Recommend an exercise program for me [new title]

Hi,
I am turning to all of you good people for help. I am need of an exercise program that I can do at home with very little equipment. I searched online EVERYWHERE to see if I could find one that broke down diffrent excercises for diffrent days, and ones you could do at home. I know this seems like a silly question, but I am really hoping to get some help from you guys. I really want to lose some weight. So in short my question is…does anyone know where I can find an at home exercise routine for little/no money??
Thanks sooooo much in advance,
Lilly

lillyflower,you would probably get a better response to your thread with a more descriptive title: “Low $ Exercise Plan Wanted” or “Exercise to Lose Weight?” or “Exercise w/o $$ Gear?” You might email a moderater and ask if the title can be changed.

I personally like the Billy Blanks Tae Bo workout tapes- you should be able to score them on the cheap from E-bay and MAN is it ever a workout. Also, “The Firm” looks like a good series, and it just uses a step and some hand weights- also probably not bad on E-bay.

Can you walk outdoors where you are? I find it’s pretty good exercise, and you can get things done (errands), and see things other than the inside of your domicile. However, if you live in an ugly/dangerous area it might not be a good idea. You could even carry a backpack with stuff (groceries, laundry, cool looking rocks you find while walking, or a cool beverage/healthy snack) in it to increase your workout. The other advantage of the backpack is that if anyone gives you any trouble, you can whallop them with it.

AskMen.com

This site has a good variety of fitness tips dealing with weight loss and bodybuilding. There’s at least one schedule you can follow. While the one I’m thinking of covered bodybuilding, you should find enough info to started in the right direction.

D’oh! Sorry, Lilly. <smacks self>

You could google “women weight loss”. You might also want to look through your county’s library system for exercise books and videos.

You don’t need any equipment to do pilates - not even shoes.

I do it at home to help control back pain - works like a charm and you’ll get killer abs as well as a leaner, more toned bod.

lillyflower, please use descriptive thread titles when you start a thread.

Since you’re looking for advice, I’ll move this to IMHO.

-xash
General Questions Moderator

You may wish to review aerobics exercises (exercises to get you sweating it out: jogging, treadmill, bicycle etc) before any intense exercises (weight lifting, for example), as the aerobic exercise will help to burn calories, and thus lose unwanted fat. So you might want to stick to these first, before anaerobic exercises.

Jumping jacks, pushups, wall sits, jogging, sit-ups and crunches can all be done from home. A jump rope is a cheap and very effective tool.

You really should buy a good pair of sneakers before you do anything heavy on the ankles, though.

Do you live in a high-rise? If so, you have a built in ‘step-machine’! I have started doing the stairs 2-3 times a week and have built up quite a base already. I can almost do all 16 flights without resting (though I DON’T push it!), and can almost do the entire building twice over now.

Try Googling for “everyday exercise”. It’s a method of finding exercise in the little everyday things we do. Walk to work or park your car a few blocks away and walk in the rest of the way. Take a brisk walk at lunch time. Take the stairs instead of the elevators and escalators in buildings and shopping malls. There’s lots of little things you can do to squeeze in little bits of exercise each day.

Also, you can do lots of things on the cheap. Get a bike. You can get a decent bike for around $120. Pick up a pair of used Roller Blades at a sports store for under $50. A skipping rope is a great, cheap activity too. You can get an excellent rope for $10 or so, and get your heart rate going.

If you’re looking for more equipment, hit garage sales in a few weeks as the ‘season’ begins. There are LOTS of step machines, treadmills and stationary bikes to be had for great deals out there!

On preview: Look into changing your eating habits as well if you’re looking to lose weight. Eating right can have dramatic effects on your size, as well as provide the proper energy required to exercise effectively.

Thank You guys so much for all of your help, I am sorry about the non-discriptive title. I am changing my eating habits and that should really help, but I am just looking for exercises and things I can do with out joining a gym or spending a lot of $ that help with getting results. Keep the advice coming!!!

From what I’ve seen, nothing beats running as a cheap way to lose weight. Just about all runners who put in 25 miles or more a week are skinny. Pilates and yoga can work well for some, but it is easy to get bored doing something at home, all by your lonesome. Martial arts requires instruction. Swimming requires a pool, and bicycling gets expensive, quickly.

If you are too heavy to run, walk, but walk hard enough to sweat. Either way, work your way up from attempting 1 mile, to something in the 4-6 mile range. (If you can’t run 1 mile, run as much as you can, then walk the rest.) Once you can run a few miles, find a group to run with. Runners are pretty social, and the social interaction can keep you running for years.