If you could only have one piece of equipment...

[Crabbitface]

I am trying to lose weight. One of my biggest issues is getting enough exercise. I walk a fair bit, but I'm a SAHM with a two year old and another at school and the nearest gym is about 25 minutes drive away. By the time I do dinner/bath and bed, I'm knackered and it's too late. So I am thinking that hiring a piece of gym equipment like a cross trainer is a good idea so that I can stick on a couple of episodes of Peppa and do some exercise at home. Am I delusional...is there something better I should be doing? Any and all advice gratefully received - I'm sick of feeling tired and lardy.

I have an exercise bike which has the benefit of taking up little floor space when I'm ignoring it! It's good for little bursts of exercise. I never did convince myself that I'd use it frequently- I actually got it while pregnant and anticipating SPD seizing me up again, and it did meet that objective.

Have you got a normal bike? If so, might be easier to buy a turbo which is a sort of rack you put a bike in to provide resistance and turn it into a stationary bike to use for indoors training.

Have you got a normal bike? If so, might be easier to buy a turbo which is a sort of rack you put a bike in to provide resistance and turn it into a stationary bike to use for indoors training.

+1. Good idea. However, be aware you will sweat buckets!

Never heard of that Keyser. Sounds like a great idea. I'm prepared to sweat buckets. .. more sweat more gain....
Or something like that!! I'm away to google.

Thanks.

Have you tried YouTube videos? FitnessBlender are fab - free, hundreds of videos to choose from 5 mins to over an hour, all different sorts of exercise for all levels. They have a couple of free 5 day programmes which might be a good introduction to a balanced routine (you don't have to do them in 5, take as long as you like!!). Doing a combo of exercise styles might be better (and much cheaper) than having a machine.

kettlebells

If you have the space, I'd go for a treadmill. I'm mildly obsessed with mine but in my opinion it's the best cardio combination to lose weight and get fit. I have to do a lot of training due to previous illness (every day basically) and never get bored on the treadmill.

Do a combination of LISS (low intensity steady state) and HIIT (high intensity interval training) and you will see real change. Start walking fast (LISS), working up to 45 minutes per session, at over 6km/h. You can watch tv or listen to music. This will really shape and tone legs long term without building quad size (as long as you don't put at an incline). I also think it's great for cellulite.

When you're a bit fitter, add in some sprints (HIIT). Start with 5 minutes where you do 30 seconds fast sprinting (as fast as you can but it will increase as you get fitter) and jump off onto the side of the treadmill for 30 seconds (there are videos online showing this, my description isn't great!). Then jump back on for another 30 seconds and repeat up to 5 minutes. You can increase the time once you're fitter. Not only is this intensely fat burning but there is evidence that it will raise your metabolism after training too.

There's a real sense of progression as you can feel yourself getting fitter as you increase time speed. I do LISS three times a week and a combination of LISS and HIIT three times a week.

Combined with a clean diet, you will see a real change and this is both fat burning and toning. There are various ab series and squat challenges you can download online (around 20 minutes worth) that you could add when you're feeling fitter.

I do the majority of my exercise at home. We do have a treadmill in the garage, but I don't use it much. I tend to do HIIT stuff using a combination of exercises from my PT (he posts daily challenges every week on his Twitter/FB page), Fitness Blender. The Body Coach has loads of short HIIT stuff. I also do yoga at home (and classes, but can not manage once or twice a fortnight). I like Yoga with Adriene.

So for me, my key equipment is a yoga mat, set of weights (I have 3 sets of Dumbbells at 1.5, 3 and 5kg each) and I have an 8kg kettlebell.

Oh yes. Equipment - love my powerblocks www.amazon.co.uk/PowerBlock-Sport-2-4-Adjustable-Dumbbells/dp/B000A6T9I8 - super versatile and compact. All I use plus a mat.

TexanKenDoll, what treadmill do you have? What model would you recommend? My DM has kindly offered to buy me one and I'm keen to take her up on it. It comes from a good place as she knows between getting my DS to school and then coming home and working (I work from home), I get very little, if none at all, opportunity to exercise out of the house. My budget is about £800 but I'm at a loss right now.

If I couldnt go to the gym I would have a bike and cycle. I do spin at the gym and live it but can't abide an excersise bike and find it as dull as dishwater. I have tried using a bike on turbo and I found it awful, even though it was my own comfy bike indoors.

I find twenty minutes running outside much better with dh
Could you get a running pushchair as a piece of excersising equipment?