Your workout routines?

[Sapphire'sWings]

Okay,I have no workout routine right now.Yes,trying weight loss for the bajillionth time. :boggle: Anyways,I'm interested in your workout routines.Thanks. :happy: Yay for cute smilies.

[Stephanie]

Mine is pretty straight forward at the moment. I'll be adding some intense weight training (hoping to get back on the competition route!) in the next few months, but for now, I'm having a ball with cardio for the first time in my life. :laugh:

Inside or outside, doesn't matter. Brisk walk for 5 minutes. Stretch with focus on my angry hamstrings. Jog. Sprint. Jog. Walk. Jog. Sprint. Jog. Walk. Walk. Walk. Stretch. My intervals are whatever feels good and that's actually how I fell into the routine. I'm trying to gain endurance as well as speed and so far, this has helped immensely. Also, taking my running to a dirt trail has shown me a huge improvement, too.

When I start weights, I'll post the routine here, too.

[Snowymoon]

When very athletic and/or training in advanced/competitive figure skating and belly dancing, I did the following:

Inside the home or in the rink mostly:

~ Jogging to warm up for 5 minutes or so.
~ Rolling all joints to lube them up, including back twists.
~ Stretching, some of which was rather intense stretching for splits, straddles and other positions in figure skating. I would spend about 45 minutes stretching. I had a very thorough routine.
~ If skating, then I would skate here, starting with footwork drills (Moves in the Field), then spins (back spin and then forward spins), then jumps (singles, combos and doubles) and finally work on program or try new things. If at home, I would do floor drills and jumps and perhaps some Yoga.
~ If dancing, I would start with some drills and work on some combinations and balancing stuff, finishing by free dancing.
~ After the main bulk of my exercise, I would then do push-ups, sit-ups and squats.
~ Final stretch to cool down.

Whoo! That makes me tired! I used to work-out 2-4 hours daily when seriously skating (2 hours on days I did not skate, 4 hours on skating days with a few days with even more hours at the rink). It was a BIG part of my life, and I never had much free time outside of training, work and mom duties.

Now...I do 1/2 hour of Yoga, if I am lucky to fit that in. I really did go from total athlete to total couch potato. :blush:

[Lady Godiva]

I have three sets of full stairs in my home: So it's up the stairs and down the stairs and in the room and out. Like a miniature tornado she can blow the house about. (Whoops, got that from this Tom Paxton song (http://www.martylloyd.com/artist_t/tom_paxton_lyrics/katie_lyrics.html).)

Other than my house providing opportunities for exercise (ever vacuum stairs? :gurn:), I have a new cross/hybrid bike and have been really enjoying going for rides when the weather permits. I love feeling the stress on my lower torso and increased heart rate. :stress: :D

[eiyela]

My dog! That big ball of fluff requires endless amounts of walking, playing and brushing, even though he's 8 years old. But I still lubs him.:soppy:

Swimming at the nearby lake is good summer exercise, sleighing with my little cousins is good in winter. And shopping! Carrying around huge bags for hours at an end can give anyone a good workout.:innocent:

My favourite is still putting on some good music and bouncing around like a maniac for half an hour, though.:geek: (oh, how I love these little smilies...)

[Meezer]

I've been very active all of my life, but have been on hiatus for the past year or so due to a few unfortunate issues. I'm back in the swing of things now and my routine consists of a day or two of tennis with DH, 2 days of CardioTennis, lap swimming (when I can force myself into the pool), and long walks with the my dog.

I also use the Firm now and then and I enjoy biking. I would like to get into some short-distance running-- 5K range. The Couchto5K program is something I've wanted to start up for months now! Must motivate!!!

[Wind]

My excercise consists of walking 24 blocks a day. :gurn: I also do 15 minutes of stretching in the morning and at night, as well as wall pushups and situps. I'd love to try weight training someday, just for the heck of it.

[Dana]

I made up a routine over the weekend (work off that Memorial Day BBQ!) and this is what I will try and do:

5 minutes of stretching
5 minutes of jumping-jacks or running in-place
10 reps of Floor Squats
10 reps of wal Push-ups
10 reps of Assisted Lunges per side
10 reps of Crunches
10 reps of Oblique Crossover Crunches per side
5 mins stretching to cool-down

I have gotten my info and guide pictures from
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/l/blbegstrength.htm

and

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/a/workout_center.htm

I haven't tried any of this yet, but tonight it supposed to be my first!

[Sapphire'sWings]

Coolness.I'll be using your ideas.My old workout routine consisted of weight training,stretching,walking,and aerobics (not in this order though,I think).I would walk every day and work out like 3 times a week.This routine worked because I lost fat and gained muscle tone.Ugh,I don't have weights (or heavy objects) around me anymore,but that's no excuse to sit my butt here and do nothing.So...I'm gonna go ahead and try out some excercises before I decide this chair is too comfy. :sweatdrop:

[golden_gal]

Wow...

I do a basic warm up and stretching and use a cross trainer every other day. I increase the intensity and distance every so often. I used to do it everyday but it seems easier every other day. Less aching.

I walk a lot though, as I walk to and around school. My school is full of tall buildings, which means a lot of stairs!

[walkinglady]

I stretch everyday before I head out for my walk. My walk is 5 miles (or more) every day. This is my sixth year of walking and I love it! :happy:

I recently started walking with 3 pound dumbbells for 30 minutes every other day. Boy my arms get tired but they are not in pain. I am trying to do a program called heavyhands. I'm just learning about this so I'm a rookie. :notsure: I also think that I must look like a real dork walking down the road. :geek:

I try to do crunches every other day. :evileye: I hate crunches!!!

I love all this smilies, they're fun! :drool:

[Wind]

I recently started walking with 3 pound dumbbells for 30 minutes every other day.
Do you use regular dumbbells, or the kind that strap to your wrists? I've been looking for those, or some ankle ones, but can't find them anywhere. :gurn:

[getoffmyskittle]

A really really good way to motivate yourself to start working out/being healthy is to take a dance class!

I take classical ballet, and I've been studying for 5 years. Believe me, there is no better motivation than being the only one in the class who can't do the splits...

If you don't like ballet or think you're too old to start doing it seriously (not many people join after age 10 or so - I was pretty old when I started), sign up for jazz or hip-hop or bellydancing or something like that. A lot of people like dance that's not as structured as ballet. I took jazz for a while, and it was a really great workout - although I had to eventually quit because my mom told me I couldn't do ballet, pointe, placement (advanced technique ballet class), AND jazz. :grinhappy:

It's really great, especially if you can find a reasonably-priced studio with good teachers. You pretty much get everything except aerobics, which you can do on your own by running every day or going to a gym or something. And (in my opinion) it's a lot more fun than doing endless work on the elliptical, the ab machine, the treadmill, the gym bicycle... basically, all the things my non-dancing friends do to keep in shape.

I love dancing. :D

[Dana]

Great suggestion, Skittle!!

I would love to learn bellydancing (and I'm sure my husband wouldn't object!). Dancing is a wonderful way to exercise, even if you just turn up the tunes and dance in your living room!

[walkinglady]

Do you use regular dumbbells, or the kind that strap to your wrists? I've been looking for those, or some ankle ones, but can't find them anywhere. :gurn:
Currently I am using regular dumbbells. My friend has wrist weights that I tried on. I wasn't overly fond of them because they kept slipping down onto my hands. They also tend to catch on your hips as you're walking, the velcro loosens, but they do not come completely undone. If you are not use to working with weights on a regular basis you may want to start with 1 or 2 pound weights and work your way up. I know this may sound like a wimp weight but your arms do get tired and I have the philosophy of starting slow and working your way up so you don't get discouraged and quit. A little is better than none! Besides, the weights are not terribly expensive, between $6.00 and $8.00 (for two) at Walmart. When you're ready to move up to 2 or 3 pounds you can borrow or sell them to a friend and get them addicted! I'm picking up the "Heavyhands" book by Dr. Len Schwartz today from my local library. Hope to learn a lot from that! Just read my post and I think I answered more than you asked -- sorry for the information overload, I tend to ramble sometimes! Have a terrific day!

[Wind]

Thanks for the info, walkinglady! I hope my library has that book, it sound like a good one. I totally agree with starting out slowly. When I first started walking, I couldn't go very far with out gretting tired. So I slowly added a block every so often. It took my a while, but now I'm up to 24, and could go further, I think! :whoohoo:

[LadyofShalott]

Your plans are inspiring me to get off my butt and get moving!

Here is my workout plan:

Start up chirunning again 4x week
Free weights Monday-Saturday using the book Definition by Joyce Vedrall- worked for my mom! (Has anyone else had sucess with her weight training programs?) It sounds really cool.
Walk dog for at least 30 minutes a day.

I shall start this week!

[walkinglady]

Good morning everyone! Wanted to tell you to keep up the good work Wind! Walking is so good for you and easy on all the joints as well! You're going about it the right way, duration and speed increase with time. I've dropped back to 1 pound weights. When you walk (according to the book) you are supposed to pump your arms up and down from mid thigh to as high as you can go comfortably. They suggest starting with one pound weights. You want to keep your arms and legs moving at the same rate of speed. Thirty minutes of pumping is a lot different from the light weight exercises I usually do at home. I'm trying to give this a months effort to see if it is for me. Hope everyone has a terrific day!

[LisaJaney]

I go to the YMCA here in town for exercise classes. They mix it up all the time (they contend that "if you do the same thing all the time, your body gets used to it and compensates and it is no longer works as well for you") but normally it consists of 30 - 40 minutes of aerobic exercise where we spike the heartrate and then take it back down, back up, back down... (step-aerobics, cardio-boxing, "bootcamp", lunge-walking, weight-sets for different muscle-groups, etc) and then the last 20 minutes are abs/core.

My favorite part is the abs. I used to do a class that was a half=hour of abs/core, then a half-hour of cardio. They've switched that class to the 30+ cardio and then weights and abs. I love doing abs, especially when you work til the muscles are just about to cramp, then you can feel it working deeper into the muscles. Now if I can just get rid of this post-baby pouch on the OUTSIDE of my abs! The abs are firm; it's the flab OVER them that is killin' me! ;) That's why I'm thinking maybe I need to begin running...

[Stephanie]

Ugh. I hear you on that post-baby flab. My apron is refusing to budge. :evileye: Actually, it has gotten a tiny bit smaller, but only when I'm standing up straight. Yuck.

I love ab work. :soppy:

[LisaJaney]

What *I* love is when my twins go to the class with me (they are nearly-18, long and lean, 6-pack abs, all that) and we do the abs and I'm nearly cramping and they're next to me, huffing and puffing and I hear a GROAN escape their lips. I begin laughing and redouble my efforts. I know it's hard for ME, but it does my heart good to know that the work is nearly killing these totally-FIT young boys who are in their prime. HA!

Betsy always would tell us (she led the "Ab-Blasters" class) that the abs are endurance muscles and you can work them every day. I liked that. And she'll tell us while we're doing leg-raises or bicep-curls or whatever else we do: "Suck in your abs while you perform this". I always need that reminder.

Today I am missing her class (it's at noon) but I will be able to go to the Family Fitness one this afternoon. I like to try to do BOTH classes on Tues/Thurs. Makes me way-tired, but it's a good thing. ;) One day, I'll be rid of my baby-bulge. One day...

[summer-time]

I stretch everyday before I head out for my walk. My walk is 5 miles (or more) every day. This is my sixth year of walking and I love it! :happy:

I recently started walking with 3 pound dumbbells for 30 minutes every other day. Boy my arms get tired but they are not in pain. I am trying to do a program called heavyhands. I'm just learning about this so I'm a rookie. :notsure: I also think that I must look like a real dork walking down the road. :geek:

I try to do crunches every other day. :evileye: I hate crunches!!!

I love all this smilies, they're fun! :drool:







I walk 5 or more too, and I used to walk with 5 lbs leg weights but I haven't used those in awhile, and I should.

I also have a weight bench with a weight for leg lifts, I haven't used it as much lately :parp:

I do crunches daily, what I do is watch a tv while I'm doing it to get my mind off it. :happy:

[Snow White]

I've just recently started exercising again after having baby #2. I've probably been doing it a month. There is a lady on PBS in the afternoons. I've been taping her and then waiting til the kids are in bed. It's kind of geared toward women in their 40s and 50s but she uses weights and exercises different parts of the body so it works for me. I can already tell that I'm getting stronger. I also don't feel the need to go to the chiropractor as frequently as I used to. I need to do cardio though. Right now I'm basically getting no cardio (although I did mow the yard last week :) ). I have a stationary bike I should use. My problem is that I don't like to sweat, or if I do sweat I want a shower right afterwards. Hard to get a shower sometimes with a husband that travels a lot and two kids. :) Something I plan on working on. I also have three Winsor pilates resisitance tapes and one cardio resistance band DVD. I'm thinking of getting rid of the tapes though. I just can't do some of the moves and don't feel like I'm getting the best benefit from them. If I were to do pilates, I think I need an instructor.

[Emichiee]

Im sitting on the couch stuffing food in my mouth while watching TV..

*trying to gain some more pounds here*

once I'm done with that I will continue playing volleyball.


My sporty hobbies are riding, bowshooting, swordfighting..:whoohoo:

[TheFragile]

My favorite thing to do is walk a treadmill at 3.5 mph, and go up the incline. I warm up for 5 minutes, then raise the incline by 1 every minute afterwards. I walk at the top for 10 minutes and then take it back down doing the same thing.

As far as weight loss goes, for me nothing tops running. But I hate it.

[Pierre]

I ride my bike to church. It's 8.5 to 8.9 km (depending on whether I remember to turn somewhere) and takes 40 to 45 minutes. I also walk to work, which isn't nearly as far.

[walkinglady]

I walk 5 or more too, and I used to walk with 5 lbs leg weights but I haven't used those in awhile, and I should.

I also have a weight bench with a weight for leg lifts, I haven't used it as much lately :parp:

I do crunches daily, what I do is watch a tv while I'm doing it to get my mind off it. :happy:
Hi Summer-Time! So nice to meet a fellow walker. Through all the years and different forms of exercise I've done, walking is the one I cherish the most. It's free, you can do it anywhere, any time, at any age, any weight, and it's easy to learn too, LOL! It's easy on the joints and really tones up the leg and butt muscles. Works the abs and back too when you use correct posture. You're right about the crunches and t.v. - it does help keep your mind off what you're doing. Any other walkers out there?

[hairymonster]

I used to cycle for miles across the paddy fields when I had friends to do it with. It was a fun, low-impact exercise although each trip would take up half the morning.

Recently, I signed up for a couple of weekend beginners' ballroom dancing classes to make myself move and have tons of fun while I'm at it. I get a good workout practicing at home too :whoohoo:

[nicolezoie]

I bike. I commute to and from work, and ride extra both before and after work. Directly to and from work is 6ish miles 1-way, which is barely enough to get warmed up. So, I extend that 6 to 17 by taking a long detour along a river trail and I get to see the subtle seasonal changes. My work commute round trip ranges between 33 and 37 miles daily, and on long days, between 43 and 50 miles. I did a 43-miler yesterday and I'm pooped today. :sleep:

[LisaJaney]

Good heavens, NicoleZoie, I'd be pooped, too! I'm tired just THINKING of it! :)

[walkinglady]

I bike. I commute to and from work, and ride extra both before and after work. Directly to and from work is 6ish miles 1-way, which is barely enough to get warmed up. So, I extend that 6 to 17 by taking a long detour along a river trail and I get to see the subtle seasonal changes. My work commute round trip ranges between 33 and 37 miles daily, and on long days, between 43 and 50 miles. I did a 43-miler yesterday and I'm pooped today. :sleep:
Good for you nicolezoie! So much ambition! I'm tired just thinking about your trip. Keep up the good work!

[hairbrain]

welllll
it used to be a lot more physical: (heavier weights, etc)
but since my operations its more physical therapy than
anything
(but as I've mentioned to a fellow
LHC'er, and stole from a tshirt: if its physical its therapy!)

Mon Wed Fri - run sprints for 30 minutes on the treadmill at 6-10 mph
Tues: Warmup on bike, jumprope or treadmill 10-20 min
Upper body: biceps, triceps, delts and back
Thurs: warmup again,
Lower body: lunges, step-ups, squats
the firm 5 day abs, every day mon-fri
I like to go HEAVY for low reps to build more muscle


Steph, you compete?? you go girl !
I always wanted to but always thought I had to
know gymnastics etc. It wasnt until I hurt my back and
was reading more that I learned theres a difference between
fitness and figure.

[harpgal]

I walk very briskly for an hour almost everyday. Many years ago, I was a long distance runner but my knees decided to retire. I do floor exercises and lift free weights 3 times a week. When I get the chance, I also ride my bike. Basically, I do not drive anywhere unless the distance is very great.

[Elle]

I was playing DDR regularly along with doing the sledgehammer exercises from the No-S Diet. Everything was going along great and I have having so much fun... until I hurt my back. Now, I'm on the mend. Can't wait to get back to the pad, though. In the meantime my fingers are getting a fantastic workout on the Playstation 2 controller! :lafhard:

[SunCat]

Before my knee injury last year year I was doing Yoga and using my Pilates Performer Machine everyday. Now most of my exercise is Physical Therapy. I can now do the Sun Salutation and do that everyday and I should be able to use my Pilates soon.

[Pierre]

I was playing DDR regularly
This was before reunification, right? There is no DDR anymore, only BRD. ;)

[Bonnie]

My workout is a run, 30-60 pushups (so far I haven't gotten more than 30 out at once, but sometimes if I've had a few days rest I'll go ahead and do them twice), and maybe some crunches if I remember. I always give up on complicated workouts (the running is not complicated at all!) and I figure once I have the pushups ingrained in me, then I'll start working on the crunches, etc.

Bonnie

[ShanaMaidela]

I've only been doing this for a week and a half, so take that into consideration. :lol:

I walk 3-4 times a week. (about 2 miles) and I do the exercises from Denise Austin's book. "Shrink your Female Fat Zones" - Great title...:gurn: Anyway, I do like the book. There are 15-20 minutes worth of exercises and stretches seperated into three sections, lower body, upper body and mid-section. You do the exercises 5 times a week and depending where your problem area is, you do the most of those. I'm pretty evenly distributed so I do the mid-section three times a week and the lower body and upper body once. It's a six week plan so the exercises change after 2 weeks. You do need free weights for the upper body exercises.

Nicolezoie~ 36-37 miles! You make me feel like a wimp! :sweatdrop: :lol:

[enitsirk]

I was playing DDR regularly along with doing the sledgehammer exercises from the No-S Diet. Everything was going along great and I have having so much fun... until I hurt my back. Now, I'm on the mend. Can't wait to get back to the pad, though. In the meantime my fingers are getting a fantastic workout on the Playstation 2 controller! :lafhard:

*giggles*

I love DDR!! It's just soo much fun!

*hopes you can play again soon*

It's just no good with the regular controller..but maybe you'll get really strong fingers..you know with all that working out :lol:

[Elle]

*giggles*

I love DDR!! It's just soo much fun!

*hopes you can play again soon*

It's just no good with the regular controller..but maybe you'll get really strong fingers..you know with all that working out :lol:It really is a blast! :happy:

I think my fingers are in pretty good shape. I started playing with the controller because we didn't have a mat. I've yet to triple A anything but I can double A just about every song in heavy on Max2. Now... if only I can get as good on the mat! I'll be set! :lafhard: Learning to play on the controller really helped my coordination once I started on the mat. :happy:

There are quite a few DDR fans on the board. When LHC is back online run a search for 'DDR' and you'll see at least a few threads on the game! :happy:

[enitsirk]

Aye- I've done so :lafhard:

I'm actually really horrible at DDR and can't follow anything on heavy and end up sticking mostly to the easy mode.

But..you know...it's so much fun so there's no sense in giving up even if you (I) suck :whoohoo:

[Mama D]

Hey, that CoolRunning couch to 5K program looks pretty doable. I haven't run in years but I'd like to start again--and my husband is embarrassed that he can't keep up with his running buddies--so I think I've talked him into doing this with me. We wouldn't be able to start for a couple of weeks, so we'll see if we remember once the couple of weeks is up.

My current routine is a brisk walk with the baby three or four times a week, and occasionally crunches and squats if I think of it.

[Elle]

... But..you know...it's so much fun so there's no sense in giving up even if you (I) suck :whoohoo:Ohhh... I suck, too! :lafhard: But you're so right! DDR is sooo fun that you don't want to stop! The only other exercise I enjoy enough to forget about the time is swimming... but we don't have a pool so that's out. Thank god for the pad. Otherwise the only exercise I'd get is spooning Mothy's food into her dish. Or... spooning ice cream into my mouth.. which isn't really the best exercise for me. :lafhard:

[rossjen]

I love to swim laps, and go 3 times a week for 40 minutes, if not more. It is the only exercise that I do not get bored with. I do jog occasionally, but I do not enjoy it as much.

[summer-time]

I changed my routine a little. I'm still walking but its on my tread mill. The weather doesn't stop me and it gives me a better work out. I walk for about 2 hrs.

[Miriela]

My idea of a "workout routine" is cleaning my room. Seriously though, nobody in my family has any sense of organisation whatsoever, except me (and even then only in the workplace). So I'm trying to get my room under control, then I'll move on- to the kitchen. Ugh. We don't have a dishwasher, so I'll be doing all the dishes. I don't even want to think about all the laundry that needs doing. Oh, and then I get to sort out the stuff for Goodwill and the stuff I want to keep.

Just a fun (self-inflicted) summer activity. It's actually kind of fun: I'm finding all these ancient hair clips and books and stuff. Like the key to my bike lock.

My dad's trainer is having me do cardio on the treadmill: 1 min 2.4 mph, then 1 min 2.6 mph, 1 min 2.8 mph, 1 min 3.0 mph, 1 min 3.2 mph, and lastly 1 min 3.4 mph. I do this cycle four or five times, then when I'm done I do one minute of cool-down on 2.4 mph. I would like to do some weight training, but Dad thinks I'm a bit young, and I'd need a trainer of some sort to teach me how and make sure I'm doing it right.