Non typical workout ideas that will build strength, lose weight, overall health?!

No matter how many gyms I join, home workout equipment I get, etc - standing in a room and working out is just never going to catch on for me.

So I am looking for activities that I can do that will help lose weight, build strength, and just help with overall health. In other words something I am going out to do and those things are happening naturally without me thinking about it or having to do __ number of reps with __ weight.

We are going do a 30 minute walk every night after dinner as a couple. But I think we need more than that. I need to lose a lot of weight - she needs to lose a few pounds but our goal is to not think about weight - to think about health. We have changed our eating already.

Ideas?
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Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    I cycle...both road and mountain bike. I like riding bikes...it's good exercise, but it's also recreational activity that I rarely think about in terms of a "workout" unless I'm specifically training for something. For the most part I just go ride and have fun. My "workout" rides are usually in spin class. Otherwise I'm just out there having a good time.
  • asellitti6523
    asellitti6523 Posts: 37 Member
    What about taking a couples dance class or maybe a kickboxing/martial arts class? Just remember most weight loss is going to occur from nutrition so if you need to lose a lot of weight you can't expect to just do that from whichever activity you choose to supplement your 30 min walks.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
    I hike with my dogs, my mom gardens, my dad keeps renovating his house, or my house, or whichever of his children leaves him unsupervised near their property... :lol:
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Since you are a couple, have you considered dancing? Taking dance lessons together is fun, or going out to dance is also fun, or standing in your living room doing dance videos is fun if you are shy. I get bored with doing the same cardio all the time, and trying to learn a new style of dance from videos is a good way to switch things up.

    Cycling, not for exercise but to visit places and see them, is a great recreational activity as stated above. My husband and I run together!
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,702 Member
    What do you LIKE to do? Walking is great. So is hiking and a multitude of other outdoor activities but you didn't mention if you're limited to outdoor activities due to weather or location whatever.
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
    It all really depends on what you like? Boxing classes, Dance, Indoor rock climbing all build muscle in different ways and are fun activities. Is there a recreational sport you want to learn? Tennis, Golf, Bowling? Scuba diving? What interests you. Having a goal to work towards that is fitness instead of weight related can also help maintain activity that may not be as fun.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    No matter how many gyms I join, home workout equipment I get, etc - standing in a room and working out is just never going to catch on for me.

    So I am looking for activities that I can do that will help lose weight, build strength, and just help with overall health. In other words something I am going out to do and those things are happening naturally without me thinking about it or having to do __ number of reps with __ weight.

    We are going do a 30 minute walk every night after dinner as a couple. But I think we need more than that. I need to lose a lot of weight - she needs to lose a few pounds but our goal is to not think about weight - to think about health. We have changed our eating already.

    Ideas?

    I'd start by separating the losing weight from the building strength & health.
    Former is obtained by having a deficit - that's it.

    Latter may or may not help the former depending on you and what you do.

    So with the deficit standing on it's own and not thinking the workouts are going to help lose weight (likely age-old idea pounded into your head) - what would you like to do that you find enjoyable?
    Could be several things, so rotation may make it even easier to continue doing them.

    Once you have that down - there may be an easy way to incorporate some resistance training into it even just briefly to improve strength, overall for life and specific to what you enjoy doing.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
    Water skiing, snow skiing, horse back riding.
    Most zoos accept volunteers, may end up not being real physical.
    Animal shelter near me is always looking for volunteers to walk dogs, play fetch, etc. with them and clean pens.
    Was golf mentioned?
  • JocyChan
    JocyChan Posts: 59 Member
    Take a martial arts class! MMA/BJJ are good ones.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    Thanks for all the feedback - your right I didn't give enough info.

    - We can't spend any money on it (classes, boxing, martial arts, etc)
    - We can do things outside (Colorado so cold in winter but most of year it's awesome outside)
    - The working out is for health (heart, cardiovascular, blood pressure, etc)
    - The better eating is for weight loss
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    A lot of places offer one or more free classes as a sample, trying different stuff could get you quite a long way without spending money. Also do some investigating and find out if there are local groups which may offer free classes, such as church groups or health centers. Sometimes places that sell sports equipment also offer free classes.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I've been doing snowshoeing lately, and I love it, but you obviously need certain conditions. That may work for you in Colorado.
  • map464
    map464 Posts: 2 Member
    No matter how many gyms I join, home workout equipment I get, etc - standing in a room and working out is just never going to catch on for me.

    So I am looking for activities that I can do that will help lose weight, build strength, and just help with overall health. In other words something I am going out to do and those things are happening naturally without me thinking about it or having to do __ number of reps with __ weight.

    We are going do a 30 minute walk every night after dinner as a couple. But I think we need more than that. I need to lose a lot of weight - she needs to lose a few pounds but our goal is to not think about weight - to think about health. We have changed our eating already.

    Ideas?

    Hi, just started. I find it helpful to walk uphill as much as possible. I also walk stairs instead of taking elevators. And I park far away from store entrance. What kinds of things do you do?
  • map464
    map464 Posts: 2 Member
    I am also in Colorado. I get up in the mountains whenever possible. Don't have to spend much. Just gas.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Thanks for all the feedback - your right I didn't give enough info.

    - We can't spend any money on it (classes, boxing, martial arts, etc)
    - We can do things outside (Colorado so cold in winter but most of year it's awesome outside)
    - The working out is for health (heart, cardiovascular, blood pressure, etc)
    - The better eating is for weight loss

    If you have space/room in your house get some work-outs DVDs (check your local library), or check YouTube, and start having fun and exercising at the same time. It is something that you and your partner may be able to do together or on your own, depending on your choices and preferences, especially during the winter months.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,427 Member
    Thanks for all the feedback - your right I didn't give enough info.

    - We can't spend any money on it (classes, boxing, martial arts, etc)
    - We can do things outside (Colorado so cold in winter but most of year it's awesome outside)
    - The working out is for health (heart, cardiovascular, blood pressure, etc)
    - The better eating is for weight loss

    Loaded carries are fantastic. This article describes and talks about some stuff you probably have around the house you can use for equipment or buy at very low cost.

    https://www.t-nation.com/training/secret-of-loaded-carries
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,122 Member
    If you're limited by finances, other than Hiking, Jogging, etc maybe just focus on getting your NEAT up, walking places more often, being more active at work/home, doing things like exercising. (Search NEAT improvement in the search bar here). Meetup app sometimes has free hiking groups, local park basketball/soccer/other teams sports they might have one in your area.

    A lot of animal shelters/charities rely on volunteers for dog walking, maybe there is one near you?

    There are endless free workout classes on Youtube.

    Must the exercise be together? I don't really enjoy all the same stuff as my other half, we both like rowing so we sometimes do that together but he likes calisthenics, I prefer weight lifting and yoga.

  • Keliz1173
    Keliz1173 Posts: 186 Member
    Just something to think about - if the walking 30 min daily is manageable for you could you focus on that for now? Building consistency and increasing your fitness through more challenging and longer walks?

    I started walking regularly for 30 min a year ago and it turned into 45 min, then 60 min walks and now a goal of running a 5K this summer (as well as other fitness goals).

    This might not work for you and your spouse but I found success in picking a small, realistic goal of something I enjoyed to start off.

    Good luck!
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    What about some sort of walk -- jog -- walk -- spring -- walk type thing.

    So we get our heart rates up and build our cardio a little.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,216 Member
    Standing in a room and working out is just never going to catch on for me.
    Bear with me, this is going to be a rambling n=1 account of my exercise experiences.

    At one time I thought this too. I wasn't someone who worked out and I certainly wasn't a weight lifter... no no no, athletes are weight lifters... I should stay in my lane and diet enough to be not-fat and that was good enough.

    Until it wasn't.

    I did some lifting in gym back in high school, occasionally wandered over to the weights section of the rec in college with my roommates, and half-followed the doable P90X workouts when I needed to lose some weight after college and that was... fine. I made myself do it because that's what people do, right? Primarily through diet and discovering MFP in 2012 I reached an adult low weight of <160 lbs (6'1" Male) while "getting in shape" for our wedding in 2013. Fast forward two years my weight crept up into the 170s but I didn't look or feel much different than I did <160 and didn't really like my body at either weight. Still "not fat", I wasn't happy how I looked, I didn't feel excessively healthy or "in-shape"... I was just kinda there. I found a lifting program on line called Built Lean. The guy behind it had a story that resonated with me so I started following it using the dumbbells I'd purchased years earlier for P90X in the spring of 2015. In the privacy of my spare bedroom, judged only by my cats I fumbled my way through workouts. I liked them far better than P90X-style videos and actually saw some progression. I felt better and stronger. May of 2015 happened to coincide with the release of Avengers Age of Ultron, a subsequent infatuation with the superhero aesthetic, and my wife fawning over the scene where Captain America, clad in a skin tight grey shirt and jeans, rips apart a log with his bare hands. In the aftermath of my wife's swooning, I was even more motivated to to change my appearance. Around July of 2015 I took the plunge and purchased a cheap olympic weight bench, a barbell and 255 lbs of weight during 4th of July sales and moved my setup to our basement. Progressing more easily with barbell training unlocked, I was truly smitten with lifting, something that seemed fairly foreign only a few months earlier. These purchases allowed me to really overcome my self-doubt and impostor syndrome about lifting; I had every right to lift these weights, after all they're mine, this is my workout space. I didn't realize it at the time but that ownership association really let me get out of my own way in pursuing my physique goals. Nearly five years later, I'm happier in my own skin, healthier, and stronger than I ever thought possible. I may not have leading man looks but I'm certainly closer to looking like I could pass as a stunt double than I did in 2015.

    In short, I'd encourage you to not necessarily give up on traditional modes of exercise, especially if strength is even somewhat of a goal.