The YMCA will give scholarships to just about anyone who applies for one. Your membership benefits are no different than anyone else's so you don't have to worry about perpetual embarrassment. They base the amount you pay monthly on your income vs. bills and take into account what you tell them you can pay. They usually stick to that, even if you say $0.
I don't have a YMCA nearby unfortunately. There is a local gym however that's only $30 a month so it will likely be my choice in a couple of months.
gym alternatives It's not too costly to get set up at home. If you can substitute walking for cardio machines, then it's pretty easy to acquire a small amount of equipment for home workouts. I'd recommend a fitness ball, one resistance band with handles, a yoga mat and a set of dumb bells (likely 5,8 and ten pounds but it may be better for some to start with 3,5 and 8 pounds). If affordable, some weighted balls are great too. I get a great upper body and ab workout by playing catch with my spouse. Gyms are great for some people but I can tell you that the highest percentage of profit made at gyms is from people who buy memberships and then cease going. It's so, so common and gyms count on people to get all fired up to get fit and then stop. I find that getting into a routine at home has many advantages. It's time and cost effective, my kids see me working out and my kids often work out with me. I'm teaching them to incorporate fitness into their daily lives. I don't want them to think it's a chore to keep fit or that it has to take place out of the home. Most libraries are stocked full of great dvd's to use at home for cardio. Blockbuster and Zip.com also carry many. Also, Costco has a good stock. Michelle
momandteacherx3 has done this off and on---a new thread per week. I haven't seen her on here lately, but I'm sure she'll be happy that people are joining in on this! I just quit Curves, Jackie. With our extra expense at sending our oldest to school, we had to cut back on some things. It was getting hard to get there anyway... I really liked it though! Our Curves does specials in March and October. The October one is if you can show them that you have had a mammogram within the last year, or have an appointment for one in the near future, you get in free, then will just have to pay the monthly fee. The March one is if you bring in a bag or two of groceries you get in free, then just pay the monthly fee. They try to get as much food donated as possible and give free shirts to the ones that donate the most foods, etc. They give it to a local shelter. Pretty good deals if you ask me! If anyone is looking into going to Curves, you might want to ask what their specials are. My sister started one but it had absolutely no specials, then ended up going out of business. That's a rarity though! Curves are usually GREAT! I'm in too! I am trying to walk and drink enough water right now. I'd like to lose about 15 pounds and tone up!
Count me in. I need to get back into shape. Have about 15-20 pounds to loose. We dont eat too badly, I just need to leave out the extras, and use better portion control. ............and quit the sodas. sodas are my worst diet habit. I have been trying to get used to having tea instead in the afternoons. (black or green with no sugar or cream). I have decided that I am going to take tennis lessons (group). My dd is taking them from 5-6 one day a week and I will take them from 7:30 to 8:30 the same night. We will have dinner in between. In this way we can practice together. A real plus is that once I am an intermediate player, I will have a sport I can do at night when DH is home to stay with the kids. I used to be quite a cyclist years ago, but it is not safe to ride at night here and the traffic is too bad during the day anymore. I will try to either do taebo or the stair climber/eliptical two times a week also. I have a freind who I walk with for about an hour at a time, we need to get back at it.
We got one of the balls. I bought it for Faythe to sit on to do her schoolwork. It's something that Melinda Boring, who does the Heads Up Now website I'm always mentioning, says helps. She says it gives ADHD kids just enough movement, and if they don't sit on it right, they end up on the floor.
they are really useful tools My spouse and I sit on ours when we play catch with the weighted balls. We bend back until we are parallel to the floor then throw as we raise up. This engages so many small muscles and is great fun. If kids want any time on the computer, they have to sit on their balls. I figure it keeps them alert while making sure their posture does not suffer while surfing. Michelle
I just wanted to throw this out there. If you haven't exercised in ages and you're wondering when you'll have time, start small. Set a timer for 7.5 minutes. Walk out your door. Walk until the timer goes off then turn around and head home. Don't underestimate the power of fresh air. And it's free. It's a great way to get out of the house, clear your mind, and start out with a simple exercise. Just because exercising 30 min. a day is the ideal, there's nothing saying you can't build up to that.
I bought a set of dumbells at Walmart- 20 bucks I have "The Firm" which is an awsome set of videos that I use on the days we can't get outside. Normally I do the weight and toning routines on Sparkpeople.com every other day and for cardio we walk every day- I walk, dd rides her bike so I have to walk fast to keep up. www.sparkpeople.com COMPLETELY free and has everything you need. Amazing website.
I agree! I sort of wish I'd found it when I first started. I've got my resources and routine down now but that site looks like it would have made it so much easier.
I have a WONDERFUL Richard Simmons walking tape that a bunch of us teachers used to walk the halls after school. That's what I used at the Y. It's SO FUNNY!" But I don't feel safe to walk the streets of our neighborhood alone, especially with earphones on. Last year, I would walk around the gym at the rec center while my younger two were taking an art class, and I will walk around the practice field while Rachael is at soccer practice.
30 min of cardio, three times a week,is recommended if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight. If you are trying to lose, it's suggested that you build up to 30-45 min daily. But that doesn't include weight training. Unless, that is, you go to curves and do your weights and cardio at the same time. Now, keep in mind that this is a sweeping generalization. Only a personal trainer or other qualified individual can tell you what your body really needs you to do for it.
Well I did not get to read all these yet but I am in. I have about 15 pounds to go and need to be accountable to someone. This is going to be great. I am out of town so I am trying to keep to it, That is hard actually. But the Hotel has a gym I have been using and we have walked the Mall of America a ton!! Eating hasn't been to bad just need to really watch it. I can't wait to get home and really get started. Thanks Ladies Lisa
I have LOT to lose and I've tried everything under the sun- did weight watchers, they helped me maintain LOL. I love the program but it did not work for me. I tried their points program and the core. Now I'm basically doing Core but counting calories while I do it so I don't go over 1550 a day. I eat no refined sugars or white flour. No bread but eat unsweetened whole grain cereal, brown rice cakes, and whole grains like spelt, brown rice or wild rice - or whatever I find at Trader Joe's that is whole grain. This is the first time in 6 years that I'm actually losing consistently. I didn't really remove much from my diet and I'm not exercising anymore then I was, I'm just weighing and measuring everything and staying withint that calorie range. My thyroids been wacked for years and I was borderline diabetic a year ago. Just went in for bloodwork a month or so ago and my blood sugar is in the normal range- even though I had no lost any weight in the past year lol. I'm making up for it now though. I've lost 7 pounds in the past week and a half. I did weight watchers, exercised more then, and lost 5 the entire 4 months I went lol..
5 pounds in four months is actually right in the range of what's reccomended for healthy weight loss though. Granted, my own weight is going down faster than a pund a week so maybe I shouldn't be talking but 7 pounds in a week and a half seems like an awful lot.
I am not doing like I should so I haven't lost an ounce but my 14 year old started following WW points this summer and in 8 weeks has lost 20 pounds and feels so much better. Beth
the recommended healthy is only a recommendation If someone is very overweight, it would not be unusual for them to lose more in the first couple weeks, than someone who is less overweight. Some people's body's respond differently to the introduction of exercise and a change in daily diet. Recommended healthy weight loss is one to two pounds per week. If an otherwise healthy person was losing only 5pounds in four months, I would suspect they may be only changing diet or only changing their exercise frequency/intensity....but likely not both. Or, they may not be exercising efficiently or have not made the needed changes in their daily diet. Michelle
OOPS!!! Somehow I read and wrote four months but was thinking one month. HUGE brain fart! 5 pounds in four months isn't much at all.
Dawninns I have over 100lbs to lose and that won't even get me to goal- I hide my weight well because most people wouldn't believe me if I told them what I weighed. I've basically gone from eating around 2500 calories a day down to 1450 which is what I'm averaging. I know people on sparkpeople.com that have lost 10lbs in the first week and consistently lose 5 or more pounds a week the first month or two because they have so much to lose. I'm also eating a very lowfat diet. My body has no refined anything to digest so it's easier for it to digest and absorb what it needs to which in the end helps the weight come off. And I'm no depriving myself, because e did have icecream one night, Wendy's one night because we had no time to cook. But again those are both treats. If I only had 20 lbs to lose and did this diet, I probably wouldn't lose that much in the first week and a half.
