I admitted last week that after several months of no exercise, I’ve gotten a little flabby. Since I’m not the most creative person when it comes to fitness, I asked you to give me your easy, fuss-free exercise tips. Many of you suggested I begin running or walking, instead of working out in the small inside space I have available. You’ve definitely convinced me to use the several-miles long park that is right across the street from my home.
But what were some of Frisky readers’ other creative tips?
Source: Ballymena Academy
“Running is the best exercise I’ve done for cardio health (specifically speed training), BUT … it’s not necessarily the best thing for weight loss. Alternate running days with days of walking at a brisk place (up hills if you can find them). Good for the legs and butt … Exercise is way more effective if you watch what you eat. You don’t want to kill an intense workout session by eating a fatty meal afterwards. Watch what you put into your body to replenish calories.” – ATC_lady
“You know what? The best free (and effective) exercise in my opinion is just taking a walks with friends. You talk, so you are barely aware that you are exercising, and talking and walking tends to result in the greatest random conversations you would have never had otherwise.” – MrsReal
“I hate running, so I walk several days before work for almost an hour. I live in a neighborhood with steep hills so I take those to get my heart rate up while toning my legs and butt. I also weight train twice a week. I park further away from store entrances and take the stairs when I can. Any little bit counts!” – curlso821
“I do 10-20 pushups and dips first thing when I wake up. Quick way to energize for the day, build upper body strength, and look good in summer tops!” – DCol
“Buy a deck of cards. Assign each suit an exercise (crunches, lunges, pushups, dips, etc). Scramble them, then start pulling. Pull a 7 of spades? Do 7 pushups. If that gets too easy, start pulling two cards at a time, adding together the number and doing both exercises that many times.” – fieldmouse1
“When I didn’t have access to a gym, I was at a park or a school track nearly daily to get in some 100-200m sprints that I would interval with squats, sit-ups, push-ups, and assuming some bars, some pull ups and hanging leg raises as well. You can get a KILLER workout at a playground in under 30 mins. Plus, in nice weather with some good music, it puts me in such a great mood.” – Kristin Newman
Source: WatchFit
“Jump rope! Or just put on a face paced dance track and dance (or flail) for 30 minutes. If you can, go and run in a park (scenic views make running a lot more fun). Planks, lungs, squats, squat jumps, and toe hops can really tone your legs well, start small and build up as you get stronger.” – Katiekurtz1
“Don’t just dance but dance in stiletto heels…intensifies the workout and also tones your calves and thighs …” – delfyn15
“You should try Zumba! My butt went from ginormous to bootylicious in like a month and it’s so much fun!” – ClaudeP
“You have to do the 30 day shred. Seriously. It’s amazing.” – tiffany
“Go to exercisetv.tv!! They have free full-length workout videos as well as some shorter target-area videos! It’s great for at-home workouts.” – Lindsay
“This isn’t an exercise but I lost over 100 pounds sensibly using sparkpeople.com. It’s all 100% free and is all about common sense smart eating and activity. You could definitely pull ideas from there. This website has recipes, exercise videos, message boards, and a ton of articles. Also, it has nutrition, exercise, weight, and measurement trackers. And again, it’s ALL FREE!” – Emily
“Print out a schedule and keep track of your workouts to stay accountable! I recently ran a half-marathon, and am now training for a full marathon, so I probably have to stick to my exercise routine more than most people, but it’s still easy to slack. I have printed copies of my workout schedule above my desk and in my planner, so I can’t hide from them. I also log workouts on dailymile.com (think FB for revolving around workouts) so that I have a record and my friends can help keep me on track.” – littleterp
Original by Amelia McDonell-Parry
