Legs of mush - exercise suggestions?

[Kathi]

@Kathi: I picked out 60 rpm arbitrarily. I lowered the setting and tried doing 80+ rpm instead. Oy! Now *that's* an aerobic workout!

@Miranda: Goodwill! I have one really near me! I should go there and look for dumbbells!

@Emily: I've never tried yoga. I think there's a class at a community center near me - I should check out the times.

It sounds like a general consensus towards lunges, squats, and calf raises. I'll probably try Oakleaf's suggestion when I'm a bit stronger (down the road).

@malkin: I'm 50, and lost 85 lbs since last February, and have probably another 40 or so to go. I pretty much just walked them off, so I'm pretty mushy still!

@Susan: I should probably get a body ball - I saw pics of people using it like a bench press.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

What are your goals for indoor cycling? Cardio or strength training? 60 rpm=hill climbing, good for strength training but not cardio. The suggestions others have given you are more effective for overall strength training but be sure you do them with good form.

Here are two good articles on indoor cycling. Keep in mind recumbent bikes use different leg muscles than what you're used to unless you're riding a recumbent outdoors.

http://www.netplaces.com/easy-fitnes...or-cycling.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/26...tationary-bike

Do you monitor your heart rate? I use my heart rate monitor more than cadence but if you don't have one this will work just as well.

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/rpe-scale.htm.

Do you have to set cadence on your bike? If not just pedal at a comfortable pace until you build enough endurance to pedal at a higher cadence (rpm). Otherwise experiment with different rpm's and see where you fall on the chart. It's printable and you can use it for your walking too.

Congratulations on your weight loss.