Comment Calisthenics (Score 1) 1806
The easiest thing to do at home is what you're already doing, but with more intensity. Calisthenics, if high intensity, can actually be a decent aerobic workout that will result in strength gains.
I personally spend a great deal of time exercising right now - mostly resistance training, interval training, and dancing. However, when I first decided the chub had to go I started with about 20 minutes of calisthenics a day. Just that little bit of exercise every day helped a great deal. Knowing what I know now I would've started with a routine more similar to my current one which requires a gym, but if you want to ease into the idea of a fitness program...
At the simplest, I would recommend doing something like:
pushups
squats
chin-ups (odd sets) / pull-ups (even sets)
crunches (odd sets) / reverse crunches (even sets)
calf raises (odd sets) / lunges (even sets)
Do all exercises to failure, don't take any significant breaks. Start with two sets and work up to four sets. That should cover all your muscle groups and make you sweat.
You get out what you put in as far as getting in shape goes. If you just want to feel better 30 minutes of calisthenics a day will do. However, if you want to feel great it'll mean time, effort, and a program that balances resistance training and cardio with your goals. There isn't a 'get rich quick' scheme for fitness. Though, finding an active hobby you truly enjoy can make it feel quick.
I know it's not the specific question you asked, but I have to comment on diet if we are going to discuss fat loss - it's simply too important. For weight loss, diet and lifestyle changes will have the biggest impact. When it really comes down to it weight loss is painfully simple. To lose fat you MUST burn more calories in a day than you take in. Online tools for determining how many calories you need to cut to lose weight abound. Figure out what your needs are, and target about 500 calories under that to lose a pound a week.
I strongly recommend logging everything you eat. Write down the amount of calories, protein, carbs, alchohol and fat. Try to hit your target calories with 30% protein calories, 50% carb calories, and 20% fat calories. Opinions widely vary on these percentages, but you probably won't hit those marks exactly anyway and my opinion is that the exact right balance doesn't exist anyway. To determine the calorie percentages use: protein/carbs contain 4 calories/gram, alcohol 7 cals/gram, fat 9 cals/gram.
I know it sounds anal and annoying, but seriously, log everything you eat until you get the point. It'll really show what makes for a bad diet (soda is the devil) and a good one (up with fish). You can quit logging after you've forced yourself to really think about what you're eating and your tastes shift to healthier foods.
Good luck!
I personally spend a great deal of time exercising right now - mostly resistance training, interval training, and dancing. However, when I first decided the chub had to go I started with about 20 minutes of calisthenics a day. Just that little bit of exercise every day helped a great deal. Knowing what I know now I would've started with a routine more similar to my current one which requires a gym, but if you want to ease into the idea of a fitness program...
At the simplest, I would recommend doing something like:
pushups
squats
chin-ups (odd sets) / pull-ups (even sets)
crunches (odd sets) / reverse crunches (even sets)
calf raises (odd sets) / lunges (even sets)
Do all exercises to failure, don't take any significant breaks. Start with two sets and work up to four sets. That should cover all your muscle groups and make you sweat.
You get out what you put in as far as getting in shape goes. If you just want to feel better 30 minutes of calisthenics a day will do. However, if you want to feel great it'll mean time, effort, and a program that balances resistance training and cardio with your goals. There isn't a 'get rich quick' scheme for fitness. Though, finding an active hobby you truly enjoy can make it feel quick.
I know it's not the specific question you asked, but I have to comment on diet if we are going to discuss fat loss - it's simply too important. For weight loss, diet and lifestyle changes will have the biggest impact. When it really comes down to it weight loss is painfully simple. To lose fat you MUST burn more calories in a day than you take in. Online tools for determining how many calories you need to cut to lose weight abound. Figure out what your needs are, and target about 500 calories under that to lose a pound a week.
I strongly recommend logging everything you eat. Write down the amount of calories, protein, carbs, alchohol and fat. Try to hit your target calories with 30% protein calories, 50% carb calories, and 20% fat calories. Opinions widely vary on these percentages, but you probably won't hit those marks exactly anyway and my opinion is that the exact right balance doesn't exist anyway. To determine the calorie percentages use: protein/carbs contain 4 calories/gram, alcohol 7 cals/gram, fat 9 cals/gram.
I know it sounds anal and annoying, but seriously, log everything you eat until you get the point. It'll really show what makes for a bad diet (soda is the devil) and a good one (up with fish). You can quit logging after you've forced yourself to really think about what you're eating and your tastes shift to healthier foods.
Good luck!
