How do you get a workout routine

I can't give you the exact advice because I recommend weight training, but what II can say is

Losing weight does NOT mean spending money. Don't pay for anything, please. You can do it without paying for a thing.

Truthfully, I don't have a particular routine. I just try to achieve 30 minutes of exercise in most days of the week. I try to hit the gym 2-3 days a week and do a combination of elliptical, bike, and/or treadmill. Otherwise I'll do some yoga, Pilates, walking, swimming, or bike riding in. And sometimes it may be something creative like going to the park with my daughter or running around in the yard.

I've been going to the same gym for three years and for the last two years I basically focused on cardio because that's what I knew. I started following fitness inspiration sites on facebook and tumblr and it got me interested in lifting and body weight exercises, so I just started googling and youtubing everything and anything I could find to do on my own. Once I got used to doing body weight exercises and exercises with smaller weights, it gave me the confidence to tackle weight machines (and the weights area of my gym in general) and now I'm in a routine I look forward to all day. My friend and I have been focusing on lifting over cardio this year and she's lost 25 lbs and I've lost 7 - her goal was to lose weight, mine was to get stronger and leaner - Pumps and Iron is a good body weight blog to follow! Same with SarahFit!

You have a few options.

1. Pick a cookie cutter program like Starting Strength, Greyskull, 5/3/1, etc.
These are good because they're already set up, all you have to do is follow the program and possibly do a little math to calculate percentages.

2. Hire a personal trainer
This is good because you have someone tailoring a program to your specific goals and needs.

3. Make your own program
I wouldn't recommend this until you know how/what your body responds to and how to properly design a program.

Agreed.


Also, losing weight is based on diet, not exercise. Use your diet to control your weight. Do cardio for the cardiovascular benefits or to get faster. Lift to get stronger and change the way you look. Stretch to improve flexiblity, mobility, and prevent injuries.

So with that said, design your diet and workout routine based no your goals.

Sorry to hear that you're having physical problems. I know how challenging that can be. But for me, we have 2 Curves locations here in San Francisco. I'm not sure if you know what that is. But I highly recommend it. It's an all women's gym that focuses on strength training and cardio, along with following a weekly meal plan as well as meeting with a coach. I have received much success and progression with my weight loss over the past 2.5 months.

If you do not want to spend a lot of money on gyms and stuff, I would suggest investing in good workout videos (youtube, is a great place to start) that offers alternatives for light, moderate and high impact workouts. Also, some light dumbbells and a jump rope. And of course, the easiest and cheapest way to exercise is to climb up and down stairs, walk/jog/run in your neighborhood or park and to eat sensibly.

Hope this helps, good luck!!

It really all depends on what you want and how you want to go about it. Do you want to bulk or heavy lift, go for endurance sports, or are you just wanting to burn fat and get some health benefit from it?

You will likely end up getting a number of responses with all kinds of suggestions, here's mine.

If you want to join a gym, first make sure you can go with a month by month option and not sign a year contract. Do this because you never know what may come up in the next few months.

Most gyms will offer a personal trainer as part of the signup process. You usually get access to the trainer once or twice for free. Do this so you can get a baseline idea and can also go into more detail with a professional about your goals, abilities, and other concerns (e.g. bad knees). Then follow what the trainer recommends at least at first.

If you don't want to go the gym route then really the sky is the limit and your goals are going to come into play tremendously. There is Couch to 5k (C25K), Strong Lift 5x5, New Rules for Lifting for Women, thousands upon thousands of workout DVD's, and heaven knows what else.

The only real recommendation I can offer is no matter what approach you take do not spend a lot of money on anything at first. If there is a monthly charge, make sure you can get out without a fuss, and in the name of all things holy find something you LIKE that you can do repeatedly without getting bored of it. Come up with a plan, even if its just walking every night, add in some increases to the plan (walk half a mile this week, 3/4 mile next week, etc.) and stick with it. Don't push yourself too hard, don't give up, and good luck!