Fun Workout Suggestions?

jillian michaels workout dvd's at walmart are only $9 each and they are great workouts

Have you checked out your local community center for workout classes? Ours has a big variety for only $3 a class! Zumba, bootcamp, circuit training, etc!

I particularly love anything Turbo by Chalene Johnson... Turbo Fire is AMAZING. Blasts tons of calories and the music is awesome!

Getting some friends together and going walking, going to a dance class... maybe playing a game of basketball or something like that? Make it silly and fun to where it doesn't feel like you're working out?!

Good luck

Boxing!!!! Fantastic full body cardio workout, its fun!! i love it! you learn technique and combos not to mention self deffense and learning to hit hard!!

My gym - the YMCA - has lots of classes that are included in the (very reasonable) membership of $45/month. I don't usually take advantage of these, because my schedule is too erratic.

However, I have taken up Racquetball, which is also available at many Y's. It takes some time and discipline to develop enough skill to play at a level where you are doing real cardio, but it's worth it.

When I first started learning, I played alone, standing about 5 feet from the wall and just slowly bouncing the ball against the wall, with a "loaner" racket. I'm a complete spaz, so it was kinda embarrassing, even though no-one was watching.

After several of these early, more "spazzy" sessions I got a little better. Then, whenever I played, I worked up a significant sweat. Gradually, I continued to improve, and after about a month of this kind of practice, I played a game with an actual person. It was still a little embarrassing, and I got soundly clobbered, but it was really fun, and my partner was patient - he laughed with me, not at me. I continued to improve, and after a couple of months I had a set of "regulars" with whom I played, on a regular schedule - and I still do, to this day. It's now been around 6 months or so. The others tell me that now I'm "really coming up the ranks" - but they're just being nice, I'm sure....

If you play "casually" you burn about 534 cals/hour... if you play "hard" you burn a whopping 766 cals/hour. ( http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc ) Both are similar to the elliptical in terms of calorie burn, and I can tell you from experience that your cardio-pulmonary system is worked hard. You definitely hit - and sustain - the high end of your cardio capacity, if you are playing with someone at a similar skill level to your own. You'll be breathing really hard, and sweating like crazy. I regularly lose about 3-4 lbs of water weight after a few good games.

Best of all, it's really, really fun! I don't win many games, but I always enjoy playing and making friends with the other players. If given a choice between r-ball and elliptical machine, r-ball wins every time, for me. After 6 or so months, r-ball continues to hold my interest, and keeps me motivated enough to go to the gym several times a week.

Before I joined MFP, I lost about 30 lbs just playing racquetball 3 days a week, for between 30 and 60 minutes at each session, in less than 3 months. I've lost over 55 lbs in total, in a little over 6 months at this point - I've added cardio and weights to my routine though.

I hope that you consider this - it really helped me get motivated, and stay on track for a while now, and I don't foresee any end in sight!

My $0.02

-Maury

i could never live there. I walk / bike everywhere.