Please suggest some workouts....

i need everyones help! i'm going to list what i need from a workout and then anyone with any suggestions please tell me!

i need a workout that i can do at home, in the house, at night, that doesn't require any new equipment (except maybe a dvd). i have a couple sets of 3lb weights and an exercise ball. i also have bad knees. i know that this is from the weight and once i lose so of it my knees what bother me so much anymore but atleast for now i need something that will be pretty easy on my knees.

so please everyone....let the suggestions pour in!

How about "The Firm" Dvd?

Or maybe a Tae-bo dvd?

Pilates Dvd?

anybody else got anything? only one person with a suggetion?

Beyond workout DVD's it can be pretty tough to set up a routine for at home that gives you a good workout. I assume you need to stay at home for the little one in your pic ... do you have a stroler that you could walk or run them in? Maybe one of the bike carries that are pulled behind a bike? I've sometimes used exercises that I've seen in magazines and they are usually pretty good and if you have an exercise ball you can do a lot of exercises on that. The 3lb weights probably won't do you much good, but you can use your body weight for resistance doing push ups and such.

i'm open to dvd suggestions too! if you know of any that wont kill my knees and are actually kind of fun....

when the weather gets nicer i will take the kids out with the stroller but right now it's just too cold and nasty to have them out. sucks! they are getting stir crazy too!

in addition to straching and a group of general excercizes which can be done at home with a resistance elastic corde, your dumbells and an excercize mat you need areobic excercize that will warm you up and allow you to get your heart rate to 130 bpm for 15-20 minutes. because of your knee problems you should really consult with a fisio therapist. most low impact indoor excercizes use machines. skipping rope is excellent but I am not sure if there are techniques which will make it OK considering you knee problems.

good luck and remember that excercize is one the vital componets in your long term weight loss and maintenance proggram

well, swimming is the BEST for bad knees -but as that's not typically an indoor evening activity...  I don't have much experience, but I did really enjoy the USA biggest loser DVD #1 -it constantly had modifications shown for low-impact use.  I really enjoyed it because the people on the DVD weren't skinny and plastered with fake smiles, but I know it's got things for being careful on the knees. 

Other than that, there's heaps of boxing DVD's that get your arms moving and that's a surprisingly good workout, sorry I don't have any specific titles.   A lot of what I do is just combinations of different exercises I've learned on DVDs, in classes, or from books or online.  Just be sure to read how to do them properly not to injure yourself.

cheers and good luck!

the Medicine Ball 200 (or 400)...

the page is blocked here, google "Mens Health medicine ball 200" for the description. 

If you don't have a medicine ball, a gallon of water will work.

I use the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.. its good but alot of lunges, squats, probably not good for your knees.

well i ordered the biggest loser yoga dvd. i'm thinking it should be easier on my knees and so i'll just do it one night and the biggest loser 1 dvd the next and hopefully that will be easy enough on my knees until i get some of this weight off and it gets easier.

i'm wondering though....how important is the weight training stuff to weight loss? because i haven't been doing that at all yet.

thanks so much for the replies!

I have bad knees too and the dvd I got was walk away the pounds. It has a 1 mile 2 mile and 3 mile workout so you can work your way up and it is really good. Not bad on your knees either.

I have a good DVD for you from (SELF) its called Ultimate De Stress Yoga 

its very relaxing one i tried it my self, its certainly lets my mood high. The DVD have lots of starching in the first part, while in the 2nd part its works your Abs more while starching your whole body. 

I also have another one, its a good DVD from the same company (SELF) called

Sculpt Sexy Legs Fast

in this one you will get to use your dumbbells along with a mat, but this one have a lots of jumping jacks in it which can be bad for your knee.  I guess you can skip the jumping part or replace it with marching down only.. so its a good Aerobic and toning at the same time.