Best Classes for Exercise and Weight Loss?

I really enjoy Zumba. It is very good for both toning and weight loss. However, the best thing I have found for weight loss is running. Nothing has worked better for me than that and it is a great stress reliever. Plus, it is great for toning too. Good luck!

I love yoga. I hate getting winded and exhausted from workouts, but yoga is challenging, fun, and relaxing at the same time. It's hard to describe but it's strenuous and at the same time not. I had to quit because of a problem in my wrist and I miss it terribly. I know my gym offers classes like hip-hop dancing and kickboxing if you are looking for something a little more high-energy, yoga tends to be quiet and slow, but it is a great workout! Good luck and good for you!

Hi D., I've always enjoyed Tae Bo. Its a great work out and its not boring. I lost the weight plus toned by body.
good luck

I have had great luck with during Jazzercise. It is fun and I get my aerobics, stretching and strengthening all in one hour. It has done wonders for me and my OBGYN has even commented that I am in MUCH better shape for this pregnancy and she has encouraged me to continue 3-4 days a week. The routines are constantly changing (I love the variety) and you can easily up the intensity with small changes to the moves (the instructor will tell you those hints.)

Another great thing is that childcare is available at some classes so my routine doesn't get off when my husband comes home late or my schedule changes. Laurel, my instructor, is really fun too!

Happy working out!

Hi D.. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is by losing it gradually--like 1/2 to 1 pound per week. To do this, you need to be in a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day. What works best for lots of people is to burn a couple hundred extra calories per day (above and beyond your normal activity) through exercise, and delete a couple hundred of extra calories from your diet. For example, adding a two mile walk and subtracting a can of pop and a cookie.

There is no magic bullet for exercise or food. Choose exercises you will do consistently because you enjoy them. But, the classes/exercises that burn the most calories are aerobic in nature and are weight bearing (on your feet). Pilates, yOga, and stretching are great, and they can make you stronger (and if they relax you, they may help you not overeat or engage in emotional eating), but the moderate-to-higher intensity classes burn the most calories per minute, which is important if you have limited time. Also, you may have heard that weight training and building muscle burns calories at rest. THis is true, but for women, the effect is less than it is with men. So just because you are "building muscle", do not worry that you will "bulk up", or need to drink power protein shakes. Women don't have enough testosterone.

Good luck! J.

I love classes. Spinning was always a favorite of mine, along with yoga or pilates. But to really lose weight, cardio has always worked for me. After my last baby I stayed at 150 pounds for what seemed like forever.(im 5'3) I started going to the gym a min of 3 days a week. I like Lifetime because they provide childcare. I would do at least 45 minutes of cardio... either eliptical or walking/jogging on the treadmill, or climbing those stupid stairs.. (they work though)... then I would do at least 45 minutes of strength training. I didnt see any results for 7 weeks! AHHH. I thought I was doing something wrong. But then one of the trainers told me that you wont see results for about 7 weeks and not to worry. Sure enough after that it started coming off like crazy. Im newly pregnant again, but my weight is 118 now. I balance my workout routine with a good diet. Nothing radical, just balanced. Im sure after baby number 4, I will have a lot of hard work to do to get back into shape, but I know what works for my body, so I dont stress over it. You will find what works for your body too. Everyone is different. You may need less cardio and more strength training, or all classes may be the way to go for you. I heard the cardio kick boxing is a killer! great workout. Good luck to you! Remember nothing replaces determination and consistancy!

Cardio is the fastest way to lose the weight. You want to find a class that includes ab work; tightening up your core is the main thing. You also want to integrate some strength training (light weight lifting) into your workout. Think light weights, lots of reps. Best of luck with it, I know it can be hard!

Hi D.! You sound like you are on the right track! You know that your health is important for you and your family!! Check out www.momsmark.com They tailor all of their services to keeping moms fit and healthy. They even do in-home personal training for a fraction of the price you would pay to go to the gym. They teach you how to work out effectively and eat nutritiously.....very personalized. They also have a free e-newsletter every month, full of great ideas. It's a great way to get in shape, especially if you are looking for a challenge!!!!

If you're trying to make a permanent change to your diet and live a healthy lifestyle, you might want to consider SparkPeople.com.

A friend recommended it to me and I'm absolutely hooked. It's a FREE site that is designed to help you lose weight and get fit. It has a nutrition tracker and a Fitness tracker that suggests exercises based on what you have to work with at home. It also teaches you about motivation and goal setting.

SparkPeople has many articles from the Harvard medical school on Nutrition,Motivation, Fitness and Wellness as well in depth articles on Health conditions.

As a member, you are entitled to a SparkPeople page that's customizable (similar to MySpace or Facebook I suppose). You also have access to a nice data base of healthy recipies

Good luck to you in your quest for better health.

I absolutely LOVE my Zumba class - it's a Latin dance, aerobic workout. It absolutley kicks my butt, but in a good way! I take it at the local YMCA, but I know there are actual Zumba centers, and our city Rec is starting to offer it.

I started taking a Body Sculpting class (www.Flexcity.com) which incoporates 3-5 lb weights. I LOVE the results I've seen in just 2 weeks! If you don't have a class near you, try to find any kind of weight class. I know that Middleburg Heights rec center has a Pump-it Up class which sounds similar to the Body Sculpting.
I have so much more energy and am not as tired doing 'strenuous' work anymore. (I shoveled the drive and sidewalk TWICE yesterday and it felt great!)
Have fun with whatever you choose!

After I had both my girls and my incision healed I enjoyed low inpact aerobics and then stepped it up as I was able. Mind you this was over 24 years ago too. Now that I am a grandma and had most of his care to do cuz daughter was in hospital for 1st week of his life. I got back into aerobics because I felt sluggish and gained several pounds. You would be amazed what it will do for you both physically and emotionally. Maybe even some step aerobics would be good. The good part is if your children are older you can make it a playtime thing. Hope it helps you make up your mind.

Hi there! About six months ago, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself with an exercise class. I started taking Zumba and it is fantastic! It is, by far, the best work out I've ever had. I would literally feel like I was going to die :) But, after a couple of weeks, I didn't feel like that anymore. I started dropping weight like crazy. I probably dropped 15 pounds over my first 7 week session (twice a week). One thing to remember...don't give up even if you feel like you can't keep up with the steps. You'll catch on and then you'll be able to do them all! Give it a try! You'll love it!

personally i like running more than any "class"; however, i think that kickboxing/tae bo is an excellent challenging workout. good luck!

My husband and I are independent consultants for a company that offers weight loss products to assist in weight loss, besides your workout plan. Go to a-khealthsamples.com to request your free samples. I like D. Austin, you can buy DVD's at Wal-Mart and do them in your home. I've had luck with her exercise workout.

Personally, I love step aerobics. The music is good and if you like movement, it is the class for you. You will lose weight and/or tighten and tone. Once you become familiar with the steps, you will have a blast.

I don't make it to the classes anymore :(...but I LOVE Jazzercise. OUr instructor was awesome. You can find a class near you on Jazzercise.com. They are fun and upbeat classes. And the ladies all were so welcoming to each person that walked in. There were lots of different body types there also. Our instructor has two differnt locations, offering classes at many different times during the day and one of the locations offers baby sitting. Its cardio, strength training, stretching and toning all in one fun hour. You can choose what nights/days/times to go, how often. You can choose to pay by class, by month or I think there's a third option. Definitly worth checking out!

Jazzercise! I've been doing it for 25 years.

I love Zumba,latin dance workout!!

Sounds like you need to do some weight training- muscle burns calories more than fat... Do you walk your dog? I bet she would like to do a mile everyday when the kids leave for school.

The BEST class is FitChallenge on Northfield Road in Maple Heights. It is a bootcamp and no excuses allowed! It's $91 a month and worth every penny. I lost 25lbs in 3 months and am still loosing.

Good Luck!

OMG, I took a spinning class a couple years ago and LOVED it! It's a great challenge, you can do it at your own pace, adjust the tension the way you like it on your bike and burn alot of calories! I also like step aerobics. Another great workout!

S.

Hi D.! Did you enjoy Pilates? I go to a pilates class once a week. There are also classes out there that work on your abs and legs. Those are great for weight loss as well as step classes. Zumba class can also be fun. Good Luck :)

Hi! I actually signed up for a water aerobics class at the Y last year with a friend and LOVED it! We both lost a good 5-10 lbs and really got toned - I woulda kept going but I broke my stupid foot 3mos into it. Right now I am just doing a Power Yoga DVD at home and am enjoying that too. GOOD LUCK!

ZUMBA!!!! Have you heard of it? It is at most gyms now. It is an incredibly fun up beat class that is made of latin moves, salsa, some hip hop, etc. It is hard the first time, but easy to follow the moves after that. It is a blast!!! And it burns about 500-700 calories each class. I lost alot of weight with it last summer and it really changed by body shape too. Where do you live, I can tell you some gyms around here that have it.

I was in the best shape ever when I was consistantly doing strength training classes 2 days a week, pilates or yoga 2 days, and some cardio on the treadmill or one of the other machines at the gym. I miss having a membership at a "good gym" with those sort of classes. I am not sure where you live, but if you can pay a little more for a membership at a gym with a good variety of group fitness classes it will make all the difference in the world for you.

Consider looking into T-tapp (http://www.ttapp.com/).

It isn't so much a weight loss program, but an inch lose workout. I suffer from Hashimoto's disease which has progressively gotten worse with each of my 3 children's births. However, when I started Ttapp up again after last month (my youngest is one now), I am noticing my shape again, my metabolism is working wonderfully, I'm full of energy, and I have lost 1 whole size in 3 weeks. I have not lost any pounds yet though, but Theresa stresses that getting core muscles toned will not produce weightloss immediately. So, I am just one size away from what I was before my 1st was born 4 years ago, but I think if I keep at this 15 minute workout, every other day, I will be there by mid to end of March! It worked wonders before children for me and now I just need to make the time to allow it work wonders for me yet again! With three toddler/preschoolers 15 minutes of Mom time is about as much as I can get realistically. Let me know if you try it!

If you are really looking for a challenge, Tae Bo or cardio kickboxing will help you lose weight pretty quickly as well as challenge you. I am in pretty good shape and it kicks my butt! When I did it 3-4 times a week, I saw results within a month b/c it works every part of your body. You could do something gentle for your body on the off days from kickboxing like Yoga which will help with flexibility and ease sore muscles from the day before. Yoga is fantastic and addicting. It's a great way to de-stress and be in tune with your body.