Where to start?

Wishing_4_Wings

So on and off for years, I've been doing workouts to try and lose weight. For a while, I even went to a gym a few days a week for an hour or more to use machines but I never saw much progress in weight loss despite changing up my routine and upping the weights I used or the reps with less weight.

I don't have any money for a gym membership this year and I can't afford a trainer to schedule a session to find out. I'm completely lost on where to start with exercise. Tomorrow is the first and I'd like to wake up bright and early with a routine to keep with. Should I find an app and stick to it, even if it yields no results over time? Should I pick workouts and make my own?

How should I go about making my own if that is the route I should take? I don't have any access to machines and don't have enough room to buy one and keep either. Any and all advice is appreciated.

kellie5218

In the past I've used walking as my cardio. You can always change your pace and add hand/ankle weights to make it more challenging. Changing the route to add hills etc. Just keep challenging yourself.

Local high schools usually allow community members to use their track. Or check your park district to see if they have one. Malls often have walking groups before the mall opens.

Resistance bands are inexpensive and can be used for resistance training. Or, use household items like gallon jugs, water bottles, canned food.

Perhaps check freecycle. My sister got a nice treadmill for free a few years ago.

I think just moving and changing the routine to challenge yourself is important.

Do you live near a college? If they have a Kinesiology program they often offer fitness testing and/or personal training for low prices.

Panini911

honestly i've been injured for months now and still loosing doing only moderate walking. even at the "hard last 10lb" stage. you don't need to start a crazy exercise routine you don't like. Hell the two times i lost 100lbs the first 50 was just walking too.

pick things you do like to do. join a group sport or group class. take up a sport you enjoy. just walk. start small and build up over time don't go overboard with unsustainable goals (like "will do an hour at the gym 4x a week" when you hate going to the gym.

you can loose weight without exercise. just eat at a calorie deficit.

LadySaton

Exercise isn’t really the key to weight loss. It can help some people lose weight, but some people actually just get hungrier and eat more. The way to lose weight is to eat at a calorie deficit. Exercise is great for toning your body or bettering your health.

If you are already eating at a calorie deficit and just looking for exercises you can do at/near home for low cost, I have some suggestions. I enjoy walking, running, workout videos from Hasfit on YouTube (I use their bodyweight exercise videos, cardio videos and also have a set of 10lb hand weights that I use for their arms videos), DDR (Just Dance is a more modern dancing game option), climbing the stairs in my house, a pullup bar at home. Swimming is fabulous if you have pool access. I wish I had a bike because I’d love to add that as one of my options and if I didn’t live in a multistory home I would jump rope (no way I am working out in the basement lol). I also have some workout dvds I use for variety during bad weather (Billy Blanks taebo, Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home - really easy for beginning an exercise routine but I have moved past it now, and YAYOG). You can really do a lot for free right in your own home or around your neighborhood.

Hthr316

A friend just told me about HASfit (https://hasfit.com/). They have programs/videos you can follow and it's almost entirely free. I don't really think you'd have to pay for anything because I know he only used the free option and there are plenty of programs to choose from. It's definitely worth checking out!

cherys

Everyone I know swears by weights, HIIT and resistance training for weight loss. You can buy kettlebells cheaply online and follow youtube workouts; or just use your own body weight for HIIT. Sets of burpees, climbers, jacks, squats, lunges and planks should start burning off extra weight.