Exercise in limited space

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jules
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Exercise in limited space

Post by jules » Fri May 02, 2008 9:40 pm

Inspired by the thread about beginning movement/exercise, I thought I'd outline a few things I've been doing at home:

1-2) I do like Tai chi but sometimes my space is too constricted (hehe small apartment too much stuff), so I do some chi kung (qigong, among other spellings) instead. It's related to tai chi, indeed some say tai chi is a form of chi kung, but requires less floorspace. There are some excellent DVDs for both tai chi and chi kung now. A class is always better but the only thing tighter than my space is mu budget.

3) Shovelglove. :) Enough said! (i've been sick ALL FREEKIN' WEEK) and haven't even done one bit of shovelglove this week. I don't feel guilty but I do feel a bit extra sluggish)

4) Free weights. I originally found Reinhard's shovelglove site from Mistress Krista's weightlifting site. http://www.stumptuous.com Excellent advice which, while geared towards women, is good for beginning lifters of all genders so even you gents out there can gleam some info from her!

5) Indian clubs. You need some swing space but it's quite fun!

What other ideas do you have, or what exercises do you do, in limited space?

jules

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Jaymiz
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Re: Exercise in limited space

Post by Jaymiz » Fri May 02, 2008 9:53 pm

jules wrote:Inspired by the thread about beginning movement/exercise, I thought I'd outline a few things I've been doing at home...

What other ideas do you have, or what exercises do you do, in limited space?

jules
Well, as I mentioned in the movement/exercise thread, I love Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" DVDs... they're walk-aerobics, and really don't require a lot of space. If you have enough room to walk in place, or do small "side-steps" (stepping to one side, then the other), then you can do these workouts at home. I love that I can walk anywhere from 1-4 miles **in my living room!** And, I don't have to feel self-conscious about others watching me do my workout. ;)

I also have a recumbent stationary bike that I ride when my DVD player decides it doesn't want to cooperate. ;)

And, I like dancing around to music in my living room, too. LOL. :P

None of these have required me to have a lot of space... my living room isn't very big, to begin with... I don't have much room. So, I've had to come up with some creative ideas for exercise. ;)
http://jaymiz.wordpress.com (The 'No S' Life)
"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

3aday
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Post by 3aday » Fri May 02, 2008 11:22 pm

I am hardcore Leslie Sansone devotee!
I do anywhere between 1 to 4 miles in one tiny spot.
I love it!
If you have limited space, you can march in place when she takes 4 steps forward and 4 steps back.
I do.

:D

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ou812
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Post by ou812 » Fri May 02, 2008 11:32 pm

I do self resistance exercises (think Charles Atlas). Muscles working against each other to create resistance. It really does work. I have added a significant amount of muscle using these methods. I can recommend some books, but not sure if it is appropriate to do so here.

jules
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Post by jules » Sat May 03, 2008 1:29 am

I, for one, would be interested in any DVD or book recommendations that people have. Bodyweight exercises, WATP, whatever!

jules

3aday
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Post by 3aday » Sat May 03, 2008 11:25 am

I do the Leslie Sansone 4 Really Big Miles. (I used to have alot more of her dvd's but I gave them away since that one, her Walk Slim 3 fast miles, and her 4 mile Super Challenge are the only ones I do consistently).
The 4 Really Big Miles is chaptered so many times, I do the first mile, then hit back and do the first mile over again. And again. And again.
It depends.
Sometimes I just do one mile, sometimes I will do the first mile 4 times in a row. sometimes I will do miles 2 and 3 which has 3 90 second jogging intervals (only if I feel like it). Mile 4 is with a stretchie band and I usually just just skip that mile and cool down.
I love it.
I do it in my living room and it's my no excuse workout.

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Jaymiz
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Post by Jaymiz » Sun May 04, 2008 12:04 am

Okay... I know this is a little off-topic, but I since we're talking about Leslie Sansone & her WAtP workouts, I just have to say that I LOVE the way she encourages you to modify the workouts for how YOU need it for that particular day! Awesome idea, and it's really freed me to actually LIKE exercise! ;)

I see a lot of people, here, posting about how they've "modified" the WAtP workouts to suit their situations (small spaces, etc) or how they're feeling (not feeling up to jogging). I do the exact same thing... if I'm not feeling UP to using weights on any given day, I just follow the movements without the weights. And, if I don't feel like doing the jogging intervals, I just follow the fast-walkers. :)

Very good stuff! I love Leslie's workouts!
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"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

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Tulsa
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Post by Tulsa » Sun May 04, 2008 2:12 am

Bodyweight exercises, pushups, situps, crunches, squats, etc. I do a minimum of 250 puhups a day throughout the day in sets of 50. You can drop and do pushups almost anywhere. I also do YRG (Yoga for regular guys). The DVD's show woman doing it too so it's also for the ladies. All you need is a little floor space and it's a great workout. It combines yoga with dynamic tension and bodyweight exercises. It's the best workout DVD I've ever seen and I've bought a lot over the years. It can be found at www.yrgworkout.com. That's part of what I do at home.

I have some free weights in the garage which I use on occasion and I have kettlebells which I use in the garage or backyard (depending on the weather). Mostly I do bodyweight and YRG.

Tulsa

3aday
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Post by 3aday » Sun May 04, 2008 5:44 pm

Jaymiz, I modify her workouts all the time!
For me, personally, the only exercise for me....is the one I will do consistently.
Walking is definitely the only consistent exercise for me.
I try to stick with things what can I do now at 35 that I can do at 75 and her workouts are perfect for me.
I like walking outside too but it gets too dark too early in winter and too hot in the summer so I am so grateful I have found her dvds.
I primarily walk.
I was a size 18-20 in the beginning of 2006.
I joined No S at the end of 2006, maybe a 16-18.
I was in the dieting mentality mode and was trying to adhere to other plans and do No S at the same time (and I gained weight).
In the middle of 2007, I really jumped on board with No S and walking and I am now a 12p. It may not seem like much but that is a big deal for me.
When I tucked my shirt in for the first time, I cried by myself in the bathroom!
All this by eating 3 normal meals a day and walking an average of 2 miles a day. (Some days one mile, some days 4 miles).
If this size is my natural weight for the rest of my life, fine.
If I get smaller, fine. If I get a little bigger, fine.
But, I have peace with food and have a regular exercise routine in a small space in my home and I couldn't be happier!

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Mavilu
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Post by Mavilu » Sun May 04, 2008 11:33 pm

Okay, I know this is expensive to get, but being a videogamer, I own a Nintendo Wii, which comes with a sports package game.
For those that don't know, with this particular console, you have to move to get things moving the same way in the game.
Anyway, the package comes with Baseball, Tennis, Golf, Bowling and Boxing.
When I'm pretty bored of all my other exercise routines or when I want to do something lighter or just use different muscles, I play with these games for at least an hour, my favorite being Tennis and Bowling.

And for the computer or if you or your kids have a Playstation 2 or an Xbox machine, there's also a Virtual Trainer program that you can buy that is pretty nifty, your trainer will ask you about your numbers (height, weight, age and body measurements) will make you perform some tests to see what your fitness level is, will ask you what sort of exercise equipment you own and how many days you want to exercise and then will create a program for you, depending on what you want to do, aerobics, calisthenics or yoga.
You can chose the level, the lenght or type of routine from day to day, if you don't agree with her, you can stop at any time, you can even change the music.
She'll remember you and chastize you if you skipped your training or praise you if you are doing good and, of course, she exercises with you, telling you what to do and encouraging you the way trainers do.
It is very, very nice, I stopped doing it because the aerobic portions where simply ruining my already busted knees, but honestly, it's just great if your knees are good.

It's called Yourself Fitness

http://www.yourselffitness.com/

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Jaymiz
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Post by Jaymiz » Mon May 05, 2008 8:51 pm

3aday wrote:All this by eating 3 normal meals a day and walking an average of 2 miles a day. (Some days one mile, some days 4 miles).
If this size is my natural weight for the rest of my life, fine.
If I get smaller, fine. If I get a little bigger, fine.
But, I have peace with food and have a regular exercise routine in a small space in my home and I couldn't be happier!
Thanks for posting your "story", 3aday... definitely inspiring. :)
http://jaymiz.wordpress.com (The 'No S' Life)
"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

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Jaymiz
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Post by Jaymiz » Mon May 05, 2008 8:53 pm

Mavilu wrote:And for the computer or if you or your kids have a Playstation 2 or an Xbox machine, there's also a Virtual Trainer program that you can buy that is pretty nifty...
...You can chose the level, the lenght or type of routine from day to day, if you don't agree with her, you can stop at any time, you can even change the music.
She'll remember you and chastize you if you skipped your training or praise you if you are doing good and, of course, she exercises with you, telling you what to do and encouraging you the way trainers do.
Interesting! We have a PS2 and computer, so that sounds like something I might like to try. I do want to get a Wii, but we can't afford that right now.

Mind you, the PS2/computer game sounds like it might not be a good fit for me, as I do have pretty bad knees. :-(

Ah well... still got my WAtP! :)

Thanks for the heads-up on that program, though, Mavilu! I bookmarked the site.
http://jaymiz.wordpress.com (The 'No S' Life)
"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

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Mavilu
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Post by Mavilu » Tue May 06, 2008 2:37 am

You are welcome!.
Too bad you have bad knees too, though...

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Jaymiz
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Post by Jaymiz » Tue May 06, 2008 2:13 pm

Mavilu wrote:You are welcome!.
Too bad you have bad knees too, though...
Yeah -- I didn't up until last year. Then I was running back to the house before going out for a walk, 'cause I remembered I needed my sunglasses. And, somehow I sprained the inside of my left knee. It was soooo painful for 3 weeks, and now it acts up from time to time.

Apparently, knee-problems run in my family (which I didn't know until I did this to myself). :-( Ah well.
http://jaymiz.wordpress.com (The 'No S' Life)
"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

jules
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Post by jules » Tue May 06, 2008 6:27 pm

Lots of great ideas in this thread. I'd actually wondered if someone would mention the Wii. There was rather amusing story on the local news a couple of months ago about sports related injuries from Wii players. Apparently their take on it was to sort of dismiss the physical activity as real exercise...... very strange since the players were obviously getting SPORTS-related injuries.

At any rate, for those of you with knee problems it is very often, but not always, largely a muscle strength thing. Even my mother who just had a knee replacement last Sept was able to greatly improve her mobility by strengthening the muscles in that leg before her surgery.

jules

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Jaymiz
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Post by Jaymiz » Tue May 06, 2008 7:53 pm

jules wrote:At any rate, for those of you with knee problems it is very often, but not always, largely a muscle strength thing. Even my mother who just had a knee replacement last Sept was able to greatly improve her mobility by strengthening the muscles in that leg before her surgery.

jules
Yeah, that's what one of the gals (a personal trainer) in my online running group said... She gave me a list of exercises that I could do to build up my strength.
http://jaymiz.wordpress.com (The 'No S' Life)
"The more you do a thing, the easier it becomes" ~ Anon.

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Tue May 06, 2008 8:00 pm

I'll chime in with the value of "prehab" (strength training before surgery)

I got a new ligament in my knee back in Dec 2006. I did weight training before the surgery and I was immensely glad I did, just so I wouldn't get stuck on the commode because I couldn't do a one-legged squat!

But I think I healed faster and got mobility faster because I'd done the strength training. Certainly it got me in the mindset to work out doing the rehab exercises (god, that's a full-time job, but I bless every rep I did when I walk to the gym now. SOOOOOO worth it!)

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Mavilu
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Post by Mavilu » Tue May 06, 2008 10:49 pm

My particular knee problem is Patella-femoral Syndrome; I neglected training my inner thighs and I used bad form while cycling and ended up with a muscle imbalance that threw the tendon or the fascia, whichever it is, over my patellas to the outside of each knee.

I've since corrected the problem since you don't need surgery, thank God, but I have to be very diligent about them and even so, they'll hurt with certain activities; running and lots of bouncing will do a number on them.

About the Wii, yeah, people tend to forget that you are still moving, even if you are having fun and whenever you move without paying attention to what you are doing, you can hurt yourself.
When I first got mine, I played for about three hours without realizing it.
I was barely able to move the next day and very, very sore for about a week.

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MerryKat
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Post by MerryKat » Wed May 07, 2008 9:07 am

The three exercise routines that I find fit best into restricted space are:

I love Yoga and do various stretches (particularly Sun Salutation) before starting any kind of exercise. I just find that a lot of the moves are better with someone to watch you and help get you in exactly the right position to maximise the move. I use Yoga moves a lot if I have a sore body part and need to release the muscle.

The exercise routine from The Hacker's Diet is very effective and gives you a good mix of strength and cardio, but I find it difficult to stick with. To do all that running (on the spot) and jumping jacks first thing in the morning before I am totally awake is torture to me and the afternoons are often too hectic to squeeze it in.

For me the most effective and sustainable plan is 8 Minutes in the Morning by Jorge Cruise. I used this when I lost my weight after my eldest son (it took me 5 years to get motivated to seriously lose this weight) and loved how it toned and sculpted my body - I was wearing smaller clothing than I had in high school (where I was never fat, just 'solid'). I did this right up till my second pregnancy and have just battled to get myself back into it (baby is now 3 1/2!).

For me I need to do this first thing in the morning, and there in lies the problem as I hate getting out of bed. However, after doing so well with No S for the last few months, I need to get my exercise back on track to help my health. I am committing to do 8MM for the next 2 months before I go to the coast on holiday to get myself moving.
Hugs from Sunny South Africa
Vanilla No S with no Sugar due to Health issues - 11 yrs No S - September 2016 (some good, some bad (my own doing) but always the right thing for me!)

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