I've been taking brisk walks at least five days a week, approximately 2 miles. Since I need to lose around 10-15 pounds, I dusted off my old exercise tapes/dvds yesterday. So far I've done 2 Turbo Jam workouts, one for cardio and one with weights.

Anyone else here actively exercising for their physical and mental health? If so, let's share right here!

Here's a nice site with some good stretches:

JUST DO IT!

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NatMedTalk and Beyond

I try to do the treadmill 3X a week and stair machine 2X per week. I need to start doing weights again, I find out I lose weight when I exercise an hr a day 5-6 days a week.

I walked for around 4 miles 2 to 3 times per week. I need to loose about 20 lbs but obviously this is not a good time to be working on loosing weight. I have an appetite problem, I am always hungry. When I was a child I was a very picky eater, now I enjoy eating most anything.

Hi Josh5v, welcome to the forum! I'm the same way. When I was a child I was a VERY picky eater, and always in trouble from my mother for it. I was thin as a child and teenager. However, as an adult, I really enjoy good food, and can easily overeat if I don't watch it. Portion control, and not eating after you feel full helps.

Drinking filtered water throughout the day helps not only cleansing the body, but gives a certain feeling of fullness. Products like Chitosan can be taken to absorb some of the excess fats now and then during a big meal or dessert, but shouldn't be taken too often. It can't be taken if you're allergic to shellfish!

A supplement you may want to try to curb your craving for carbs and sweets is Glutamine.

It's ALWAYS a good time to work on losing weight if it's a problem! Being overweight will make you a more likely candidate for diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., etc.

Good to hear that you're walking, it's an easy and very beneficial exercise!

Walking is especially good for your heart, Josh5v. that and portion control of the
right kinds of carbs plus smaller portions of meat, will go a long way in losing weight
gradually. Be sure to cut out sodas of any kind and use Stevia for your sweetner.
Good luck!

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May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

Hello!

Exercise/physical activity has become part of my lifestyle because it really makes a difference in feeling better physically and mentally for me.

I had a stroke 8 years ago and a heart attack 5 years ago and finding exercise/physical activity that I could realistically do on a regular basis was challenging. Then I discovered mini trampoline exercise, called rebounding and my prayers were answered

Here's an introductory article if you're interested: https://www.improving-health-and-ener...-exercise.html

Also, there are 4 main types of exercise and each type helps the body in a different way. https://www.improving-health-and-ener...-exercise.html

For weight loss, strength training is the most effective. https://www.improving-health-and-ener...ight-loss.html

I lost 15 pounds when I engaged in strength training a few years ago. I'm at 30 pounds lost so far with primarily a low-carbohydrate diet and moderate physical activity. Actually, rebounding combines all 4 types of exercise into one fun workout

Thank you for asking this question!

Cheers,
BB

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Improving health made simple.

Thanks for your reply BB! It's good to hear from you, I've been missing you, you're an inspiration to all!

Thank you K2C (I hope it's okay if I abbreviate your handle that way...) One of the things I've learned about that I'd like to also share is on motivation.

I've learned by falling down and eventually picking myself up again time after time that it's crucial to set realistic goals, breaking down a big goal (for example, I gained 60 pounds after the stroke and heart attack ) into smaller targets that you feel are possible to attain...

Attaining those smaller steps/targets give you the success that is the essence of motivation. Every New Year's until recently I'd set grandiose goals - and inevitably fall on my butt and give up. I never broke the goals down into do-able steps...

And another thing when it comes to improving our health or anything else... enjoy the process, make everything enjoyable right now instead of the idea that "Well, after I lose that weight, I'll be healthy and happy" or "I have to follow this regimen to the letter or I will have failed..." NOT! Wrong answer!

Live today because caring for your health is a lifelong matter.

Thank you again K2C (I bet my cat would adore you )

Have a great day,

Cheers,
BB

Fri I did 40 minutes on a stair climber, sat and sunday 5 miles on a tread mill. Yesterday I hitthe stair machine and lasted a whopping 5 minutes, my body just said no.

Very good saved 1986! It's nice that you have access to machines, that must help for sure! I'm still doing daily walking, but have slacked off with any other exercise, like the videos.

In the place I live, gyms are relatively cheap (the most expensive one being 45 a month, the other main one 200/yr). However, I am greek and the town is 20% Italian. In other words pasta rules: Very hard to lose weight when you eat pasta frequently.

Just finished doing an old video workout, the Step Reebok Circuit Challenge with Gin Miller. I feel great now, and was happy I could finish it with no problem!

Today I calculated my BMI (body mass index) online, and at 156 lbs., it is 26.8, which IS overweight. In order to be at the top of the "normal" BMI range of 24.9. I'll have to weigh 145 lbs.

I plan to keep walking everyday and doing workouts when I can, to lose those 11 lbs. I don't care about losing fast, I just want to lose it for health reasons, and once it's off, I'd like to keep it off.

Way to go K2C. Regular exercise has soooo many benefits - I had a workout at physical therapy today and broke a sweat - and felt wonderful afterwards, like I was cleaned out and things were running better.

What sort of eating routine do you use? I've lost 30 lbs so far in a year with low carb eating. I've found it simple and effective.

Congratulations on your progress That good feeling is great motivation in itself I've found.

Cheers,
BB

Thanks BB! It really does feel good to break a sweat, I have to do it more often for sure! I hope you're getting better and better, reaping all the benefits of your physical therapy treatments. I'm not disciplined enough to have a particular eating routine or diet. Both my husband and I love to eat good food, but of course HE'S not overweight, LOL!

I'm just cutting back on carbs a bit, controlling my portion size, and increasing my fiber and water intake. Hopefully that, along with the exercise will do the trick!

When you lost your 30 lbs. with low carb eating, did you completely cut out breads, potatoes, pasta and foods like that, or did you just lower your intake?

Thanks again for your encouragement BB!

Hi K2C

"I'm just cutting back on carbs a bit, controlling my portion size, and increasing my fiber and water intake. Hopefully that, along with the exercise will do the trick!"

I've found all of those things effective for not only weight management, but general health improvement too.

Especially drinking enough water - I could write a few pages about how vital water is to health and weight loss. The most information on "how much" is half your body weight in ounces. For me, that translates to a little over 2 liters a day, which I'm still working on!

On the carbs, because I have diabetes, for the most part I eat very very low carb, virtually no breads, potatoes, pasta, primarily protein, fats and carbs in the form of veggies.

Carbohydrate is the nutrient that affects blood sugar and requires the hormone insulin to metabolize. I've learned that approx. 36% of the protein consumed converts to carbohydrate during metabolism too, so the body gets what it needs.

I personally have not experienced a lack of energy from low carb eating. I cut down gradually and still eat a doughnut or bread or potatoes occasionally. (Hey, let's be realistic!) I've found that my desire for carbs has decreased significantly.

The hormone insulin signals several things in the body, including hunger (after I eat more carbs than usual and take more insulin, I DO crave more carbs!) and also signals fat storage.

When we eat a high amount of carbs, those are used for energy production (one aspect of metabolism) instead of fat being used for energy production.

I learned this from reading Dr. Richard Bernstein's books "The Diabetes Solution" and "The Diabetes Diet." The enlightenment on just how the human body processes nutrients is awesome, not just applicable to people with diabetes.

Anyway, sounds like you're most definitely going in the right direction! What results (not just weight loss) have you experienced so far?

Have a great day,

Cheers,
BB

(P.S. Here's a basic article on the health benefits of water: https://www.improving-health-and-ener...-of-water.html)