What is your workout routine???

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Hello, I am new to this and I want to know where I can start and where I can go from there. I am curious what your workout started out as and how many days a week, and then what it has progressed to? How do you know what to increase and how much? I have an elliptical and I was told to only workout every other day, so I have a day to rest. I also enjoy yoga and pilates. Do you have any advice for me on how to get started with a routine?

Replies

  • KayleighDawn13
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    Personally, I like to dance. Not in front of people though. I do different type of dance about every other day. I do yoga at night. It helps with balance, helps relieve stress, and helps me sleep better. I also take my dog for a walk every morning. I just started MFP, but so far I love it and I realize I'm burning more calories than I previously thought!
  • AshleyLauren589
    AshleyLauren589 Posts: 139 Member
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    When it comes to cardio you don't need to give your body a day to rest. Only with strength training is that affective in terms of allowing your body time to rest. It's much better to pace yourself and do cardio every day -- just be careful not to burn yourself out.

    I do hot yoga 3 times a week, usually Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday. Tuesdays are rough though XD

    Just try to do something that you can keep up with! And don't be afraid to turn up the resistance on your elliptical! I like to go on a level 15, but that's definitely something to work up to (plus, it depends on the machine -- a 15 on my elliptical isn't the same as yours necessarily). It's better to do a higher resistance for a shorter time period that to go a really long time on a low resistance in my opinion, so beef up your resistance before you start going longer if you can. If you're going to do any weight-training, it's good to do atleast 12 minutes of moderate cardio before hand, because that's how long it takes to get your heart rate up to a point where you're warmed up.

    Hope some of this helps! Good luck =D
  • erisfreenici
    erisfreenici Posts: 277 Member
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    I would start working out 2-3 times a week on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes. It's not a lot, but it's enough to start out. Then once you are used to that, do the elliptical for 30 minutes 3 times a week (M,W,F) and then do yoga and/or pilates on, say, Tuesday and Thursday. I try for 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength and/or flexibility training. Once you get into a routine, you can incorporate different types of activities. My advice is to try a lot of different things and see what works best for you and your fitness goals.

    Good luck! :)
  • Kellikat80
    Kellikat80 Posts: 591 Member
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    I know right? Yoga feels wonderful. I recently joined, too. Sometimes I dance with my kids for fun, and I burn calories while doing it. Welcome to MFP! It has been awesome so far. Like another person said on here, its getting more of my attention than FB :)
  • Kellikat80
    Kellikat80 Posts: 591 Member
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    I would start working out 2-3 times a week on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes. It's not a lot, but it's enough to start out. Then once you are used to that, do the elliptical for 30 minutes 3 times a week (M,W,F) and then do yoga and/or pilates on, say, Tuesday and Thursday. I try for 3 days of cardio and 2 days of strength and/or flexibility training. Once you get into a routine, you can incorporate different types of activities. My advice is to try a lot of different things and see what works best for you and your fitness goals.

    Good luck! :)

    Great advice, thanks!
  • Crissy143
    Crissy143 Posts: 24 Member
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    I try to do at least 3-4 sessions of cardio (jogging, turbo jam, zumba or 30-day shred) and 2 sessions of weight training every week. I tried to follow a definite schedule but I get bored easily. The only thing I don't get tired of doing is jogging. I've been jogging consistently for 3 weeks now. I started out really slow (walking 5 min, jogging 3 min). I gradually increased my running time and decreased my walking time. Now I can jog 2 miles non-stop. It's sort of like the Couch to 5k program but I just do what I feel my body can handle. I'm hoping to buy an elliptical or treadmill soon so that I can run on bad weather days.

    If you find something you really enjoy, something that doesn't feel like a chore, you don't have to concentrate so much on how much weight you're losing. It will just happen. Good Luck.
  • 1sisrat
    1sisrat Posts: 267 Member
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    I would start off with a eliptical workout every other day and do a pilates or yoga on the days in between, untill you can push up the cardio.
  • Kellikat80
    Kellikat80 Posts: 591 Member
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    When it comes to cardio you don't need to give your body a day to rest. Only with strength training is that affective in terms of allowing your body time to rest. It's much better to pace yourself and do cardio every day -- just be careful not to burn yourself out.

    I do hot yoga 3 times a week, usually Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday. Tuesdays are rough though XD

    Just try to do something that you can keep up with! And don't be afraid to turn up the resistance on your elliptical! I like to go on a level 15, but that's definitely something to work up to (plus, it depends on the machine -- a 15 on my elliptical isn't the same as yours necessarily). It's better to do a higher resistance for a shorter time period that to go a really long time on a low resistance in my opinion, so beef up your resistance before you start going longer if you can. If you're going to do any weight-training, it's good to do atleast 12 minutes of moderate cardio before hand, because that's how long it takes to get your heart rate up to a point where you're warmed up.

    Hope some of this helps! Good luck =D

    What is hot yoga? how do you do it? And my elliptical is very old, it does have a knob to turn to the left and right for resistance, but honestly I can't tell the difference.
    Thanks
  • 1sisrat
    1sisrat Posts: 267 Member
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    yes, same here. More attention than facebook.
  • TonyaJ83
    TonyaJ83 Posts: 155
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    I'm doing ChaLEAN Extreme. I LOVE it. It's all laid out for you. On the "rest" days, I do Turbo Jam.
  • Andi_Mo
    Andi_Mo Posts: 243
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    I started doing Turbo Jam and Spinning at the gym. Over the last 7 years, I've done everything from Water Aerobic to Zumba. I like to mix it up so it doesn't get boring. I do cardio 6-7 days a week and 3 days of strength. Usually. I used to weigh alot more so it's necessary that I keep doing alot to keep it off. I'd also like to lose another 20 or so. but do what is fun and keeps you wanting more. You could jump rope, run, spin what ever. Just do whatcha like :)
  • Still_Sossy
    Still_Sossy Posts: 868 Member
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    I do the Brazil Butt Lift program everyday (the complete set, not the starter set), I also have an elliptical I try to get on at least 5 times a week and I have a Pilates Reformer I try to get on 3 times a week. I like to mix it up. So basically on most days I am doing 2 workouts, one in the morning and one in the evening.
  • Kellikat80
    Kellikat80 Posts: 591 Member
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    Awesome feedback, thanks so much! I have never even heard of a lot of these workout dvds like chaLEAN extreme, Brazil Butt Lift, 30 day shred, and Turbo Jam. They sound like they are working for many people. I don't have much money at the moment to buy these, but I do have a weight bench and weights, and fit tv on demand, plus the exercise channel (I forgot the name of it).