Exercise Routines - Whats working for everyone

[befabdaily]

Yeah, if you put your heart into it, Zumba is NOT FOR PANSIES. If I'm going more than 2-3 times a week, I have to remind myself to dial it back or I get that super-stressed overexercised feeling. I do Zumba, small sessions of Convict Conditioning and medium-weight dumbbell exercises, T-Tapp (although I have laid off this for a month or so, just got bored with it) and walking.

[PamH]

True confessions time: I do Tracy Anderson, the much-hated and mocked "celebrity" trainer who's famous for telling women not to use heavy weights (an opinion I don't subscribe to). I'm sure she is the anti-Crossfit and I would never follow her diet advice. She often says ridiculous silly things, but I like the results of her workouts and have done well with them in the past.

Heavy lifting greatly contributed to the development of a pelvic organ prolapse for me in November. I was probably going to wind up with the issue anyway, but likely lifting like a dude pushed it into my 40s instead of my 60s or 70s. I sure was in good shape, though! Now I have to relearn how to be active and it sucks. No more running and jumping and swinging kettle bells or sledge hammers.

So, if you lift heavy things, PLEASE be mindful of your posture!

Now I use the elliptical for cardio and I've pulled out the 15lb weights for the first time in 6 months. I am going to try outdoor cycling again this spring-fall. It was my daily passion before I had kids. I just have to find a place to ride where texting drivers aren't weaving all over the roadways. Cycling is awesome. A great time to think, enjoy the scenery and get a work-out.

You don't want to swim anymore? Or no access to a pool?

[Bridget]

I am fortunate to have a treadmill, stationary bike, and weights at home, so I do a bit of all that.

I got really lazy and kind of stopped the bike & treadmill a while back.

I am finishing up a 12 week lifting routine my son told me about. It's been going well, and two weeks ago my daughter and I came up with a ridiculous way to get back into the cardio thing. We made 2 little charts-one for bike, the other for the treadmill, with 6 different programs for each. We alternate machines each day so we can work out at the same time if we want to. The limit for now is 40 minutes, and each day we roll the dice and it tells us, according to our silly charts, which workout we are doing. For some reason, that has worked wonders, and I have not missed a workout. Maybe not knowing exactly what I will be doing, and that it will only last 40 minutes did the trick. It's actually fun ! (go figure)

Silly, I know, but whatever it takes. I also try to walk whenever I can- we have such hilly, windy roads where I live- sometimes it's really nice, and sometimes I am not sure I will make it home alive

My FAVORITE thing to do would be to swim, and although my husband works for the YMCA, the pool is over an hour from our house. Not gonna happen for me, I am afraid. Before I was married, and early in our marriage, we lived close by to a Y everywhere we moved to, and I was swimming 1-2 miles a day ! It was so awesome. Maybe someday...

I will stick to what I am doing till I get really complacent or avoidant, then shake it up again.

I guess, just find what you enjoy, if you can, and have fun with it !

[Judy Villano]

P90X and also Les Mills Combat!!

[Bethany Lannon]

I am a runner at heart. But I know that I need to have strength training and HIIT incorporated into my workout routines to keep my body burning fat as well as healthy from injury. I am in LOVE with my TRX workouts. I used to do TRX classes at the YMCA in my old hometown, and then after we moved & I was pregnant, I stopped doing them for awhile until my hubby got me a home system for my birthday. When I was doing the workouts last year, my running times improved drastically and I PR'd my half marathon time by 3+ minutes. trxtraining.com, if you're not sure what I'm talking about. The device looks intimidating, but its totally customisable to your own abilities (and easily adapted once you become more advanced)... I love, love, love it!

I also second the kettlebell comment. I enjoy KB workouts, although not quite able to get to as many classes as I'd like.

Good luck!!

[birder]

I do Physique 57 at home. They have several videos, streaming, and a book. They are available on their website and Amazon. It is my favorite by far. I love I can do it anywhere and barefoot.

[Beets]

I do Physique 57 at home. They have several videos, streaming, and a book. They are available on their website and Amazon. It is my favorite by far. I love I can do it anywhere and barefoot.

I just saw that they have a couple new vids. Used to take the classes and at the time they only had a couple short vids. I'll check it out. The classes are nice of course bc it is never the same. But it is a great workout. (If a bit quad-centric for me--my quads would always be the most sore.)

[Guest Srptskrts]

Even worse is the segment after the Post Pregnancy workout where Gwyneth encourages women to work out "any way they can" and says she works out all the time with her kids running around--as if she doesn't have three nannies on premises and she's just a normal ol' mom.

I have done the Bar Method too and before having my son (and during his pregnancy) I went to Physique 57, which is very close to Bar Method. I also used to take Callanetics classes (halfway between pilates and barre classes), which was a fabulous mix of NY types: 85 year old women who could do more reps than me, models telling me how their fitters marveled at their results, middle-aged women covered in jewels talking about their young boyfriends. Good times.

I think the TA workouts give the fastest results--(Physique, too, but they don't have a vid.) You just have to laugh when she puts on her pouty lips face or says dumb stuff about teeny tiny arms.

Callanetics is definately good times! I also recommend kettlebells.

[Boykinbaby]

Right now I do a combo of hot yoga and hot pilates but I would Love to add crossfit into my routine it's just not monetarily possible right now.  I've always done something active and up until a few years ago I was actually training to fight MMA, which was awesome.  Grappling is such a Huge full body work out, sadly the trainer I had didn't have any other women for me to train with and the men he had had no controle and I simply got tired of being injured while doing simple technique drills.  Someday I plan to get back into it, though maybe not to compete! 

 

Along with the yoga almost daily I also try walking with my baby girl and dog every morning so by evening i'm pooped lol