As I mentioned in my previous post which I encourage you to read if you have not, Lose Weight with Healthy Choices and Home Fitness - Not Dieting, about 6 months ago I decided I cannot continue to have this yo-yo weight problem that I have been having for years. It was never a heath issue. It was more of a pride issue I guess. There were times I looked good and times I was 15 pounds overweight. When I got 15 pounds overweight I would work my butt off to lose the weight only to pack it on again. This happened over and over and was frustrating.
So I had enough of that. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months with healthy choices and home fitness and 6 months later I am still at my healthy weight of 160 pounds. I am not an expert on this subject. I went with what I thought was the common sense approach that focused on healthy, long-term results over what I consider quick, unhealthy, and probably short-term results. No crash diets. No radical changes to the food I ate and exercise I did. Small, healthy steps to slowly let my body adapt, but with enough muscle confusion such that my body didn't realize I was trying to lose weight and work against my efforts.
Here are some quick guidelines I used that I mentioned here in more detail:
- Got a physical to make sure I was healthy enough to start a new exercise and health program.
- Decided that patience was key and that I was going to do this right once and for all and in a way that was safe and healthy and had long-term results.
- Left myself reminders and notes as to why I was doing this and what it meant to me.
- Focused on portion control to make sure that I left the table satisfied but not full.
- Made small food changes slowly but regularly so that my body could adapt properly and the food changes didn't have an adverse effects on me.
- Incorporated daily home fitness slowly and safely but consistently and with enough muscle confusion such that I actually lost weight and built muscle.
- Developed good habits and consistently reinforced those good habits and eliminated bad habits.
One of the big changes for me was that I decided to focus on home fitness rather than a gym membership. The closest gym I have is about 20 minutes away and costs $50/month. 20 minutes is a very reasonable drive, but I think the $50/month is a little steep for what they offer. I suspect they can charge that because there is not another gym for miles.
The problem with the gym is that it sounds like a great idea at first and I go regularly, but the reality is that after awhile I stop going consistently. And quite frankly, being in good shape is all about exercising consistently. I could write a thousand excuses here as to why I can't make the gym, but I won't bore you with them. The fact is that I have so many other things I need and want to do with my time that the gym is just not as convenient as it sounds even at only 20 minutes away. Truth be told, however, is that the gym is actually a 40 minute round trip ( not including the workout while there ) and I can easily get an excellent workout at home in just the 40 minutes it takes me to get there and back!
Therefore, I bought 3 pieces of equipment for the home that I easily justified since I didn't have to pay $50/month. Two of them I swear by and you can read my reviews:
The Bowflex dumbbells are a must buy in my opinion if you are serious about exercising at home. One set of dumbbells where you dial the weight to your needs is so much more convenient than buying several dumbbells. They are convenient, attractive, incredibly well-made, and just plain excellent for a well-rounded workout. A good set of dumbbells replaces several pieces of equipment.
The Ab Rocket, as gimmicky as it looks, is surprisingly effective at building your ab muscles. To be honest, the wife bought the Ab Rocket as I would no way buy such a ridiculous looking thing which turns out to be awesome :) I have been doing situps for years, but it is the Ab Rocket that has given me the strongest abs and the makings of a six pack. The Ab Rocket is a must buy as long as you meet the weight and height requirements that I mention in my review. My wife is actually borderline too tall for it ( yep, she is taller than me :), but it fits me perfect for my height and weight and I use it every night. The results are amazing. I am happy to take off my shirt now, albeit, I am not vain enough to actually do it :)
The third piece of equipment that I purchased and enjoy is the Iron Gym Extreme Pull Up Bar. I actually love it as I have always had surprisingly good upper body strength and notice the results throughout my shoulders, arms, and upper back that gives me a more well-rounded look. However, if your upper body is pretty weak, you won't find it very effective as you really need to be able to do at least 3 - 5 pull ups IMHO to get any results and get better at it. If you can't do a couple of chin-ups I think you would be wasting your money at least initially. Get the dumbbells and build the upper-body strength first, and then get the pull-up bar as a supplement to the dumbbells to change things up a bit. Muscle confusion is key to losing weight so you need to mix things up a bit in your workout.
Other than that, I will go for bike rides, rollerblading, etc. with the kids. Neither of them seemed to help me lose any weight, however, but it is fun with the kids. The only thing that I swear is a great workout is a Rip Stick
. Took me several weeks of patiently being able to balance on it and get good, but it is a fantastic workout, especially for the butt. I am not really interested in a perky hind section, mind you, but if you are a female and looking to firm up your gluteus maximus, the Rip Stick is amazing. I only know this as my rear was killing me for a few weeks as I finally built up the proper muscles to ride the Rip Stick throughout the neighborhood.
I Hope this helps. Stay healthy!
David Hayden