Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | anyone on this diet and trying to lose weight?

Hi Pud, my most favorite exercises are yoga and pilates. Some forms of yoga are more gentle than other forms, and other forms are more strenuous than others. That is, you can lose weight doing pilates or yoga. Tai Chi is great too, very relaxing, but once you learn the moves and go through them, you're breaking a sweat.

I took a beginner Tai Chi course at my local community college about 10 years ago (I'm 30 right now) and it was amazing. It was relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

I have less experience in the numerous forms of yoga, but I do know they range from gentle to more strenuous.

I have the most experience working out with a Pilates DVD. Probably around 7 years ago I purchased a Windsor Pilates DVD set )the beginner stuff) and was surprised and very happy with it. Pilates incorporates stretching with strength training using your own body and gravity as resistance. You get flexibility, muscle tone, and strength. And the DVDs are really easy to follow. At the end of a workout, I'm breaking a sweat.

Way, way before that, I used to go to a gym 3-4 times a week and rotate upper and lower body workouts while always working on my core (back and abs). I would do some stretching, then I was on the bike for 20 mins, varying the resistance, then I did weight machines and free weights (no I didn't bulk up at all, I had definite muscle tone and strength but still looked feminine while maintaining a healthy weight), then I cooled down on the bike again, and then stretched on the mats.

It's too expensive for me to afford a gym membership now.

I still have my Windsor Pilates DVDs and a couple of free weights.

Walking is great too, but I can't walk much because it's too high impact for my bad back and bad feet.

Pilates and swimming are my best bets. Once you get the Pilates moves down, you can do them in your living room while watching your favorite TV show. There are also little exercises you can do while sitting at a desk or driving. Like squeezing your butt muscles and holding for a few seconds, then releasing.

The important thing about losing weight that I've found is MOVEMENT. Every time you stand up and walk to the next room or get up off the couch, you're engaging various muscle groups.

If you incorporate exercise habits into your usual routine, the workouts won't seem so daunting and won't feel like they are taking up extra time. Walk instead of driving short distances. Use stairs instead of elevators. Walk up the escalators instead of letting them move you. Some shopping malls open early for walkers, check to see if yours does. Tap your toes while you're sitting in a position where your feet touch the floor/ground, or do it while standing. Do this until you feel a bit of heat in your shins. Make the alphabet with your feet instead of just rotating them in circles (or do both) and do the alphabet in capital letters and lower case...cursive too! Shrug your shoulders up and down and roll them forward and backward. Place your foot at an angle against a wall and press your body forward putting your palms outward on the wall for balance if you need to until you feel a stretch in your calves. Hold your arms out to the sides and try to hold them there as long as you can, using gravity as your resistance. Vary the angles of your arms and the rotation of your wrists. Or just keep your palms facing down. But you'll feel the resistance slightly differently depending on how your arms are angled and which way you face your palms. There are tons, and tons of little things you can do while you're idly doing something else.

Lean muscle burns fat. And some cardio is always beneficial to add into resistance/weight training. You don't have to be bulky muscle either. Muscle weighs more than fat too, but it looks so much nicer and you'll feel so much better.

Stand up straight, a better posture will help improve digestion, body image, and the way you breathe. When you breathe in, fill yourself up with air by letting your chest and lungs inflate and let your belly relax and expand, then when you breathe out, suck your belly in and push all the air out. Nose-breathing is best because the nose filters air better than our mouths.

If you take small steps and try not to overwhelm yourself, it'll get easier. Be gentle on your body and listen to what it tells you. If it hurts, be careful. And of course, consulting your doctor before you start any exercise program is important, especially if you have any other health concerns, such as poor circulation.

I've injured myself a few times and old age is creeping up on me, so my ability to work out and the exercises I can do versus what I used to do are a bit different, and my routine isn't the way it used to be. But no matter what I concentrate on keeping lean muscle, trying to stay as flexible as possible to avoid future injuries, and to always listen to my body. Any cardio I do is incorporated into the stretches and other moves I do, as well as the Pilates I do. It's habit now that I tend to do stretches and other little things when I'm doing more idle things slike watching TV or reading.

Also, a buddy is nice to have too. The support, the comeraderie, the fun, etc.

Hope that gives you some ideas regarding exercise anyway.

Sorry this got so looong.

Good luck!

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XOXO from lil' ol' me.

(IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)

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