The most important point I can start with here, is to tell to just BE ACTIVE. Get up and moving! If you do not exercise at all, just start by doing MORE. A great workout for me is just cleaning my house, because I literally do it 90 mph while my boys nap. That will make you sweat!
If you are already a fairly active person, then do more. Start by taking a walk every day. Start with a mile and work your way up. When the weather is nice, I put our boys in the double stroller and walk them to the park and back (3 miles total!) The hardest thing for me was being on bedrest with our second son. My body was so angry with me when I started being active again! My joints were literally confused, and it took some time getting everything moving again. I started by getting on the eliptical, then doing some light weights. Once I felt comfortable, I moved on. This was a struggle for me, because I had never been THAT out of shape!
Now, if you feel like you're beyond even this, read on! I know a lot of women who are active, and even hit the gym a few times a week, and still aren't seeing results.
1). You HAVE to eat right AND exercise. They go hand in hand, and one won't work without the other.
2). GET OFF THE MACHINES. I made this mistake! I thought that being on the eliptical and treadmill for more than 20 minutes would make a difference. Sure, it will burn calories while you're on it. But if you use them as a warm-up instead, and do STRENGTH TRAINING, your body will continue to burn calories after you're finished. Now that's a beautiful thing!
www.womenshealthmag.com has some great workouts. Even now, I mostly use my own body weight, and do a combination of moves to keep my heart rate up. Push ups, squats, lunges, etc. are all moves you can do with your own body weight. I like using videos at home, AND going to the gym. Videos are great tools on how to do certain moves correctly, and they keep you moving!
And of course, don't forget to stretch!!! (I stretch a little before a workout, and a LOT afterwards)
Again, this is just to get you started. But if you have more specific questions about how to stay fit, please ask! I have so many ideas for you to try! As I have said before, I would love to get into personal training, and am more than willing to help you reach your goals. I will continue to post helpful hints and even some workouts if there is a need for them!
