| for minimal time commitment i would definitely recommend running. i recently started running to train for the nyc triathlon. running is easy to pick up and offers serious physical challenges. time wise, you can adjust the challenge to your fitness level by increasing the speed without increasing the time. as noted elsewhere, you dont even need a gym membership, all you need are a pair of sneaks you feel comfortable running in. as for things you can do at home i would recommend the basics, ie. pull ups, push ups and the plank instead of sit ups. mix in various twisting efforts into the standard pull ups / push ups/ plank and you will start to notice the difference in just a few weeks. add a medicine ball to your routine to mix things up and confuse your muscles. these kind of exercises can be done without leaving your house and for a few minutes at a time. if you feel comfortable exercising outside the house i would seriously consider exercising with other people. friends, strangers, people who are at your level or a bit beyond to help motivate you and get you past your current plateau. get social. you will find that fitness is an infinite challenge with no level cap. whereas your mage in wow can only get to level 80 (currently) you can keep going indefinitely. but beware! you can also regress. doing the aforementioned will bring you a long way to getting in shape in just a few weeks. after that you will start to plateau if you do not ratchet up the intensity/time/difficulty or mix up your routine. something i would definitely not recommend and specifically argue against would be any sort or weight training. weight training, imho, should only be done by those who already consider themselves in shape at a certain threshold. weight training works to isolate specific muscle areas and does not on its own encourage an overall health level. personally, i had been a swimmer in my high school years and then did some club water polo. i always biked but never ran. so last year i decided to get into the triathlon scene at the sprint level and did my first last october. the tri concept is appealing to me because of the multidisciplinary nature and multiple entry points for the novice. i would wholeheartedly recommend sprint distance triathlons to those in moderate shape looking for a physical challenge. lastly, but perhaps most importantly: stop drinking soda excessively. some might even say completely. just this one act will go a long way to slimming you down and greatly adding to your overall health. follow this up by cutting out sweets/chocolate/popcorn/insert favorite junk food here. it can not be overstated how much a healthier diet will help you reach a greater level of fitness than exercise can alone. |