Thread: Anyone Exercising for Weight Loss or Health?

Besides taking their furkids for walks in the park, is anyone else here exercising/working out for weight loss or health benefits? I do Zumba a couple of times a week, ride my bicycle sometimes, weights and treadmill at the gym, and occasional step aerobics, cycle classes. Am I alone here?

I haven't tried Zumba, but since it has been warming up I bring my dog to the park and we play together;this seems to work the best because anytime I run with my dog he stops every 15 feet to go investigate some new smell X.x

Originally Posted by McFluffy

I haven't tried Zumba, but since it has been warming up I bring my dog to the park and we play together;this seems to work the best because anytime I run with my dog he stops every 15 feet to go investigate some new smell X.x

Any activity outdoors is best for sure! My favorite is just a brisk walk through the park or a hike in the woods.

I have lost a considerable amount of weight the past few months and have to say I feel much better because of it. I'm also in the process of quitting smoking. Staying healthy yourself only leads to good things for you and your pet.

Stress kills my weight loss... went from 345 to 280 over 2 years time, wife gets pregnant with twins...... get laid off .... boom goes the weight back to 340 ....

I dont exercise too often but seem to lose enough weight purely by eating less and drinking more water. I do take the occasional walk with the kids and the dog, but thats about it. I have heard of Zumba, it sounds really fun and interesting. Its definitely something I would love to try out.

I've been running recently with my dog and it is a good way to get fit and healthy yourself whilst making sure your dog gets a good amount of exercise, do have to remember to try and do it in the evenings when the temp is cooler and make sure you have plenty of water for you and your dog

Lately I've been using a 5 gallon bucket of rock-salt that I have left-over from this past winter as an all-in-one weight set. You can dump some of the salt out and make it lighter and do a lot of reps for toning, or add the salt back in to make the bucket really heavy, and then lift it a few times to bulk-up. I have managed to recreate almost every upper-body exercise motion... essentially cramming an entire weight-lifting set into a single bucket. It also amplifies squats and lunges due to the extra weight.

Between this bucket and a cheap $20 thrift-store bicycle I bought, i'm in the best shape of my life, and I've spent less than $30 on this whole set up, and it works way better than free-weights (or dumbells, depending on where you're from). Last year I lost 60lbs! Went from 280ish to 220ish in 6 months, using no drugs, no supplements, and only moderately changing my diet. I still enjoyed all the soda and all the sweets and goodies that I normally did, just in smaller quantities. Just faithfully exercising a couple hours a day (while doing other things like watching TV, cooking dinner, cruising the net, etc...) and not pigging out on junk food like I was and actually eating reasonable serving sizes.

Unfortunately, my dog is so small that walking her generates almost no exercise for me. Her maximum range is just once around the block, and I'm walking incredibly slow. She doesn't play fetch, tug of war, or any of that kind of stuff that generates real exercise... so I basically had to do it all by myself. Don't get me wrong, I love her to death, I just wish she was capable of more strenuous activity. My next dog will be a bigger dog though, so I can take it out to the park and run around and throw a ball or a frisbee around and get more physically active.

I do pilates and yoga. Not only do they moderate your weight but they relax your mind and improve your flexibility. It's awesome

I have been thinking about trying Zumba. I need to lose about 10 pounds and have become lazy to the fact of getting up and doing something about it. I plan to really get myself in gear this month. I need to get my pup out to exercise as well. He is gaining a few pounds around the middle.

Jae

Bigap,
I know what you mean, my husband was laid off for a few months, I had to hold down the household, with trying to handle everything I dropped 20 pounds. Just as soon as he started working and things were good again. I put back on 25 pounds. Hope he is not thinking about losing his job just so I will lose the weight... I guess I need to get motivated!!

Originally Posted by prettychi12

I do pilates and yoga. Not only do they moderate your weight but they relax your mind and improve your flexibility. It's awesome

I'm older, and I tried those types of exercise in the past. I didn't like them because it was a lot of 'floor work', and I was getting some strains in my neck and lower back areas. Figured I'd just quit to avoid any physical problems from it. I probably just had no core strength.

Originally Posted by Ssalg

I have lost a considerable amount of weight the past few months and have to say I feel much better because of it. I'm also in the process of quitting smoking. Staying healthy yourself only leads to good things for you and your pet.

Congratulations on your weight loss, and kudos for giving up the smokes, wise move. http://www.natmedtalk.com/blog.php?b=194

Originally Posted by bigap

Stress kills my weight loss... went from 345 to 280 over 2 years time, wife gets pregnant with twins...... get laid off .... boom goes the weight back to 340 ....

I understand exactly what you're saying. It's tough work to lose the weight, but it's so easy to gain it back, especially when life's demands and problems stress you out. Keeping a positive mental attitude is hard at times to be sure.

Originally Posted by Jaesway

I have been thinking about trying Zumba. I need to lose about 10 pounds and have become lazy to the fact of getting up and doing something about it. I plan to really get myself in gear this month. I need to get my pup out to exercise as well. He is gaining a few pounds around the middle.

Jae

Spring is a great time to get it in gear, you and your pup will feel better for it.