Anyone doing just "soft" exercises? Yoga, walks, etc.

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Replies

  • ElectricMayhem
    ElectricMayhem Posts: 214 Member
    I know several people on here and IRL who have lost well over 100 pounds by just walking!! Just move your *kitten* and watch what you eat, if this works for you then stick to it, don't let anyone make you feel as if you aren't working hard enough! I do zumba 3-4 times per week(my instructor is the "hard" one) and I have been guilty of feeling "lazy" thanks to so many people on here who run crazy marathons or lift heavy everyday, etc. I believe the lighter i get, the more i will be up to trying more challenging things, but for now i stick with what i know and love :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    I walk, I do some push-ups when I feel the need, that's it.

    80% nutrition, 20% exercise ...
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
    haha I know exactly what you mean! I have some total badass friends who only workout intense. It's very go hard or go home and somewhat intimidating compared to what I do! I'm mostly a more casual exerciser but I like to mix in the harder stuff and just love it! Everyone's right that if it's something you enjoy AND you're getting the results you want then you're golden! You may find that as you progress, you'll want to add in a day or two of strength training or a super cardio burn day. Who knows, you could even love it! Good luck with everything! :happy:
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
    WALKING is basically my ONLY form of exercise

    I did the gym/Curves thing in the past- but this time around
    I HAD to consider my life right now- between a very active job and lifestyle,
    I KNEW I'd never be able to MAINTAIN going to the gym AFTERWARDS

    so I opted for finding ways that work into my life- and as long as I can, I do the WALKING.
    the way I figure it-
    I always have my legs with me- keep a good pair of jogging shoes/socks in the car
    and WALK whenever I can.

    *I park as far away as possible when I go to the grocery store,
    * I push the cart all the way back into the store
    (shoot, I'll even jog with it to the car and back- I don't care how *stupid* it might look- I'm burning fat.)

    *I walk around our property (it's uneven terrain which makes it a GREAT workout)
    * and I walk around our house- up and down the stairs-
    when it's raining.
    *I found several Leslie Sansone Walk Away The Pounds on eBay that I ♥
    *I walk the downtown mall - FREE A/C!!!- (I got yelled @ for walking TOO fast- geesh)
    * and I clean an office with a LONG hallway- so when I'm done, I'll walk/jog up and down the hall for 30 minutes or so.
    *I'll walk around the block if I've arrived early for a dr. app't,

    Carry some hand weights and increase the burn.
    For now I fill up my 2-20 oz water bottles that have an insulated cover/hand strap/belt clips and use those for the added weight
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    There were a few years when I did "only" yoga and nothing else and I was strong and lean. It wasn't really "omm, stretch & snooze" yoga though, it was Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. I saw a massive difference physically and in strength and fitness progression. This is what I looked like when I did nothing but yoga...

    5334_133948843618_3533749_n.jpg

    You don't HAVE to spend hours cycling or running to be lean and in good shape.
  • samakain
    samakain Posts: 60
    I only walk. I'm still feeling challenged by my walks so until it feels "too easy" for me, I'll stick with it. So far I've been successful. I have an irregular slowed/skipped heartbeat that seems to be unpredictable so until it's figured out, my cardiologist told me I should just be walking for an hour a day.
    Do what you like but try to challenge yourself :)
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    Yes, I am just doing soft exercises and have lost 23 pounds in 2 months. I do a lot of walking, and I am careful with my diet. I have a very fussy back problem that has to settle before I add anything more. I am doing gentle pilates as well.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Thank you so much for this post and for everyone's responses. I think we just need to trust ourselves and our bodies that we know what is healthy for us and we see the fitness results. After joining this site I actually got depressed and stopped going to the gym for 4 days (obviously I was already turning to exercise to lift my spirits in the first place). I started to feel like everything was so complicated and/or pointless (I stopped trusting myself). But, I was happy and seeing results (six pack abs and everything). If our body is hurting, sometimes we need to modify what we are doing and find the ways to work our body that works for our body. It's always worked in the past for me, no reason it will suddenly stop working. Being a dancer there is a lot I know about the fitness of dance/yoga/pilates. Healthy diet makes these "soft" exercises more effective as well. And it may take a little longer, but that's ok. I think trusting ourselves and our bodies is a big lesson I learned from over-complicating something that was already natural and working for me. And as I add new things (lifting weights) I can go slow and learn. I'm going to continue to learn and add to my knowledge, understanding, and options, but I know that I need to trust my body above all else. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. You helped me a lot!
  • Nutrition1st
    Nutrition1st Posts: 216 Member
    When I lost the bulk of my weight my routine was pretty soft. I was on a 3 day split (push, pull, legs/core) for 30 minutes. I walked, never ran. I did 20 minutes of empty stomach cardio before breakfast. And walked until I got bored at night. Never hit the iron really hard. Wasn't doing cross training. Just staying active and including moderate resistance.
  • skinnynerd
    skinnynerd Posts: 110
    I walk becaue I love it and it's free.
  • jumatwins
    jumatwins Posts: 74
    Wow. I can’t believe how much beautiful and inspiring responses everyone gave me... It’s just confirming what I already felt inside: trust my body and respect myself! I agree that with time, maybe I will actually want to do more high intensity cardio, or maybe not, and that is ok. For now, I do what I enjoy and it works fine for me for now. I don’t have a lot of weight to loose, I just want to feel good and be more active than I was before (wasn’t doing any exercise but already eating healthy at least ). Honestly, I see the changes in my body (toning up – which is what I want) with what I am doing right now, so I will definitely stick with that for now. Once I feel it becomes too ‘easy’ for me, I will increase the challenge a bit, maybe by doing the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga…:-) Your picture is very inspiring @Kara xxx !! I do regular Hatha Yoga now, but I think I will soon challenge myself to do more!

    Again, thank you everyone. Feel free to friend request me…I would surely enjoy keeping contact with people who share the same philosophy :-)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    I'm just wondering if anyone is “just” doing soft exercises like yoga, pilates, walks, plus some strength and abs training…?
    Are you getting any results? I am. I am watching my calories and doing these soft exercises.

    I feel I should respect myself and do the exercises I enjoy?

    These are "soft" exercises??? The yoga DVD on P90x is easily the hardest workout I do, and I've tried quite a few things. Never tried pilates, but it looks like it would be taxing and the women who do them at the place down the street from my house look awesome. Recently there was a guy I would see around but hadn't seen in about a year. Guy was huge. Not overly fat huge, but a real big, strong guy. Maybe 6'4" 260ish. I ran into him recently and he was skinny. Almost didn't recognize him. Asked what he did so I could do it too. "Just a lot of walking, nothing else" was what he told me.

    I've had to rely on these "soft" exercises many times in my life while rehabbing from various sports injuries, and they are just fine. Unless your goals are to be a hardcore athlete, you should be able to accomplish whatever you want from the things on your list. As a general rule, you should enjoy everything you do in life, including...no ESPECIALLY exercise. So choose whatever you like to do, and enjoy.

    Much respect.
  • tleach731
    tleach731 Posts: 6
    I started out by only walking about 30 minutes a day. I still walk now (almost a year later) but I've added in Hot Yoga. Do what is best for you and what you like to do. Don't feel guilty either.
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 839 Member
    I walk every day. I live on a mountain and the entire walk is up and down hill. I walk at a good pace for 30 minutes - my heart rate is up and I work out a sweat. I don't consider it "soft", just low impact. I also do yoga and pilates, which is great strength training. I also golf, which seems "soft", but actually burns quite a lot of calories.
  • jmilian825
    jmilian825 Posts: 193 Member
    I do about an hr of yoga and get a pretty decent burn but I also alternate between bike ride, jogging, walking, strength training :)

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