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I put on so much weight this last year that I'm down to two pairs of jeans that fit me. Everything else is sweats. I'm dieting but need to start some kind of exercise plan. There's got to be a way to get fitter without having to buy a gym membership or expensive sports equipment. Any bright ideas?
I agree; I always kept weight off when I was walking every day (3.5 miles a day). I used that as my personal time, not only for physical fitness, but I listened to spiritual music and prayed while I walked. I went through a down time and started to ignore my health, and have not been ale to motivate myself to get back out there. I need to lose 60 pounds, and that intimidates me. I think about getting back to it, though. I think it is the best fitness routine, not only for the fact that it's free, but since it also promotes mental well-being.
I changed my route every so often to keep it fresh; also to adjust to finding more shady places in the heat of the summer, pretty trees in the autumn, etc.
Gram
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Walking would be ok, yes. I do like my own space but can't see myself doing that alone month after month. But then if I had a walking partner I'd be more tempted to amble along than walk briskly, which wouldn't benefit me much. Thanks, cheapncheerful! :)
I agree; I always kept weight off when I was walking every day (3.5 miles a day). I used that as my personal time, not only for physical fitness, but I listened to spiritual music and prayed while I walked. I went through a down time and started to ignore my health, and have not been ale to motivate myself to get back out there. I need to lose 60 pounds, and that intimidates me. I think about getting back to it, though. I think it is the best fitness routine, not only for the fact that it's free, but since it also promotes mental well-being.
I changed my route every so often to keep it fresh; also to adjust to finding more shady places in the heat of the summer, pretty trees in the autumn, etc.
Gram
Thanks for sharing your own experience Gram! I do like being out in nature definitely and love any quiet time that I can squeeze in in a day, but wow, 3.5 miles a day is a long way. I'm so unfit now it's shameful. I think that would kill me LOL. Did you build up to that over time? I'd worry about safety too, walking alone. How did you look out for yourself or was it not something you really thought much about?
I decided to aim for twenty pounds off by summer. I could probably do with losing five or ten more than that, but that's a small enough number not to sound too intimidating when you think on it as being over so many weeks and I can always reset my goals after that once I achieve that. I started dieting the second week in Jan and have dropped ten already which astounds me considering I'm yet to do any proper exercise.
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Kay,
I'm no expert, but in 2005, I lost 75 lbs in 4 months. I did do this at a gym, but it's not necessary. A couple of things you have to remember:
1) Calories out must be greater than calories in.
2) 30 - 60 minutes is all you need to do your routine.
Here's what I did:
I slowly started changing what I ate. Instead of pizza, I'd have a grilled chicken salad, no dressing. This was cheaper anyways, so it really helped. As I did this, I got more and more excited about it and made a drastic diet change. My daily food was 2 pieces of peanut butter toast with a glass of skim milk for breakfast. A protein shake 2 hours later. ( I used Met-Rx chocolate). 2 hours after that, I had grilled chicken and salad, no dressing. Hot sauce on the chicken is okay. 3 hours later another protein shake. 3 hours after that, more chicken and salad. After dinner, I'd do my excercise. I know that seems pretty mundane, but after a couple of weeks, you don't even think about it any more. In fact, you don't even look forward to eating. You just do it because your hungry. At this point, the way you view food is totally different. It becomes a chore, like filling up the gas tank, rather than a pleasure.
For the excercise routine: I rode a stationary bike. You can get the same results from walking or buy a $60 bike at Wal-Mart. ***Very important*** Whatever you do, never exert yourself so much that your heart beating through your chest. You just want to sightly elevate your heart rate. Some where around 110-130 bpm. If you get into the 165 range, that's too high. My trainer explained to me that if you keep it there, that is the fat burning range. Anything higher is cardio range, and that burns muscle. After that, some push-ups or sit-ups will help build your muscles. The larger a muscle is, the more calories it burns, even if your just sitting.
I hope this helps you. Sorry it's so long. But it did change my life and is something that I get excited about.
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Kay,
I'm no expert, but in 2005, I lost 75 lbs in 4 months. I did do this at a gym, but it's not necessary. A couple of things you have to remember:
1) Calories out must be greater than calories in.
2) 30 - 60 minutes is all you need to do your routine.
Here's what I did:
I slowly started changing what I ate. Instead of pizza, I'd have a grilled chicken salad, no dressing. This was cheaper anyways, so it really helped. As I did this, I got more and more excited about it and made a drastic diet change. My daily food was 2 pieces of peanut butter toast with a glass of skim milk for breakfast. A protein shake 2 hours later. ( I used Met-Rx chocolate). 2 hours after that, I had grilled chicken and salad, no dressing. Hot sauce on the chicken is okay. 3 hours later another protein shake. 3 hours after that, more chicken and salad. After dinner, I'd do my excercise. I know that seems pretty mundane, but after a couple of weeks, you don't even think about it any more. In fact, you don't even look forward to eating. You just do it because your hungry. At this point, the way you view food is totally different. It becomes a chore, like filling up the gas tank, rather than a pleasure.
For the excercise routine: I rode a stationary bike. You can get the same results from walking or buy a $60 bike at Wal-Mart. ***Very important*** Whatever you do, never exert yourself so much that your heart beating through your chest. You just want to sightly elevate your heart rate. Some where around 110-130 bpm. If you get into the 165 range, that's too high. My trainer explained to me that if you keep it there, that is the fat burning range. Anything higher is cardio range, and that burns muscle. After that, some push-ups or sit-ups will help build your muscles. The larger a muscle is, the more calories it burns, even if your just sitting.
I hope this helps you. Sorry it's so long. But it did change my life and is something that I get excited about.
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Sorry Bryan, meant to say too about the exercise. $60 isn't too bad for a bike but I'd probably end up using it as a clothes hangar right now. I think I need the diet police to be standing over me and making me eat well and exercise.
It doesn't help that I hurt my back the other week (put a disc out) which laid me flat out literally for days. It's an old injury that hadn't troubled me in about fifteen years but reared its ugly head again. So now I need to consider that too because I don't want to aggravate that. Don't suppose you know if it's ok to use an exercise bike if you have back problems?
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Kay,
I have back problems too! Try to use a recumbant bike. It has a back on the seat like a chair.
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Walking would be ok, yes. I do like my own space but can't see myself doing that alone month after month. But then if I had a walking partner I'd be more tempted to amble along than walk briskly, which wouldn't benefit me much.
What you need is a Saint Bernard. You'd not be able to amble along behind one of them and when you got tired you could put a saddle on his back LOL.
Congratulations bryan on losing all that weight. That's nearly a full person! Have you kept that off ever since 2005? My biggest problem is mine goes up and down like an elevator. I put weight on easily but getting rid of it takes ages.
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My contribution to this thread may only affect those that have access to a military base. Luckily I am about 10 minutes from a small military base. They have a nice little fitness center there that is available to anyone (military, civilian, retired etc) that can get onto the base. I workout there for about 90 minutes per day on the days that they are open. Unfortunately they are not open on the weekends or holidays. On those days I bike or walk/run for about an hour.
Going to the base to workout is part of my daily routine and they are open 5AM-8PM so I have no excuse to "skip."
This may be an option that some of you may have overlooked. Oh yea, the cost is $0.
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My contribution to this thread may only affect those that have access to a military base. Luckily I am about 10 minutes from a small military base. They have a nice little fitness center there that is available to anyone (military, civilian, retired etc) that can get onto the base. I workout there for about 90 minutes per day on the days that they are open. Unfortunately they are not open on the weekends or holidays. On those days I bike or walk/run for about an hour.
Going to the base to workout is part of my daily routine and they are open 5AM-8PM so I have no excuse to "skip."
This may be an option that some of you may have overlooked. Oh yea, the cost is $0.
You can't get a cheaper gym membership than nothing LOL. What a great resource. Do the locals use the gym much, micharch? I have a friend in a military town and I don't think she knows you can do that. How did you sign up?
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There is no way to sign up. All you have to do is show up. They ask that we sign in on a sheet of paper but that's it. I think this is their way of keeping a head-count of how often the facility is used.
They also provide towels, have a sauna (men's and women's) and regular locker room facilities including showers with liquid soap dispensers so you do not have to bring so much stuff. Some military fitness centers provide shorts, shirt and socks but the little place that I go to does not. So I must provide my own gear.
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There is no way to sign up. All you have to do is show up. They ask that we sign in on a sheet of paper but that's it. I think this is their way of keeping a head-count of how often the facility is used.
They also provide towels, have a sauna (men's and women's) and regular locker room facilities including showers with liquid soap dispensers so you do not have to bring so much stuff. Some military fitness centers provide shorts, shirt and socks but the little place that I go to does not. So I must provide my own gear.
I would opt for the sauna and not bother with the exercise. :) That's excellent. I need to tackle my weight gain too. Summer's coming and we all know what that means. Showing off your legs and arms in shorts and tshirts! That should be motivation enough to my brain.
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There's great ideas in this thread, thanks everyone! There's a free yoga site where there's new lessons every day. Yoga's wonderful for destressing as well as fitness. These are hour long video classes and for all skill levels.
www.yogatoday.com
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There's great ideas in this thread, thanks everyone! There's a free yoga site where there's new lessons every day. Yoga's wonderful for destressing as well as fitness. These are hour long video classes and for all skill levels.
www.yogatoday.com
That is beautiful. It's nice to see the yoga lessons were filmed outdoors in that glorious scenery instead of a gym hall or leisure club. Oh to be that flexible LOL. Thanks, Jewel! :)
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Speaking of videos, that reminded me of the library. Mine has fitness DVD's and you can take them out for two weeks. There's nothing worse than wasting money. That time lets you test a new regime without handing over money then finding it's too hard or easy (or it doesn't get opened LOL).
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I get a gym membership at my local recreation center for $60.00 per year... thats about 5 dollars a month.
I have the mid grade package, so I get access to the jogging trail, trac, showers, and gym equipment. Theres another package that includes access to the basketball and racquetball courts, but i figured I wouldn't be using it that much.
I live in a small town, so my guess is larger cities would be doing somthing similar?
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I get a gym membership at my local recreation center for $60.00 per year... thats about 5 dollars a month.
I have the mid grade package, so I get access to the jogging trail, trac, showers, and gym equipment. Theres another package that includes access to the basketball and racquetball courts, but i figured I wouldn't be using it that much.
I live in a small town, so my guess is larger cities would be doing somthing similar?
That sounds reasonable when you break it down into the monthly cost actually. My problem is myself. I fight exercising every step of the way. I hate it. I wish I could find a way to enjoy it the way others can. Now gardening season's here that will be about the most I'll get probably. Our bad storm wiped out many of the tree limbs so I have high hopes for a sunny spot that will get enough to grow something.
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There's great ideas in this thread, thanks everyone! There's a free yoga site where there's new lessons every day. Yoga's wonderful for destressing as well as fitness. These are hour long video classes and for all skill levels.
www.yogatoday.com
Great site, Jewel! Thanks for sharing the link. It makes me feel calmer just watching them. :)
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I get a gym membership at my local recreation center for $60.00 per year... thats about 5 dollars a month.
I have the mid grade package, so I get access to the jogging trail, trac, showers, and gym equipment. Theres another package that includes access to the basketball and racquetball courts, but i figured I wouldn't be using it that much.
I live in a small town, so my guess is larger cities would be doing somthing similar?
That sounds reasonable when you break it down into the monthly cost actually. My problem is myself. I fight exercising every step of the way. I hate it. I wish I could find a way to enjoy it the way others can. Now gardening season's here that will be about the most I'll get probably. Our bad storm wiped out many of the tree limbs so I have high hopes for a sunny spot that will get enough to grow something.
True, maybe not such a good deal if your not going there on a regular basis. Hmm, it you just can't stand traditional excersise you could try tennis. Its quite a workout. I always see families riding around on bicycles on my neighborhood during the weekend. I was thinking of getting some bicycles/repairing old bicycles for everybody in the family to do that. Besides from being great activity, it sure is FREE entertainment and probably considered a "family outing"
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True, maybe not such a good deal if your not going there on a regular basis. Hmm, it you just can't stand traditional excersise you could try tennis. Its quite a workout. I always see families riding around on bicycles on my neighborhood during the weekend. I was thinking of getting some bicycles/repairing old bicycles for everybody in the family to do that. Besides from being great activity, it sure is FREE entertainment and probably considered a "family outing"
Bikes are an excellent idea. I forget the ordinary things like that. Where I grew up there was a cycle track that ran for about ten miles winding through the hills behind neighboring small towns and villages. It was a great day out cycling along that, stopping and popping into the small stores, then moving on to the next one.
Walking's good for shifting the pounds. Did you want to exercise indoors or outside? It's not very exciting but it does work. I used to take an hour's walk every evening just to get me out of the house and when I stopped, the weight crept on.
The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments. - Mad Magazine.