It can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to finding what workout you like. Personally I prefer to workout at home. I don't have to worry about going to a gym, or worry about what the weather might be like. So, here are a few of the workouts I've enjoyed doing at home:
Walk Away the Pounds: These are great workouts for people who are just starting to exercise. They range from one to five miles and Leslie Sansone is extremely motivating. The workout structure is basically walking in place with other moves added in such as kicks, stepping side to side, leg kick backs, and she also adds in arm movement. You also have a choice of using weights or stretchy band which help to build muscle.
Biggest Loser: The biggest loser workouts are more for people who are in an intermediate stage of fitness, but with some modifications a person just beginning can do these workouts as well. You can choose between Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper. Personally I prefer Bob because he is more motivating and challenges you but makes exercising fun. There are a few variations of the Biggest Loser workout dvds, I did the Last Chance workout with Jillian and Cardio Max Weight Loss with Bob. Both workouts are a mix between cardio and strength training. Be prepared to feel SWEAT!
Tae Bo: I love Billy Blanks Tae Bo. He is very motivating and there is a separate tutorial portion on the dvd to help you get better acquainted with the moves. They workout is a mix between martial arts, boxing and dance moves. There are punches, kicks, twists, and strength training moves. It can be really tough at times so make sure you are at a fitness level to safely do the workouts. The Tae Bo line has quite a few dvds but my favorite are Tae Bo: This is Tae Bo, Tae Bo Get Ripped, and Tae Bo Cardio Explosion. And remember, like Billy Blanks says, "You gotta push through the fire."
Fitness Blender: This is an excellent source for free workouts online. They have everything from High Intensity Interval training, to strength training, Pilates, and beginner workouts. The people who put it together, Daniel and Kelli, do an amazing job. The workouts are often broken up into two or three rounds of a few different exercises and they often tell you what exercises you are doing and they give an estimate of how many calories you burn during each exercise.
Bob Harper Total Body Transformation: This workout is tough. Again make sure you can do strength training and cardio for an extended period of time. I love Bob because he helps you to get in the shape you want to be in. This is also another workout with a mix of cardio and strength training. There are squats with weighted arms swings, plyo sumo squats, dive bombers, around the world push-ups and more. This workout is definitely a challenge. In fact he states in the video that he get asked for help a lot with people wanting to break their plateaus, and that is exactly what this workout will do.
I currently switch between Tae Bo, Bobs Total Body Transformation, and fitness blender for my workouts. Maybe give some of these workouts a try and see how they work for you.
I hope this has helped. If you have any suggestions, feedback, or questions feel free to leave a comment.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A Few Tips for Starting Your Weight Loss Journey
You want to lose weight and get healthy, but where do you even start? There are so many directions to go, so many changes to make, and so many pounds to lose. Here is a list of a few things to help you start out on your weight loss journey.
Start out slow: You promise yourself that Monday you will throw out all of your junk food, start exercising an hour a day five days a week, and quit drinking soda. You may have a lot of motivation to start out strong in the beginning but that motivation can quickly turn into procrastination. Start out slow, because making smaller changes over a longer period time makes it more likely for your new habits to become regular ones.
Keep a food journal: I may stress keeping a food journal quite a bit, but it really makes a difference. People may not realize just how many calories they are eating and keeping a food journal is a great way to see how much you are eating. You don't necessarily need to count calories when you first start your journal, but it's a good starting point to monitor how many calories you are eating versus how many you should be eating.
Cut out sugary drinks: Soda, energy drinks, frappuccinos, they may be tasty or perk you up but they add a lot of unnecessary calories. You don't have to completely cut them out right away, but try and slowly ween yourself off of them. Even only drinking one less soda a week is starting somewhere. As far as what you could be drinking, try water with a splash of lemon juice, or if it's the carbonation you crave try flavored club soda, no calories with the same bubbly feel.
Get in exercise any way you can: Parking further away from the store, taking the stairs, or if you have limited mobility, just sitting down and using weights can help burn extra calories. It may seem like starting out slow doesn't make a difference, but every movement counts whether you realize it or not. Just because you can't do a push-up or run a mile now doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future.
Create goals: Whether you want to do a pull up or be able to walk around the block always have a goal and challenge yourself. Even when you become more advanced in your fitness level set goals, it will keep you on track and help you to realize that even though you have come this far, you can push yourself farther.
Find a reward system: Food may seem like a great reward system, but that often feeds into binging and a bad relationship with food. Instead of food you can reward yourself with a new dress,or Even better try to make your rewards fitness related. Buy a new yoga mat or dumbbells.
Brace yourself for plateaus: You've been consistently losing weight over the past couple of weeks and all of a sudden the scale just won't budge. Stay calm and be patient. It can be frustrating with all your hard work to see a standstill on your progress but there are many reasons why the number on the scale isn't going down. You may need to eat fewer calories, add in more exercise or even eat more calories. Sometimes it can be a lot of trial and error, but if you stick with it and find why you aren't losing weight it will pay off. Also remember that the number on the scale isn't the only way to measure progress. Measure yourself, you could be putting on muscle and losing inches. Remember while weighing and measuring yourself can be a good way to keep yourself on track, it isn't the number but the way you feel. If your clothes fit you and you feel happy in your body, that is a better indicator of your health than any number on a scale.
I hope this has helped. If you have any feedback questions or suggestions for other blog posts please leave a comment.
Start out slow: You promise yourself that Monday you will throw out all of your junk food, start exercising an hour a day five days a week, and quit drinking soda. You may have a lot of motivation to start out strong in the beginning but that motivation can quickly turn into procrastination. Start out slow, because making smaller changes over a longer period time makes it more likely for your new habits to become regular ones.
Keep a food journal: I may stress keeping a food journal quite a bit, but it really makes a difference. People may not realize just how many calories they are eating and keeping a food journal is a great way to see how much you are eating. You don't necessarily need to count calories when you first start your journal, but it's a good starting point to monitor how many calories you are eating versus how many you should be eating.
Cut out sugary drinks: Soda, energy drinks, frappuccinos, they may be tasty or perk you up but they add a lot of unnecessary calories. You don't have to completely cut them out right away, but try and slowly ween yourself off of them. Even only drinking one less soda a week is starting somewhere. As far as what you could be drinking, try water with a splash of lemon juice, or if it's the carbonation you crave try flavored club soda, no calories with the same bubbly feel.
Get in exercise any way you can: Parking further away from the store, taking the stairs, or if you have limited mobility, just sitting down and using weights can help burn extra calories. It may seem like starting out slow doesn't make a difference, but every movement counts whether you realize it or not. Just because you can't do a push-up or run a mile now doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future.
Create goals: Whether you want to do a pull up or be able to walk around the block always have a goal and challenge yourself. Even when you become more advanced in your fitness level set goals, it will keep you on track and help you to realize that even though you have come this far, you can push yourself farther.
Find a reward system: Food may seem like a great reward system, but that often feeds into binging and a bad relationship with food. Instead of food you can reward yourself with a new dress,or Even better try to make your rewards fitness related. Buy a new yoga mat or dumbbells.
Brace yourself for plateaus: You've been consistently losing weight over the past couple of weeks and all of a sudden the scale just won't budge. Stay calm and be patient. It can be frustrating with all your hard work to see a standstill on your progress but there are many reasons why the number on the scale isn't going down. You may need to eat fewer calories, add in more exercise or even eat more calories. Sometimes it can be a lot of trial and error, but if you stick with it and find why you aren't losing weight it will pay off. Also remember that the number on the scale isn't the only way to measure progress. Measure yourself, you could be putting on muscle and losing inches. Remember while weighing and measuring yourself can be a good way to keep yourself on track, it isn't the number but the way you feel. If your clothes fit you and you feel happy in your body, that is a better indicator of your health than any number on a scale.
I hope this has helped. If you have any feedback questions or suggestions for other blog posts please leave a comment.
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