Help! Stay at home mom in need of exercise routine!!?

Question

Hello, I am a stay at home mother of two children and we cannot afford to join a gym, I have tried to come up with an exercise routine but have failed. Does anyone have any suggestions?? *Im looking for either good videos that helped or ways that you have lost weight at home without spending a fortune* Thanks!

Answer 1

The first answer was great! Walking is a great way to get in some cardio. An hour walk at 3-5mph is about the same as a 30 min run.

Another good thing to add though would be strength training. It's not just about losing the lbs, it's about losing the bodyfat and that takes strength training. If you are only watching calories and limiting yourself, you are at danger for losing muscle weight. I'm not saying bulk up, but if you add muscle to your body, you boost your metabolism and burn fat faster. You don't need a gym membership either. Go to your local sporting goods store and pick up a stability ball and a few dumbbells, you won't spend more than $60-$80 all together and alot of the stability balls come with dvds or charts for good exercises.

I've worked with many at home and working mothers and if you walk 5-7 days/week and strength train for 3-4 days/week all together you should see a big difference and maybe some nice toning as well.

Yours in Health,
Jeremy McKoon
owner and personal trainer with Apollo Strength

Answer 2

Okay...I only started five Mondays ago and All I do is walk one hour every morning. I wear a calorie counter monitor to loose weight by the numbers. I have already lost two pant size and 27 pounds. I am a woman and have three kids and this is the method I use when I gain weight.. I am now at a size two and everyone is always amazed that I have had three kids. This is what I do below when I throw on a few extra pounds. It always works..No diet pills, no energy drinks..just me walking and getting the water I need. Of course I watch what I eat and the Lean Cuisine meals are great for that since the calories per box are 180 to 380 per box. Just make sure you eat healthy every three to four hours so your body will perform at its max.


Here it is:

Helpful Tips for weight loss:

1)A good way to loose weight is to use a calorie counter watch

Keep to a 1,200 food intake

Add 1,200 plus 3,500 (equals one pound of fat) ...and that is the total amount of calories you need to burn each day. Its actually really easy once you start watching the numbers and it doesn't seem like work or exercise. Its just a matter of changing the way you think about loosing weight.

I use this method when i gain some pounds. The first time I did this I went from 168 to 127

2) Most people do not get enough water in their system. Water is your body's principal chemical component, comprising, on average, 60 percent of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. To determine if you are getting enough water use this simple formula.. Take your weight, for example 150 pounds and divide by 2. Take your answer which is 75 lbs and change it to ounces, in this case 75 ounces. That is how many ounces of water you need a day. Your body performs mostly on water. If you make sure you get enough water everyday your body will perform at top notch and your body will no longer have the cravings of junk food. You will have a better performing body system to help you work out and feel better thru out your day.

Answer 3

Turn on your fav radio station or put in a CD and start dancing. Do you have a hula hoop or a bike? How about taking the kids roller skating? Fill milk jugs with water, sand or rice for easy weights. Do you have a jump rope. Are the kids old enough to play hopscotch with you in the driveway? If there is a piece of exercise equipment you have seen and would like try looking on craigslist.com postaroo.com or Ebay.com to get it dirt cheap.

Answer 4

Yoga Booty Ballet - sounds crazy but it's a lot of fun. I picked up a 3 dvd set at Bed Bath & Beyond for like $30. the cool part is that there is an available on line support system to keep you motivated and track your progress.

Answer 5

Well the most obvious is walking. Something you can do alone or with your kids. Check on ebay for some good dvd's or videos for exercise and get your kids involved if they are old enough (they'll think it's funny but it is so cute to watch them too) It will help keep you motivated!

Answer 6

Do you have cable TV? If so, check out your town's local channel. Ours has several fitness shows on throughout the day. You could tape one or two of these and reuse the routine over and over. Also, if you have On Demand TV, you can look in the Free Spot and get exercise shows. :)

Good luck! :)

Answer 7

the best exercise i've found is walking for at least 45 minutes at least 4 times a week.. more is better.

i used to walk a lot before i became disabled.. and i looked forward to it. it raised my metabolism, strengthened my legs and back, and flattened my gut.

perhaps when your husband is home, you could go out and walk -- around the neighborhood, at a local mall, or a high school track which allows public access. walking wil also give you "free time" and allow you to clear your head!

take care and i hope you get good answers here.

Answer 8

Hi.I walk 5 miles every evening at my local track.It takes me 1 1/2 hour to walk around 20 times(5 miles).But you could walk 3 miles in less than an hour and you wouldn't believe how great you would look and feel!Also drink lots of water and never drink sodas.Hope I've helped!

Answer 9

check out http://www.shape.com

I have found some great at-home exercises and made my own little workout with some of the cardio and weight things in there....I love my exercise ball!!

Answer 10

I would suggest walking or getting some fun dance workouts you and your kids can do. They probably won't have any idea what they're doing but it'll be fun to have daily dance time.