"Workout" that doesn't feel like a workout...

[sweetfeisty]

What workout do you do that doesn't feel like working out?

[WendyB]

I love to walk. Mostly where I can see nature

[bcalvanese]

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@sweetfeisty wrote:

What workout do you do that doesn't feel like working out?

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If a workout doesn't feel like a workout, then you ain't doing it right.

[bcalvanese]

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@WendyB wrote:

I love to walk. Mostly where I can see nature

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I love walking too.

I power walk at least once a day at a very fast pace. I go to different parks to see the other people and nature.

[USAF-Larry]

I enjoy working out, so I look forward to a chance to work out. Learned physical fitness in the military many years ago, and have always kept fit since then.

What make working out better though, is the gentle nudges of FitBit to get the steps or burn the calories.

[BohemianFit]

Yoga. It's a challenge but it doesn't raise my heart rate.

[emili]

doesn't feel like a work out physically or mentally? meaning it doesn't "hurt" or it doesn't feel like its been going on for hours and no end in sight..If its the first, well that is hard to answer because it depends on goals, why it hurts, etc. If its the second, switch up your routine- you are bored. Load up new music, buy a new workout outfit, change the time of day you go- anything to snap the monotony...

[josephz2va]

Workouts that don't drop my body fat percentage isn't a workout for me right now. I have to do the elliptical machine all 7 days a week to keep dropping percentages. Weights ain't seeing body fat drop.

[Tiffanie]

Cize from Beachbody is a fun workout that doesn't really feel much like a work out while your doing it since it's really just dancing, but you do feel it the next day. lol

[Dominique]

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@josephz2va wrote:

Weights ain't seeing body fat drop.

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Weight lifting won’t cause body fat to drop directly, but it will minimize muscle loss. If you only do cardio (elliptical) while in a caloric deficit, you will lose fat and muscle mass. If you do cardio + resistance training, you may lose less fat (or lose fat at a slower pace), but you will retain more muscle mass. This will be important once you reach your target weight, as it’s much harder to (re)gain muscle mass than to lose body fat.

[TandemWalker]

Hi @josephz2va. I think the elliptical machine offers an excellent workout. But if you do the same acivity 7 days a week, your body has gotten used to this kind of regimen by now and you are likely to get the weight loss benefit that you hope for.

My advice is to try to vary your activities. Incorporating a bit of resistance training will give your leg and shoulder muscles used in your elliptical workouts a well-deserved break. But any other type of cardio would work too, if you don't like weights and resistance bands. Swimming, walking, running, punching bag, rowing ... you name it.  Just a one-hour walk on your elliptical off-days, using an interval scheme (two minutes fast walk, followed by a two minute jog) would keep your metabolism challenged and foster a faster burn rate.

As for losing muscle mass, I would not worry too much about it - this is more of a myth than anything else in my humble opinion. When doing cardio, your body burns carbs first, then fat, and then protein (which could lead to muscle loss.) This means that in order for your muscle mass to be adversely impacted, you would not only have to do your cardio workouts on an empty stomach, but you would also have to have completely depleted your fat reserves. This is tantamount to having reached a state of near-starvation. 

So unless someone does cardio to excess, like running 30 miles a day, 7 days a week, with no rest, losing muscle mass shouldn't be an issue as long as your diet is well balanced, tailored to your exercise regimen, with the proper mix of carbs, healthy fats and protein. Professional athletes and olympians are rightfully concerned with this, as they often over-train. But by and large, for most of us, I don't think cardio in moderation is a concern. You don't burn muscle when doing cardio - your burn carbs, fat reserves, and protein.

I don't mean to minimize the importance for strength training, far from it. As a rule, muscle mass starts declining from age 40. So the older we get, the more important it is to incorporate strength training in our exercise regimen, making sure that our diet is rich enough in protein to meet the demand. Instead of just doing cardio or strength training, I personally prefer to do a workout that includes both at the same time, using 4-8 pounds free weights.

TW

[WendyB]

@josephz2va I totally agree With @TandemWalker You need different exercises. You do the same day in and out your body gets use to it. You need variety.

I do walk daily but I mix it up. Run/walk. Walk fast/slow down etc. May ways to change up walking

But I also include weight training. Some day I use a Kettle bell. Other days I go to gym and use machines. I do free weights and vary the weights and what I do. Its important to mix it up.

[josephz2va]

I changed up a little bit since my reply now
- elliptical or walking in office hallway for up to an hour
- 21 day fix
- IDLife Nutritional Supplements: they recommended some meds, antioxidants and fat burners plus Vitamin D. They do an automatic reorder every month.

[Dominique]

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@josephz2va wrote:
- IDLife Nutritional Supplements: they recommended some meds, antioxidants and fat burners plus Vitamin D. They do an automatic reorder every month.

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Just curious: what are these meds and fat burners? I couldn’t find them on their site. I’m quite sceptical about "fat burners", as well as about consuming meds if you haven’t any particular illness. Vitamin D and antioxidants, however, are a no-brainer (but it’s probably possible to get them cheaper elsewhere). I personally take fish oil.

[josephz2va]

IDNutrition
Antioxidant Plus (1)
Basic AM (1)
Osteo Advance (2)
Vitamin D 1000 (2)
Omega-3 Complex (1)
Probiotic (1)
Spirulina Complex (3)

[breakingblue]

Hiking and running are both workouts that don't feel like a workout for me. Specifically if I have my headphones in and I am just going into my own zone a lot of the time I don't realise how many miles I have gone until I stop. 

[yellodaysee]

I like to do Zumba.  That is the only thing I've found (for myself) that does not feel like a workout but actually is.  I just enjoy the music and keep moving.  I know I'm not doing the moves perfectly but I still have fun with it.

[EdsonFitbit]

Hello everyone. Interesting question @sweetfeisty. I like to swim. In the swimming pool I exercise my upper and lower body while have fun and get my body tanned. 

[scogem]

Weight training.

I used to only do cardio as I was concentrating on losing weight and went form 16.5 st to 12.5 st. Losing weight started to get a bit difficult and my bod fat percentage was not decreasing much in recent weeks so I was advised to try weights and stop cardio.

I have now started weight training. I spend more time in the gym but I no longer sweat till my clothes are soaked through or till I get dizzy. I just get progressively tired of lifting a certain weight or using a weight machine. A little bit of DOMs the next few days so I must be building some muscle.

[MattB159]

Hiking! I hiked 3 hours this past monday and it was wonderful. Fresh air!