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Hi everyone, hopefully I can get some kind of direction from you all. I am 28 with 2 children ages, 2 and 4. I am about 25 lbs overweight. I am not obese but have a lot of baby fat. I am 5/9 and 175 lbs. There are so many classes I can take at the Y along with the general elliptical, treadmill, bike, cycling, and weight machines. I don't know where to start and what would be the best for me. I want to lose wight but possbily be semi toned as well. My problems areas tend to be my hips, thighs, and tummy. My arsma nd calfs culd alwasys look better too! I don't want to just lose the weight and have saggy skin...lol. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions or workout plans that would be awesome! Thanks!
I'm sure others will come in with lots of extra ideas you can add on - my input for now is that swimming is the best all around low-impact exercise. Great way to start getting back in shape and toned all around. You could just do laps or take swim/water exercise classes and then keep up with that as you add on other programs. Best of luck to you!
Hi everyone, hopefully I can get some kind of direction from you all. I am 28 with 2 children ages, 2 and 4. I am about 25 lbs overweight. I am not obese but have a lot of baby fat. I am 5/9 and 175 lbs. There are so many classes I can take at the Y along with the general elliptical, treadmill, bike, cycling, and weight machines. I don't know where to start and what would be the best for me. I want to lose wight but possbily be semi toned as well. My problems areas tend to be my hips, thighs, and tummy. My arsma nd calfs culd alwasys look better too! I don't want to just lose the weight and have saggy skin...lol. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions or workout plans that would be awesome! Thanks!
First of all, congratulations! The Y is a blast and they will take you around & introduce you to the machines (let them know your experience level) and go through a work out plan for you.
I would tell you to cut your daily food into smaller portions, stick with chicken, fish & vegetables as well as fresh fruit & cut processed foods totally out. Add the exercise & give yourself three months to get accustomed. Start with aroebic (i.e. treadmill, epilyptical with the arms) machines & then add in the weights; they can explain it all at the gym. Good luck!
Since you are new to it, I think you should spend a couple weeks going to the Y regularly (maybe 4 days a week?) trying out different machines, classes, and exercises. If you haven't used weight machines before, schedule an orientation with one of their trainers to show you how to use them (this is usually free). Go to a few different classes, try the ellipticals, treadmills, etc. along with swimming or other activities like climbing that they may offer.
After a couple weeks of this you'll have a much better idea of what type of exercise is enjoyable to you and what your fitness level is for different types of exercise. There's no use coming up with a fitness plan that involves group classes if you find you really don't like them. You may find that you're good at cardio but weak when it comes to weights, in which case you can add more lifting to your routine. Don't rush into designing a complicated plan right off the bat, first figure out what you like, strengths/weaknesses, and get into the habit of just GOING no matter what activity you do.
You are going to get a TON of different opinions on what is best. Remember, what MOST people agree on is that you will need a balance of cardio, weight lifting, and healthy eating. Be wary of any advice that sounds extreme (e.g. ONLY weights, ALWAYS treadmill, etc.).
Congratulations on joining the Y! I do deep water workout and have a personal trainer. You probably should get a circuit routine established with one of the staff. Then add either one of the water aerobics or maybe zumba. Our Y doesn't offer zumba in the evenings, but I hear that it's fun. You might also try body pump. That class is always packed at our Y. Personally, I hated the spinning class, but people love it and the amount of calories that it burns. Also, the TRX classes are very popular. Just have fun.
Thanks everyone for all your replies. I am defiantly going to get witha trainer for an "orientation" regarding the machines. I wish we had a pool at our Y so I can do water excersices but unfortunatly there is no pool. Again...thank you!
Everyone's different, and the trainer suggestion would be great to help you craft a program to address your personal goals.
I've found my best routine includes 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise, 20 minutes of circuit training on the machines and I usually begin and end with some stretches and yoga poses to loosen up the muscles.
This routine is getting me the changes in inches and firming that I like--and more energy, too.
Sometimes my usual program gets a bit boring so I'll go and doing something different and use machines that I don't normally use--or lift weights to keep it interesting...
Ooh, does your Y have FitLinxx, the computer program that's linked to the weight machines? If so, have your trainer hook you up with that. During the orientation, they should go over a list of your goals, and come up with a basic routine for you, so if you want to really work your arms, they'll show you which machines to use, what weight, number or reps, etc. You should get 6 sessions free for the first year.
Whether or not you just want to focus on the basic cardio stuff and machines is up to you. If you're interested in classes, pick up (or get it online) one of the brochures that has the schedule of classes with descriptions. Then try some of them out and see which ones you like.
I would also recommend one of the sessions with a nutritionist.
You may also want to consider yoga, if that's an option at your Y. Increases balance, coordination, flexibility, and muscles. Too bad about the lack of pool -- swimming between wkouts w/wts feels great, and helps you to tone down very quickly. All my best for successful wt loss and supreme health!
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