Exercises to help lose weight and tone my body.

[MEGAN_L]

I am looking for exercises that will help me shed my unneeded body fat and help me tone my entire body. I just lost fifty pounds but I am still "flabby" (some would say). I am trying to lose at least ten more pounds but I feel that a better goal would be to lose my extra body fat while developing a toned body. I need some tips on how to do this because I don't have a lot of equipment or resources. I can't go to a gym and I don't have free weights. I do have bands though. Can anyone help?

[Dominique]

Maybe suspension training (TRX) would be something for you? I'm doing it for my upper body (lower body is taken care of by walking/running) and I like it.

[ericakelly]

Hi Megan!

Do you have a TV and a DVD player?

Erica

[chelseree]

I teach a bootcamp class and am a certified group fitness instructor.  I've noticed that, for me, running is the most beneficial way for me to lose weight.  I make sure to stay at a pace where I could easily carry on a conversation, but I still sweat and my heart rate goes up. 

To tone, there are hundreds of body strength exercises that don't require any equipment at all.  Lunges, squats, and pushups, just to name a few.  You want to continue repeating sets with a certain amount of reps until you reach "muscle failure", which means no matter how hard you try with correct form, you can no longer do the exercise because your muscle is so exhausted.  Break through your wall and try to add more and more reps and sets as you get stronger.  Strength training doesn't burn as many calories, but it develops more lean muscle mass so it will burn more calories through out the day.

Good luck!  🙂

[MEGAN_L]

Hi Erica.

Yes I do have a TV and DVD player. Okay, I will look you up on Facebook. Thank you!

Megan.

[MEGAN_L]

ChelseaRee,

Thank you so much for the info. I will definitely try to do those exercises while pushing myself to muscle failure. 

Megan.

[sruthp]

I love the Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds dvd. 

[dnourie]

Get some Pilates and Yoga DVDs. Both will strength muscles, while gentley stretching them. With strength comes flexibility. Both are really hard at first, but don't give up. I do 30-45 min of one or both everyday. I also use dumbbells at least 3 times a day. My arms are getting strong, a bit of firmness starting under the blub. It's very exciting. BTW, I'm 51. More lean muscle will also help to raise your metabolism. It's really important while dieting.

[AlexandraM]

The internet has been my saving grace when it comes to workout programs. My favorite website is fitnessblender.com, you can really customize your needs in your search--by time, calories you want to burn, target areas, intensity etc. Another plus is that they have a lot of workout routines that only require your own body weight. For example, this morning I did a 25 minute HIIT cardio/total body routine--no equipment required and I was dying by the end. Short, sweet and really effective. You can also find a lot of  toning routines on youtube, this just requires sometime for research. Good luck! 

[dnourie]

Fitness blender looks like a great resource. I'll try their Pilates and some of the others.

[Trazina]

My husband and I used to have a personal trainer and he was great for getting me toned up. We started with doing things like squats and lunges. Then as I got stronger we moved on to circuit training which really worked on getting me toned. Hard as heck, but makes you very strong. Good luck on finding what's right for you

[dnourie]

I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly I improved from regular workouts. I worked out to a DVD that was really hard for me a month ago, but is no problem now. I get in squats or push-ups ups while waiting for my tea water to heat. I park at the far end of parking lots, and I return my shopping cart to the front doors.

[cath21998]

I'm looking to lose weight and tone my body too 🙂 So far i have just been eating less and eating mainly healthy things, drinking heaps of water and green tea is great for your matabolism too (jasmine green tea is the best!) I also do waitressing which is an awesome exercise and i never get hungry when i'm at work. I try to go on a 2k (min) jog at least 3 times a week too 🙂 On this plan i lost over a kilo in the first two days! lowering portion sizes and doing exercise is the most important part. hope this helped, best of luck!! xxx

[chellea]

Me too! I do the walk away the pounds one mile express 2/3 times a day for now until I get stronger. I have 50 pounds to lose so it is a start 🙂

[Tannia]

I love beachbody products! I'm doing my second round of Chalene Extreme- and I throw in Turbo Fire for cardio. I also was a huge fan of Les Mills Pump and combat. Which programs do you use, if you don't mind me asking?