Exercise equipment recommendations

muddlingmywaythrough

Recently things have been getting on top of me and I think I have very mild depression. At this stage I do not want to go down the GP/possible medication route as it is not severe (I just feel quite low) and I just want to see how much I can help myself first.

I know one of the big remedies always suggested is exercise so I am going to give this a go. I do a lot of walking anyway and I am outside fairly often so I want to focus on 'proper exercising' to really build up a sweat (I'm not overweight or anything but neither am I the fittest so this probably won't take much!). I don't want to spend loads of (or any ideally!) money but would appreciate any suggestions for what type of exercises are best to do or any pieces of equipment that are most effective. I tried an exercise bike but got bored and found I didn't lose any weight. I have got a cross trainer which I found to be good at working up a sweat and have a fitness dvd and dumbbells 

Grumpy_chap

muddlingmywaythrough said:

Recently things have been getting on top of me and I think I have very mild depression. At this stage I do not want to go down the GP/possible medication route as it is not severe (I just feel quite low) and I just want to see how much I can help myself first.

I know one of the big remedies always suggested is exercise so I am going to give this a go. I do a lot of walking anyway and I am outside fairly often so I want to focus on 'proper exercising' to really build up a sweat (I'm not overweight or anything but neither am I the fittest so this probably won't take much!). I don't want to spend loads of (or any ideally!) money but would appreciate any suggestions for what type of exercises are best to do or any pieces of equipment that are most effective. I tried an exercise bike but got bored and found I didn't lose any weight. I have got a cross trainer which I found to be good at working up a sweat and have a fitness dvd and dumbbells 

It's great that you are looking to do something to lift your mood as we all get "down" from time to time and exercise can be a good way to break the momentum of the day.

What will help to lift the mood will vary greatly between individuals and on different days for the same individual.  If I have had a sluggish day (like today) then I find a stroll along the river a very peaceful diversion and end to the work day.  If I have had an annoying day, then a hard session at the gym can be very rewarding.  For the later, I write down what I did and try to do a bit more next time so that I get a sense of achieving something.

For activity that "builds up a sweat", that is generally the cardio equipment - treadmill, cycles, rowing, stair-climbers, cross-trainer etc.  What is good to use is an individual choice - the OP has already tried the bike and the cross-trainer and found different levels of enjoyment. 

To try different equipment, rather than buying equipment, it is worth trying out different equipment at the gym - this can be economical as there are Council gyms with pay-per-use so no need to commit to the expense of monthly membership at one of the major gym chains.  Any gym should give you an induction and show you how to use all of the equipment and you can then try everything out and once you have your favourites, then look at ways to mix it up a bit.  There are guides online that give suggestions for variations and HIIT versus steady-state challenges etc.

Being in a gym can be motivational in itself (it is for me).  If I was at home exercising, I just feel daft.  

Hope you find something you like, and do report back on your success.  

Toothsmith

Why not try just building on what you've already got?

You say you 'walk' - but in what sort of way? Is it 'utility' walking? Taking kids to school, going to shops, doing it as a means to get something done?

Can you not turn that into a 'me' walk - where you actually go out to enjoy the route you've chosen, see the sky, breath the air and notice the surroundings? Do it at a bit quicker pace so it raises your heartrate and breathing?

I used to do a fair bit of 'utility' walking - but since early spring, I decided to just up things a bit. I now spend 2-3 lunchtimes a week walking round a local woods. It takes me about 45 mins to get round a 3 mile route from door to door. It breaks up my day, gets me some fresh air, allows me to turn off & reset and generally cheers me up a bit! Luckily the weather has generally been good, but I do try and do it whatever the weather.

It's certainly better than having equipment cluttering up a room in your house.

Longwalker

Walking can certainly make you work up a sweat and raise the heart rate, if you walk fast enough

My walking pace, normal out to the shops, dog walking etc is about 2mile an hour. When I walk for exercise its 3.7 mph on the flat, 3.5 uphill. I get my five miles in most days and Ive now started to push for longer distances at the same speed

I drink, smoke and am over weight as well as hitting the big 60 shortly. I also suffer with anxiety . Walking gives me a focus as well as time to be with my own thoughts.

Mostly I walk with my walking partner  ( a neighbour ) - for the longer walks. We blather about all sorts as we walk, and its surprising how much we support each other without it being a moan fest. I feel a lot better after a good walk, head cleared, relaxed, I sleep better. We done a half marathon hike there 2 weeks back for charity ( great day out and extremely challenging ) and are planning to do a full marathon 

Kat78MFW

If you already have dumb bells, you can find loads of free fitness workouts on YouTube. I like the popsugar channel but there are loads of different ones you can try. 
It can be a good idea to create a bingo-type card with lots of different feel-good activities, including exercise (for example 30min youTube dumbell workout, 25min YouTube HIIT workout), self care (eg. Self-administered mini facial or foot massage) and hobbies (eg read a book, play the piano, create a playlist of favourite songs). Try to include about 25 activities. Then try to fit in one per day and cross it off your card. Doesn't matter if you miss a day or do two in one day but I'm sure I read that our brains release positive hormones when we cross items off. I hope I've explained that so it makes sense.

LateNightHunter

I absolutely love the free Nike Training Club app, a ton of workouts that guarantee a sweat, but go from gentle to full on. A lot of them are equipment free too!

Daz2009

I'd join a local walking group if I were you.....if you can't find one on social media sign up to Meet up,they usually have walking groups in most areas.
You won't lose much weight by exercise alone