Ways to lose weight at home?
By GemmaR
@GemmaR (8517)
October 30, 2012 3:22pm CST
As a lot of you will know, I have lost 125lbs in weight over the course of the last few years. One of the things that I am trying to do is to help people who think that they need to join a gym to be able to lose weight. Because of the fact that people seem to keep thinking this, it means that they don't bother to lose weight because they think that they can't afford it. I thought that I would make a discussion about the things that we can all do which would mean that we can lose weight in the way that we would like to. Another good thing about losing weight at home is the fact that you're able to do the exercise whenever you want to without having to go on a long journey; and this is something that a lot of people are incredibly grateful for especially during those cold and dark winter months.
I will give you some ideas, and then everyone can start to add their own ideas.
-Buy a jump rope. This only normally costs around $1, but it will give you the chance to be able to do exercise whenever you wish to. Even a couple of minutes of using this will normally get you nicely out of breath and this means that you can burn calories without having to spend a lot of time doing it.
-Switch on the music channels. These will help you to get motivated to do the kind of exercise that you like, because they will make you start feeling up beat and happy. One of the things that I like to do is put my music on very loud and then either jog on the spot (which is just as good as going on a treadmill) or I will try and do the dance moves to the song if I know them.
-Use your stairs. One of the things that I like doing is using my stairs and jog up and down the bottom step. It is not safe to run up and down the whole flight, but just using the bottom step is the same thing as using a step up block at the gym.
-Buy a workout DVD. There are many things that you can buy, most of which are available for a couple of dollars on the internet. If you have one of these then chances are you would complete more during the course of your workout than you would have done if you'd done exercise on your own; mainly because the person in the video will motivate you to do at least a little more than you're probably able to do.
-Set yourself little challenges. Something that I do is to tell myself that every time I get to the bottom of the stairs I have to do twenty jumping Jacks. I know that this sounds a little silly, but you wouldn't believe the number of times you go up the stairs every day, and this extra exercise is something that is relatively good for you and every little helps.
What about you? Are there things that you like doing at home? Do you think that you NEED to go to the gym, or do you think that there is enough that you can just get done at home?
4 people like this
16 responses
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
30 Oct 12
I know friends and family who have lost weight at home by walking and drinking tons of water. my sister has lost 23 lbs. in 3 months. She still eats, but walks one-two hours a day and drinks at least 8 glasses of water per day. A cheap way to diet but it works.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
9 Nov 12
Yes, walking is a fantastic thing that works for losing weight. One of the best things is that almost anybody is able to walk, meaning that you don't have to worry about whether you're able to do it or not. Drinking water is a great way to stop yourself from snacking, because it means that you're not as hungry. You can drink as much water as you like, because there are no calories in it, and it will also help you to get nice healthy hair and glowing skin, which I feel is an excellent side effect of drinking all of that water.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
30 Oct 12
I do what I can. I have stairs and take them whenever I can but it hurts. I have scoliosis and arthritis in my back and arthritis in my hips so I'm very limited as to walking. I'll compensate for that--for those of you with this problem--by walking around my house as I would down the street. Still, it's not enough. I lose weight very slowly due to my activity limitations. If I jumped rope I'd be in agony, though I used to love it. I move whenever I can even if it's just to pop up and down on the couch while I'm watching TV. It helps a lot!
Good suggestions! One other thing I do on good days is use milk jugs with water in them as weights and resistance bands which are super cheap.
1 person likes this
@GemmaR (8517)
•
9 Nov 12
It's awful when you have problems which mean that you're not always able to do the amount of exercise that you would usually want to do. My Mum has problems with her knees, and that means that she can't always do the exercise that they should. I think that one of the most important thing that you should do is to make sure that you're not eating as many calories as you used to. You should remember that food is fuel for your body, and if you're not able to do as much exercise then you just don't need to consume as many calories.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
9 Nov 12
This is something that I definitely learned to do while I was trying to lose weight. Firstly, drinking water is much better than drinking anything else, because it has no calories in it and it is completely pure. Secondly, it means that you're able to get rid of at least some of the food cravings so that you don't have to worry about being hungry all of the time. I like to drink water before I have my dinner, because it means that I'm not as hungry as I would have been without it, and therefore I won't eat such big portions as I might have chosen to do otherwise.
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
30 Oct 12
I tried jumping rope, but I would leak when I did it - very uncomfortable - even IF I had just gone...
It hurts to stand or walk too far because of my foot (well FEET) problems, but I do try to do some walking every day, just not enough.
also, the fibro really takes it out of me, I no energy - and I don't have stairs... the house is handicapped accessible
@GemmaR (8517)
•
9 Nov 12
It's a shame that you couldn't use the jump rope, because that's one of the things that I have started to seriously enjoy doing. It only takes a couple of minutes to get my heart rate up and allow me to get completely out of breath, so I love it for that reason. It's unlucky that you're not able to exercise very much, but walking every day is sure to help. I always like to make sure that I go for at least one walk each day, and I am able to burn at least a few calories that way. I work at a desk, so those little walks are very important to me.
1 person likes this
@kenshin2143 (1880)
• Philippines
30 Oct 12
My mother had some supplements which are called carbs blocker that enables our body to decrease the carbohydrates absorption to a healthy level even if you will ate a lot of food. Maybe you could resolve to such supplements accompanied by exercise.
@GemmaR (8517)
•
9 Nov 12
I honestly don't think that people should be trying to take extra things that aren't in their diet. One of the things that people should be aware of is that you are perfectly capable of getting everything that you need in your diet with regards to the nutritional value of your foods. I know of a lot of people who try to take other vitamins and things like that, when you could just have a couple of pieces of fruit to have the same effect. But I guess a lot of people don't have the time to try and tailor their diet in such a way.
@vikram500 (2)
• India
31 Oct 12
Drinking water,walking & doing simply exercise helps to reduce weight & keeps us healthy.
1 person likes this
@janebernal (274)
• Philippines
31 Oct 12
even i had a maid at home i do cleaning my own room and walk around and so a usual jumping rope and of course i dont eat rice for almost 2 weeks and its effective..coz im a person no time to go to gym so its better to do your own exercise at home like i do dance too...my goal at least everyday within 30 min i do something that il perspire or sweat a lot ...my goal is to lose weight at least 25 lbs...thanks for sharing your idea
@HeartROB (434)
• Philippines
1 Nov 12
There are a lot of ways of losing weight at home. Even a simple household chores it could really help burn those calories that you have been taking care of. And when you are at home, discipline is really a important key in losing weight. When at home, there are a lot food that surround you, so you have to have discipline with the foods that you take. Happy losing weight my friend. Keep it up.
@toxic_lifestyle (1213)
• Philippines
10 Nov 12
The best and healthy way to lose weight at home is to drink a lot of water every day. :)
@jureathome (5361)
• Philippines
30 Nov 12
Thanks for the tips. Your workout is simple but intense. I don't think I can do the jumping ropes and the jogging on the stairs.
But, for my level, I am doing Zumba and Pilates with the use of instructional DVDs.
@459571689 (39)
• China
10 Nov 12
I also tried jump rope,but it seems no effects on me,I do it 20 minute every day.Is it enough for me?tahnks.
@heaytheblogger (2876)
• Philippines
22 Dec 12
It’s not necessary that one should go to the gym in order to lose some weight. In fact, you can do most weight loosing at the comforts of your home. All you need to do is set up a plan and a good space in your home that you might want to consider as your “work out” area.
Before considering buying work out equipment’s and aerobics videos… you should also keep in mind to put up a strict trimming grocery list, put out the bad stuffs and list all the good stuffs, all that is giving you weight should be eliminated in your grocery items and store proper diet food.
Set up the mood by planning your exercise schedule, and your diet menu. It’s best also to keep everything organize and recorded (weight watch) so that you’ll know your track on your weight watch.
Keep simple routines and simple workout equipment’s… you don’t need to buy those heavy lifts or expensive workout gears. Just choose something that you are comfortable with and is putting you with less stress while working out.
@XianLovesMe (171)
• Philippines
7 Dec 12
im trying to jump rope this past month by my legs are always bugging me so i stop. it starts aching and hurting if i do jump ropes everyday. so im now switching to pilates. see if i lose weight by the end of the month. i've been doing pilates for a month now.
@redredrose (1105)
• United States
31 Oct 12
Gemma i do the stairs thing but i would walk up and down all the stairs. walkig or jogging i place i do. in fact i have done most of what you suggest except no jump rope no dvd. I even walk through my house i go from the front door to the back and just walk as if i were outside. Sometimes even when i watch t.v. i pace back and forth in my living room like i'm walking and that works too. I even have a stair stepper that my mom gave me. I have also done sit ups in my house i go for walk around my neighborhood on good weather days. I truly can't afford a gym and my mom and hubby have told me ways i can lose weight by doing things at home at home. I have also danced to music in my house and that i like most of all since i love to dance and i love music. So you are right Gemma you don't need to go to a gym to work out and you don't have to spend a lot of money to work out either.
@wfhchristiner (352)
• Canada
31 Oct 12
No, no need to go to gym if you know what to do. Like you said, if you dont have any idea how to do it, buy DVD. Lots of DVD, from beginner to advance. Lots of varieties of exercise, from aerobic, kickboxing, pilates, yoga, strength training, etc. I have little trampoline, exercise in trampoline is exhausting!
Lots of things we can do at home, just with a resistance band and a stability ball.
But motivation have to be there. With no motivation, then gym membership probably is better. You can see other people exercise to motivate you. There are group class exercise with different instructors, and types of exercise. Also by paying gym membership, people kind of get the motivation to go. Just because it's already paid.
