I am a SAHM of two little girls. I cant go to the gym.

I have a treadmill, and an Orbitrek. I also have a couple of 1 1/2lb hand weights (I think - I need to find them) and I have some velcro weights (1 lb ? need to find these too) that go on your ankles.

So when I find those, I will figure something out.

My initial idea was to get on the treadmill with the incline all the way up, and go backwards. Would this do anything for me, or will I just get hurt? lol.

I haven't been on my Orbitrek in a while either

Any suggestions for what I already have (not much) would be great.

maybe I could put the ankle weights on my ankles while going backwards (or forwards for that matter) on the treadmill and orbitrek.

Hi Shelley,

I don't know what the Orbitrek is, but it sounds to me like some cardio machine.

You don't need a gym to be fit and lean. However you do have to train with weights. Many people out there have their personal home gyms. All you need is a good bench and some weights. You do need more weights than the ones you have, and I also recommend that you get a barbell and a pair of dumbbells with some weight plates.

If you like cardio, do some, but don't go crazy over it.
It is the lean muscle that you will build that will make those curves and burn the calories while you resume your busy life.

There are plenty of exrecises that you can do at home.
Hook yourself to a well designed program, and get those weights moving.

I hope this helps,

Good Luck,

Loony

This would still be predominently a cardio workout. For best results, strength and resistance training should be incorporated. There are MANY inexpensive items available to challenge your muscles and give you a total body workout. Some resistance tubing and a stability ball would be a terrific start.
Here are some great sources for all kinds of 'stuff'.

http://www.spriproducts.com/sprionline/jsp/products.jsp

http://www.power-systems.com/

Now I just need to talk hubby into getting me some more stuff.

Last night at Wal Mart, I found a Tae Bo DVD. He didn't want to spend the $$. Oh well.

So, cardio is just not enough, huh?? Why?

I've recently started working out with videos and found this site that has tons of reviews. Video Fitness I've gotten myself a few videos of each type - cardio, strength, and stretching and am rotating these so that I can work out at home. It's turned out to be far more enjoyable than I ever thought exercise could be and I'm really starting to see some nice results, despite my weight. I'm not using that much equipment in addition to the videos...just 3lb, 5 lb, and 8lb dumbells and I feel like I'm getting a really good workout. Right now for strength, I'm using Kathy Smith's Secrets of a Great Body - Upper & Lower Body videos, Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds for cardio, and I have the YogaZone Beginner's box set for my stretching.

Good luck in finding what best suits you.

While it may feel like running on the treadmill for an hour is burning a ton of calories, it’s only burning calories while you are exercising and for one to two hours after. If you really want to lose fat, the best way to do it is with weight training. Weight training (resistance) is the most effective way to increase your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn 24/7 ~ not just one or two hours when you’re exercising, but every hour of every day, whether you’re exercising, eating, sleeping or sitting in front of the T.V. Pound for pound, muscle burns 25 times more calories than fat. One pound of muscle can burn 30 to 50 calories in a day, or 350 to 500 calories a week.

Zone Coach,



Loony

I got some resistance rings, 2 a larger size and 2 a smaller size. I also got a resistance tube - which is a straight piece with two handles on either side. Also, I got an ab workout DVD.

Re: the rubber tubes etc. how will I know the correct way to use them. They didn't really come with any insturctions.

Do you know of a website or something to that effect? Or perhaps, could you tell me how I should start?

I appriciate it a lot.

Hi everyone!! Zonecoach, is it okay to weights in the morning before having breakfast?

red

Redcutie,

I am clearly not Zonecoach.
If you are aiming for fat loss, yes it is ok.
If you want to build some muscles however and still want to lift in the moring I suggest the following:

* Don't do it on an empty tummy.
* Ingest a high glycemic index carb drink + some whey protein
* Then lift.
* When done, Ingest the same carb-protein drink again

Good luck

Loony

That's a great start. There are dozens of exercises to challenge your muscles that can be done with those tools.


Well that stinks! No instructions.

Okay, here's a few suggestions. Start at the library. See what they have on video and in book form. If nothing, try to find a video to buy. Here's a review link that might help. http://www.exercisevideosreviews.co...ml#anchor125703
Do yo have a Y in your area? They have a class called Body Pump that uses all sorts of rubber stuff. You could ask if they would let you join in one class just to learn (if you didn't want to subscribe to the whole 7-week session). Or, you could just ask to spend some time with a trainer to show you some things for all of the major body parts.
There's so much you can do, it would take forever explaining it here.

It is recommended when "in Zone" to have at least one block prior to exercise, especially upon waking. It stabilizes your blood sugar coming of the 8 hour fast. It is also recommended to eat at least one block after working out as well.
I don't know the philosophy behind Atkins on this topic.
I can not imagine lifting on an empty stomach.