Suggestions for alternative fun workouts

comittobethin
comittobethin Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am currently 296 lbs and was wondering if anyone knew of some fun activities I could do to get my body moving on days that I don't do my cardio and weight training at the gym. I have done a little bit of walking in the park on my days off but now that it is getting colder, I know those will be few and far between. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • LADYJDOWD
    LADYJDOWD Posts: 15 Member
    Water exercise is great & you burn alot of calories all while having fun..........................knowing how to swim is not required
  • Leebett
    Leebett Posts: 238 Member
    There are a ridiculous number of workout dvds on the market and on youtube. If you're in for some old school cheese, there are full length richard simmons videos that crack me up! Great for those days you just need to smile.

    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=richard+simmons+workout+full+video&sm=1

    I'm also a big fan of yoga that can easily be done in your home. A sample 30-45 minute routine would look something like
    Warm up with some Cat/Cow
    3-5 A Sun Salutations
    3-5 B Sun Salutations
    Dancing Warrior Series
    Core work
    seated forward fold
    seated twisting
    corpse pose for relaxation

    these can all be found on youtube or you could just do a pre-made video.

    Have you tried Zombies, Run! I used to hate going outside to walk. Now I can't wait for the next installment of the story even in the 30 degree weather.

    Hope one or all of these work for you!
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    napoleon-s-dance-o.gif
  • DragonSpark
    DragonSpark Posts: 57
    Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs are great for inside workouts! They're low-impact aerobics and vary in length from 15 minutes to an hour and a half so there are lots of choices to fit every fitness level and schedule.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Yoga, yes! And belly dance. I always say those two, lol. Any kind of dance is great, and there are so many DVDs. Brazilian dance is another really fun one.

    Water aerobics is really great, too.

    There are some stretching routines that are wonderful. I really think flexibility work is nice on days after weight training. Of course, dance or cardio burn more calories, but flexibility is important for the ligaments and tendons and just feels so good :)
  • Jagreene62
    Jagreene62 Posts: 4,782 Member
    If you have a Wii there are a lot of physical workout and sports types games to play inside. :bigsmile:

    Whatever it is, just make sure it's fun and enjoyable to YOU!! Good Luck!! :drinker:
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    I like just dance gets you up and moving :)
  • MrsGilligan12
    MrsGilligan12 Posts: 21 Member
    i LOVE my Wii Fit! I also play Just Dance on the Wii. After dancing to a few of my songs, I'm all sweaty!
  • atrina111
    atrina111 Posts: 16 Member
    I love Aqua Zumba!!
  • sybrix
    sybrix Posts: 134 Member
    i LOVE my Wii Fit! I also play Just Dance on the Wii. After dancing to a few of my songs, I'm all sweaty!

    Just Dance looks like so much fun! There's also a free dance game sim called Stepmania that people write step charts for, you can find a fairly cheap USB dance mat with arrows on it online. It's pretty much DDR with no console required.

    Or if you happen to have a PS2 console collecting dust you can find the older DDR titles and cheap console-compatible dance mats online.

    The PS2 titles have a workout mode that estimates calories burned per song t'boot! I just set a calorie goal and log around 70% of the burn to be on the safe side.

    Good luck on the search, I also have been trying to find new fun activities indoors as the weather plummets!

    Edit: Realized I should probably specify that DDR = Dance Dance Revolution, it was an arcade game that was later released for home consoles. You step on arrows that correspond to what's on the screen, and there's different types of arrows and songs to step to.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    LOVE turbo jam/turbo fire! :D
  • kathleenjoyful
    kathleenjoyful Posts: 210 Member
    Blogilates, a Pilates instructor who also adds in some cardio HIIT, some yoga moves and body weight strength training. Her Beginners Calendar is here http://www.blogilates.com/calendar/beginners-calendar-for-popsters-just-starting-out and gives you a month of workouts, with links to all of her videos on YouTube. She's bubbly, fun and really challenging, even at beginner level.
  • alfranklin23
    alfranklin23 Posts: 15 Member
    the wii....or playing hide and seek with kids.
    Running up and down a flight of stairs:)
  • comittobethin
    comittobethin Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks all for your awesome suggestions! I tried Leslie Sansone for 2 miles and boy was it a workout! I am going to integrate the 1 mile in to my daily routine and work my way up from there. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

    I also am doing the beginners calendar to the blogilates. It is way harder than it looks but I am going to do that every day as well. Thank you all so much for your life changing suggestions. This site is such a wonderful tool! I wouldn't have tried any of these without you guys. YOU ROCK!!!!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    If you've enjoyed doing the video-at-home thing, you might try some strength training dvds such as Kelly Coffey or Jillian Michaels. YES they are more intense than what you're doing now, but you can do alternate reps or find ways to tone them down. Personally, it makes me feel a little badass to be lifting the dumbbells at home. Whereas if I do it at the gym, I feel too self-conscious.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Thanks all for your awesome suggestions! I tried Leslie Sansone for 2 miles and boy was it a workout! I am going to integrate the 1 mile in to my daily routine and work my way up from there. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

    I also am doing the beginners calendar to the blogilates. It is way harder than it looks but I am going to do that every day as well. Thank you all so much for your life changing suggestions. This site is such a wonderful tool! I wouldn't have tried any of these without you guys. YOU ROCK!!!!

    Yay!!! I'm glad you found something fun and challenging that you enjoy :) That's just the best.

    I'll throw this out there just in case anyone ever needs it: Ansuya's (bellydancer) 'Istanbul Nights'. OMG, I'm having a blast. I don't know why this choreography strikes me as so incredibly fun, but I thought I'd share :) I think I like how fast the teaching moves. I like to just do it and DANCE :D
  • MrsGilligan12
    MrsGilligan12 Posts: 21 Member
    We have a couple of DDR games and a mat, but I am not good at it at all. I blame my Multiple Sclerosis on my lack of rhythm but it's just because I just suck at it LOL

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