Exercise at home

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12/12/12 12:43 A

When I didn't have any equipment, much less money to join a gym, I often just ran in place in front of the tv. This burns about the same amount of calories as you would burn when partaking in "wii fit free run".

When I took a martial arts class we did about 10 minutes total of mountain climbers, jumping jacks, high knee lifts, and more. This is an intense workout, that if paired with running or walking in place for 20 minutes before or afterwards, will produce a good cardio workout! I find that the 10 minutes of mountain climbers/jumping jacks/etc burn about the same amount of calories as the spark-people video "10 minute cardio workout".

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The best strength training exercising you can do include push ups (which work the arms, core, chest, etc), planks (works the entire core), lunges and squats(works legs) and if you can some basic yoga moves that you can find off youtube of the internet.

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12/12/12 12:26 A

I don't like going to gyms in reality although when I read blogs where people are going to gyms, it sounds great. I have found that I prefer to exercise right here in my house. I have recently acquired Wii Fit Plus from my sister. I am really enjoying it and it's great to track my time spent doing the activities and how many calories it says I have burned. Plus my whole family will occasionally participate (particularly my son).

I also like to do Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds. The movements are easy to do, but you do get a sweat on. Now that I know the moves pretty well, I occasionally do them while I watch TV. I do things like jogging/marching in place for short intervals throughout the day to fight being constantly sedentary. I also do any calisthenics that I have learned over the years in short bursts.

I think I would like some stretchy bands that come with a DVD to get my strength training on. ONce I work with the DVD a few times, I will be able to do the movements without them. I have been known to use cans of food from the cabinet in my strength training, but I also have light handweights.

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12/11/12 4:46 P

I don't want to join a gym.

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12/11/12 10:13 A

All of the suggestions are great ideas. I use DVD workouts such as P90X, Power 90, Firm Workouts, and Ski Stronger Workout DVD. I also have the My Fitness Coach for Wii. Plus there are so many great workout videos on SP to choose from.

I would suggest a Heart Rate Monitor. There is a great site called shapesense.com that has a terrific calculating tool that will calculate the net calories burned for the actual workout you just did. You just calculate your average heart rate during the workout and then fill in all of the required info such as gender, weight, time of workout, and average HR. Once you figure out the gross calories burned you then click on the Net Calories link and fill in the info.

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12/11/12 9:47 A

I WOULD join a gym, but I can't afford it. Here's what I do:

I have a Wii. The game that is the most effective for me is the new Zumba game, Zumba Fitness Core. You enter your height, weight, and gender to start, it tracks your movements pretty well as far as a Wii goes, and at the end of each workout it tells you how many calories you burn. Very helpful! And you can do single workouts or short, medium, or "full" classes. I also ordered EA Sports Active 2 which comes today, hopefully. That game also tells you how many calories you burn.

SPARK VIDEOS. Seriously, if you don't already do the free videos on here, now's the time to start. They don't take up much time and the ones I do are intense! It'd probably be helpful to buy a set of hand weights if you haven't already - my favorite videos are the Seated Arm & Shoulder (you need weights), Butt Blaster, and Athletic Intervals, but there are a lot more to choose from! And they tell you how many calories you burn/you click "track calories burned" and it adds it to your Fitness Tracker for you.

DVDs. I have Jillian Michaels' DVDs; four of them. They're intense, but if you Google, they say you burn about 275-300 calories doing Level 1 of her workouts... somewhere in there. So that's what I enter into the tracker when I do them.

Of course there's always the good old walk/jog outside. Or, if you live in crappy weather like I do, I speed walk around the mall.

Hope this helps!

Edited by: HAPPYDEM at: 12/11/2012 (09:49)

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12/11/12 9:44 A

There are quite a few options that you can do at home.

1. Bodyweight Exercises - These are exercises that require no equipment except your body.
- Push Up
- Burpees
- Mountain Climbers
- Planks
- Squats
- Lunges
- Calf Raises
- Superman
- Dips (technically you need a chair, but I am willing to bet you have one of those)
- Crunches
There are tons more. Plus all of the ones I have listed have variation you can look up.

2. Workout Videos - These are some of my favorites:
- Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior
- Bob Harper's Boot Camp
- Turbojam

3. Use Minimal (Cheap!) Equipment
- Dumbbells (I personally started with a set of 8 lb ones)
- Kettlebells (You can start with just one.)
- Yoga Mat
- Resistance Bands
- Exercise Ball
Some good books to get you started are 101 Workouts for Women by Muscle & Fitness Hers, The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler, and Kettlebells for Women by Lauren Brooks.

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12/11/12 9:12 A

One of my favorite at home "workouts" is just to turn the music up and dance around while I clean the house. I do this for about 30 minutes (of nonstop movement) after work every day. Then I sometimes turn the tv on and finish up with some pushups/crunches/plank, etc.

Also, I don't have a WiiFit, but sometimes just playing the sports games is a good, fun workout! Better than just sitting around :)

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12/10/12 2:54 P

you can also use household items for extra resistance (hold a gallon jug in each hand, for example)

the workout videos I've used from this site have all been good

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12/10/12 2:49 P

At home Mon, Wed, and Fri. At the pool Tues and Thur.

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12/10/12 2:41 P

I have a super small studio apartment (250 sq ft) and I haven't found a DVD yet that I can't do in it:) I love Jillian Michaels and Brook Burke's DVDs. I can easily do them in my tiny space.

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12/10/12 2:22 P

I need a place with more space :) some day... we're working on it

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12/10/12 2:00 P

There are hundreds of exercise videos out there. I get a lot of DVDs off of amazon. I really like it because people leave really great reviews (both positive and negative) so you get a good idea of what the video will be like. And most of the dvds are about $8 some with two or three workouts on them.

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12/10/12 1:41 P

I do a lot of body weight exercises, a ton of planks especially; I use 10 pound dumbbells for various exercises, a lot of squats and lunges...basically I make up my own routines with different exercises so that I never get bored. And I use a heart rate monitor so that I know how many calories I've burned.

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12/10/12 1:36 P

I don't guage calories burned, but I do have a HRM so I have some small idea. i also don't do long distance cardio (no treadmill, no elliptical, no running etc. Don't want the cortisol despite some of the other benefits), I make up most of my own routines or use the ones from FB. I have some friends on FB that are into HIIT and are always coming up with new 12 minute routines. i work at my highest intensity for 30 seconds and rest 30 seconds. Repeat that three times for each exercise and I do approximately 4 to 6 exercises depending on how I feel. By the end of that workout, i have no sugar left in my body and it has to use the fat for energy.
the only equipment I need is a few handweights and an exercise mat. I have a few stability balls and a dip station, but I don't necessarily need those.

You can also access Youtube. Tons of different workouts there.

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12/10/12 12:25 P

Check your local library. I bet it has tons of exercise videos that you can do. And you can pick up a few inexpensive pieces of equipment bit by bit that will help you. I would recommend some hand weights, exercise bands, jump rope, yoga mat and stability ball. Not a single item over $20 and you could add one a month. You don't need anything expensive like a treadmill to get results.

If even that seems a challenge. Ask around. Check resale shops or the clearance shelves at Marshalls, TJ Max or Target. I've found some good deals that way.

I don't recommend watching TV while you exercise. Your really don't get the most out of your routine that way. Focus on your form and the muscles you are working. Put your mind in your workout and you will get the most out of it.

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12/10/12 11:15 A

Thanks this information is very helpful.

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12/10/12 10:11 A

There is a Spark team called "No Gyms Required" that you may wish to join. It's full of home exercise enthusiasts.

Do you have a Wii or Xbox Kinect video game system? You can do fitness or dancing games on your tv that can help you work up a sweat.

Other than that, body weight exercises are excellent for strength training. You can do planks, pushups, tricep dips (with a chair), reverse planks, side planks, squats, lunges, wall sits, etc.

If you track these exercises in your fitness tracker, Spark will post your calorie burn for you.

Edited by: CHEETARA79 at: 12/10/2012 (10:14)

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12/10/12 7:51 A

I'm in the same boat as you and I do fitness videos. There are plenty on Spark's to get you started. I've also found a few good ones on youtube. You can borrow them from your local library or buy your own.

You can do bodyweight exercises for strength training to start. Spark's has a workout generator in your fitness tracker. Just create routine. Add it to your tracker and then go to "save group". That way you can access your routine undering the heading "groupings". I would recommend getting some hand weights later on. They're inexpensive $10-$20. Resistence bands are another good addition, you can probably find a cheaper set for about $15.

To track the calories you burn go to your fitness tracker search and do a search for the type of cardio you're doing; low or high impact aerobics, circuiting training, cardio kickboxing, cardio dancing, interval training etc. (they're all there). The spark videos you can track by just clicking the button under the video that says "track calories burned".

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12/10/12 7:16 A

I am not joining a gym one I can't afford it and two I never stick with it. What are some suggestions of exercises you can do at home with no equipment maybe even in front of the tv. Also how do you judge how many calories you are burning?

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