal- the spice has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar. It also slows the rate at which food exits the stomach, which helps you feel fuller longer.
You may need to make some adjustments to your sleeping routine. Getting 7 hours of sleep or 8 is the ideal time for a good biorhythm. When your biorhythms are off, you end up eating more. When you're tired you produce more ghrelin, which triggers cravings for sugar and other fat-building foods. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, affecting your cortisol levels that cause insulin sensitivity, prime reasons for belly fat.
Take vitamin C, which will help balance the cortisol hormone spikes that happen to you under this stress. Besides being a good way to counteract a cold, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound used by the body to turn fat into fuel, making this vitamin your fat burning friend.
You can also take Omega 3s. Some foods that contain this are Brazil nuts, tuna, salmon, flaxseed, walnuts, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Foods rich in this fat triggers the body and tells it to produce leptin. Leptin is great for appetite suppression, which will help to keep your portions smaller, but leptin also revs up your thyroid output, so, it speeds up your metabolism.
Again, for exercises, do lots of full-body movements. Jumping jacks, sprinting on the spot, mountain climbers. As well as some core exercises. Here's a link to a good video example: Super Fast Fat Loss Workout for Home. - YouTube. After the jumping jacks take 30 sec break, and then do the rest for 30 secs each without resting between them.
Seems like a lot to take in but I hope it helps .
I've often thought that exercise should not have to be as expensive as people make it! There are all those exercise DVDs out there that might be worth the cost if you actually use them -- but many people buy them as drink coasters.
A good personal trainer can be worth their weight in gold but, that's actually what you have to pay.
First, a big thing -- always be sure to protect yourself!
Push yourself but, don't over do it.
Listen to your body -- it should let you know if you shouldn't be doing something.
Don't be too shy to talk to your doctor if you need to!
Some resistance training (weight lifting, etc) is usually recommended.
PLay with your milk-jugs or canned food -- you can lift anything.
1) attach the middle to your foot, grab the ends and reach for the sky!
2) attach the middle to a doorknob, grab the ends and reach out in front of you -- or, turn around and reach behind you.
I love doing "mountain climbers" -- if you have trouble getting in that push-up style position at first, grab a sturdy chair and start there.
You know the old "bicycle" routine -- lie down, support your hips with your hands, lift your legs in the air and "ride a bike."
Countless things you can find on YouTube -- just be sure to spend more time exercising than you spend searching for exercises...!
Anyway, the biggest key is to just get moving! Exercise doesn't have to be expensive -- we're actually designed to move and we can do it for free!
Last edited by KuriG; 03-01-2013 at 10:15 PM.