i have 2 little girls so i don't get to the gym like i should. what can i do around the house to help me loss weight?

Hi hicksmisti!
You should post this to the ALLi Fitness Specialist on the other forum board. Paul or Kelli will give you safe, effective and detailed instructions. Just look for "ask fitness specialist' on the page which lists all the different forums. You'll get lots of answers here, but why not go staright to the experts!!

Since you asked.....squats, lunges, push-ups, various core and ab exercizes,  tricep dips off a chair, rows, pec presses (use handweights)....check out the 'my activity plan' page and find lots of exercize options for at home. Also...climb/run up and down stairs if you have them. Do housework with speed and intensity. Don't watch too much tv! Do yard work or snow shoveling....look for ways to move and move fast!

All the best to you!!! YOU can do it!!
Carol Joy

I recently bought the Magic Circle, it's a pilates piece of equipment but so easy and it was only $10. it's great for arm and leg toning. Also if you have stairs go up and down them briskly several times to work up a sweat. For other arm workouts instead of buying free weights or doing push ups since those are bad for shoulders, try taking an empty bottle of say laundry detergent and filling it up with water to do make your own weights- then try various lifting techniques. And Ab workouts are always very easy to do at home.

Make it to the gym is an absolute impossible sentance for me. I have two boys, and my neice that I babysit, and a husband that puts in quite a few hours.  I have several aerobic dvd's that I do, my five year old sometimes joins in, he thinks it is funny.  I lift hand weights, when it is nice we go to the park or local track and walk, I push my 8 month old in the stroller.  There are many things you can come up with without going to the gym.  good luck on finding what works for you.

 mmm.... well there's alot you can do but i have an elliptical and it works great for me i recently bought the leg magic and i love it i think every woman should have one i do all sorts of things i even dance around my house i do tae bo i hate getting into a routine i think that you should take advantage of your kids play with them pick them up run around with them kids are so energetic

Google: Russian Kettlebells.  They are the best workout EVER. Great to do in the privacy of your own home.

I just brought a balance ball and DVD. I plan to do a 1/2 hour a day. Anybody else ever use a balance ball? It's easy equipment and can be done right in front of you TV, there are some great DVD's for the equipment. Shop around and do some homework if interested. : )

I purchased a mini-trampoline - not only do "I" get a workout but my 2.5 yr old granddaughter loves to jump on it also.

DANCE ... put some music on and get the kids involved .. DANCE around the house - up/down the hallways - clean to the music and include your kids :)

If you have any low impact DVD's or VHS video's to watch .... I bet your kids will join in.  Years ago I used to get up early and put in my RIchard Simmons tapes.  My daughter would come downstairs and start joining in - we had a blast !!

Take 2 soup cans and use those for weights ... you can do your lifts / squats using the cans !

 

If you are looking to purchase something to use to work out on or with here is what I have:

I purchased an Air Climber ($99, I think I bought it on HSN or QVC, can't remember which one). There isn't much to it, it's basically a mini-stair climber. But, it works the daylights out of me. I am just beginning with working out and it is all I can do to get through the beginners workout. It really is fun too. The lady who does the workout video it came with is a bit on the annoying side, but if you just follow along and ingore her annoyance, you can take it.

For strength training I found a Fluidity Bar and workout videos ($199 before shipping, they let you pay in installments at fluidity.com). I love this workout!!!! I can't say enough about it. This is one I could do everyday, right now I do it three times a week and the Air Climber 4 times a week. It's not cardio, but it really works you without free weights (which I don't enjoy). It's pricey, but totally worth the money. I have been using it for about a month now, before adding Alli to my routine. When I first began the workouts I couldn't do most of the workouts, I was just so far out of shape. Now, I can get through them all and am following the Intermediate lady rather than the beginner lady. My goal is to get really good doing the Intermediate on the Begninner video then I will switch to the Intermediate Video. It comes with beginner, intermediate, and advanced. On each video there is a lady doing it as a beginner, a lady doing it as an intermediate, and a lady doing it as an advanced. So there is lots of variations within each video.

 Anyway, having a mixtures keeps it lively! I think the trick is to find something that you enjoy so you will stick to it.

 Kari

I'm always looking for great workout videos. If you are just starting out the Walk Away the Pounds videos are great. I bought Tae Bo after hearing that you could burn 400-500 calories/hr but I have to admit they are a bit more advanced than me!

Hi, Yellow98 ---

   When my Shanghai wife was alive (she died of pancreatic cancer 4 years ago), we discovered Wai Lana yoga on KCSM-TV, College of San Mateo (California) early Sunday mornings. Wai Lana is from Hong Kong, and she tries to make yoga fun for everyone, especially children. I find her very inspirational, too. Highly appropriate to our condition and goals in healthy living, her video "5 Wild Horses" is a great example. Wai Lana, with musical accompaniment, dances & sings in Chinese (with English sub-titles) of the need to bring our "5 Wild Horses" under control. I invite everyone to pop the words "Wai Lana 5 Wild Horses" into your search engine, play the video, & please tell me what you think.  

--- Sincerely,         --- EcoChevy

On the Alli homepage there are several fitness videos that are great.  One with weights, another with the stability ball, which I really liked, and more.  Take a look at them.  They are short and well done.

 

Judi

 If you have Comcast cable, the On Demand feature has a ton of free workouts. I've varied my gym routine with these exercise videos and they're really good!

I also use the Exercise TV feature on Comcast On Demand - they are free, many of them are only 15-20 minutes long, and most require no equipment.  I started with Tae Bo - they are only 15 minutes long.  I'm now up to 2 work out sessions each morning. Now there is a "2 Weeks, New You" section with different work outs for legs, abs, and "Bikini Bodies"  (Yeah right!)  While this body is NOT getting into a bikini any time soon, my husband says he can see a difference in my legs after just a few weeks of the leg workouts. 

 The great thing about these videos is that you can change it up as often as you want and find something new to do. You are at home, they are free - what's not to like? 

balance ball training is great for strengthening an toning your core, and there are excircizes to target every part of the body, turbo jam maximum results is a great program too, with sculpting, cardio, and ab routines