Exercising at home

Hi!

I walk for at least an hour a day in two sessions; swim for half an every every day. I plan to do water aerobics sessions starting in June and will then swim for six days. I now want to add some strength training. I think that's what it should be and looked at this very complex site and found strength training for beginner, for obese people and for seniors. I fall into all three categories. I do them at home. I do them three times a week, non-consecutively. My question is should I be doing all cardio work on the same days as I do the strength training?

Thanking you in advance.  

Yes, you can do strength training on the same day as cardio.  But you should not do strength training every day if your muscles are sore.  Allow your muscles to recover for a day between strength training sessions.  However, if your muscles are not sore, I think it is fine to do the strength training two days in a row.

Wow, that is a lot of cardio!  I think you need to listen to your body to get the answer to your question.  If you are too tired to really push in strength training after your cardio, then you might want to skip the cardio for that day or do it after the strength training.  Working the muscle to failure is an important part of building more muscle.  If you are already tired, you won't be able to do much.

Thank you very much for your replies.

Generally, I am not tired. Walking means going out with the dog. Once a day, I take a route that is two miles and complete it in 40 minutes.  Even with Tilly stopping to sniff, scent and poop. The swimming is doing great things for my body shape.  Thank God.

My blood pressure has dropped to normal and I am now monitoring it with a view to dropping my meds. My hypothyroidism stays the same. Nothing I can do about that.

So, strength training is the next step. If I am tired I will bear your advise in mind and cut out a walk or the swimking.

Once again, thanks very much.

Hi, I'm new to the group and I have several health issues. This means I have to exercise at home as  can't walk very far. I've aquired a piece of tree stump and using my axe I chop away at it for five minutes at a time. I can do this once or twice a day or maybe ten times. I'm led to believe this is very good exercise and can be done in your own garden. If you don't want to use an axe you can use a sledge hammer and hit something soft or at least with a bit of give in it. It's surprising how hard it is to keep up a steady rythm for even a couple of minutes. I'm told it gives the whole body a work out and can be adapted to suit personal needs. Tell me what you think.

Hi, I'm new to the group and I have several health issues. This means I have to exercise at home as  can't walk very far. I've aquired a piece of tree stump and using my axe I chop away at it for five minutes at a time. I can do this once or twice a day or maybe ten times. I'm led to believe this is very good exercise and can be done in your own garden. If you don't want to use an axe you can use a sledge hammer and hit something soft or at least with a bit of give in it. It's surprising how hard it is to keep up a steady rythm for even a couple of minutes. I'm told it gives the whole body a work out and can be adapted to suit personal needs. Tell me what you think.

Hi, I'm new to the group and I have several health issues. This means I have to exercise at home as  can't walk very far. I've aquired a piece of tree stump and using my axe I chop away at it for five minutes at a time. I can do this once or twice a day or maybe ten times. I'm led to believe this is very good exercise and can be done in your own garden. If you don't want to use an axe you can use a sledge hammer and hit something soft or at least with a bit of give in it. It's surprising how hard it is to keep up a steady rythm for even a couple of minutes. I'm told it gives the whole body a work out and can be adapted to suit personal needs. Tell me what you think.

Hi! Eomond

I'm fairly new to exercise so can't really comment on your tree stump one. It sounds reasonable and if you feel it is of benefit then that's what matters. Have you thought of doing calisthenics. They're simple movements where you use your body for resistance and they are very effective.

One video program I recommend is called The Firm. It's both aerobics and weights. There is one for Boomers. You can buy an entire hour-long program, or you can buy a video for spot workouts--such as abdominals. They teach you how to properly hold the weights, how to position yourself, and when to breathe. Vol. 1 was always my favorite, but I can't imagine being able to do it now. I'd have to do it without weights to start off.

For me, I needed just 5, 8 & 10 lb weights. There are ankle or wrist weights you can get too. They don't take a huge amount of space in your house and you can exercise in the privacy of your own home.

I can't say whether these videos are easy to find--I haven't looked lately, since I already have most of them. (I haven't used them in a very long time, I must say!)

Hi

I noticed shakti411's post and thought I would give you the link to purchase The Firm DVDs.  I have them but have not tried them in years.  I've gotten really out of shape and am just starting on my weight loss journey (again)!  I guess it's time to dust them off and see what I can do.

http://www.firmdirect.com/firm/ecs/main/about TheFirm.html

Just thought I would add this since I knew where to go!

Good luck to all!

Julie