Feeling Fit
It's all Mandy's fault. I'm looking a bit trimmer than I used to. I have a bit more energy. I've stopped drinking so much coffee and I'm ready to start running again. These changes are very good and I am pleased about them. I blame Mandy.
Everyone who has been reading this column the last few months knows that I'm trying to exercise more. I have worked out on the elliptical and last spring took up running. I also do some workout videos that I can get on cable TV. On Demand is a wonderful thing.
I like to do different things because I get bored doing the same workout all the time. It's also good to change things up and work on different muscles etc. If I do a workout video it has to be no longer than 20-25 minutes. Since early morning is the only time I have to work out on a consistent basis that is all the time I have to spare.
I have done workouts by several different trainers. I tried Pilates with Nicole Stewart. I did abs with Amy Dixon. I've even done all the "Bootylicious Buns" workouts with Jennifer Galardi. (This despite the fact that I prefer 'backside or glutes' to 'booty'.) The trainer I like best is Cindy Whitmarsh, but sometimes there are no workouts of hers available On Demand. Since I'm too thrifty (or cheap) to buy workout videos when I can get them On Demand I was making do with what is there.
This is where Mandy came in. Mandy was doing Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred".
I had heard of Jillian Michaels, some of her workouts were On Demand. They all looked hard like something a trained athlete would do,not novices like me. I also thought she was into boxing. I am morally opposed to boxing. If two people were boxing each other on a street corner it would be considered assault and arrests would be made. If you get people to pay for it and put it in a ring then it's a sport. I don't get it.
I digress.
Mandy seemed to like it a lot. The "30 Day Shred" is three workouts starting with an easier one and progressing in difficulty. The workouts are 20 minutes long and have strength, cardio and ab work in them. It seemed like what I was looking for. The level one workout was available On Demand. I decided to put aside my reservations and try it.
Much to my surprise I liked it. A lot. It had everything that I wanted in the time frame I needed. It was challenging. Jillian pointed out that if you are going to do a 20 minute workout, you have to work for 20 minutes non stop. I could understand that. Better yet, I could do it. Although the workout left me feeling tired and wrung out like a wet washcloth,I also felt energized.
I did level one for two weeks and then bought the DVD so I could do levels two and three. I decided that I had to be able to do each level nonstop before I'd let myself go to the next one. It would take me about two weeks to reach this goal.
Right now I'm doing level three. I like it because even the cardio work has a strength component to it. It also works the backside and thighs a bit more. The part I don't like is the jumping. Some of the jump moves have non jumping alternatives. Two of them don't. I understand why they work, but I'm still nervous about doing them. They come at the end of the workout when I'm getting tired. All it would take is one bad landing and something gets broken. This doesn't stop me from doing them, I just try to be as careful as I can.
I'm hoping that once I finish level three the weather will warm up enough to allow me to run again. If it doesn't I can go back to the "Shred" or anything else Jillian has to dish out. I hear there's a "Last Chance Workout".....
Everyone who has been reading this column the last few months knows that I'm trying to exercise more. I have worked out on the elliptical and last spring took up running. I also do some workout videos that I can get on cable TV. On Demand is a wonderful thing.
I like to do different things because I get bored doing the same workout all the time. It's also good to change things up and work on different muscles etc. If I do a workout video it has to be no longer than 20-25 minutes. Since early morning is the only time I have to work out on a consistent basis that is all the time I have to spare.
I have done workouts by several different trainers. I tried Pilates with Nicole Stewart. I did abs with Amy Dixon. I've even done all the "Bootylicious Buns" workouts with Jennifer Galardi. (This despite the fact that I prefer 'backside or glutes' to 'booty'.) The trainer I like best is Cindy Whitmarsh, but sometimes there are no workouts of hers available On Demand. Since I'm too thrifty (or cheap) to buy workout videos when I can get them On Demand I was making do with what is there.
This is where Mandy came in. Mandy was doing Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred".
I had heard of Jillian Michaels, some of her workouts were On Demand. They all looked hard like something a trained athlete would do,not novices like me. I also thought she was into boxing. I am morally opposed to boxing. If two people were boxing each other on a street corner it would be considered assault and arrests would be made. If you get people to pay for it and put it in a ring then it's a sport. I don't get it.
I digress.
Mandy seemed to like it a lot. The "30 Day Shred" is three workouts starting with an easier one and progressing in difficulty. The workouts are 20 minutes long and have strength, cardio and ab work in them. It seemed like what I was looking for. The level one workout was available On Demand. I decided to put aside my reservations and try it.
Much to my surprise I liked it. A lot. It had everything that I wanted in the time frame I needed. It was challenging. Jillian pointed out that if you are going to do a 20 minute workout, you have to work for 20 minutes non stop. I could understand that. Better yet, I could do it. Although the workout left me feeling tired and wrung out like a wet washcloth,I also felt energized.
I did level one for two weeks and then bought the DVD so I could do levels two and three. I decided that I had to be able to do each level nonstop before I'd let myself go to the next one. It would take me about two weeks to reach this goal.
Right now I'm doing level three. I like it because even the cardio work has a strength component to it. It also works the backside and thighs a bit more. The part I don't like is the jumping. Some of the jump moves have non jumping alternatives. Two of them don't. I understand why they work, but I'm still nervous about doing them. They come at the end of the workout when I'm getting tired. All it would take is one bad landing and something gets broken. This doesn't stop me from doing them, I just try to be as careful as I can.
I'm hoping that once I finish level three the weather will warm up enough to allow me to run again. If it doesn't I can go back to the "Shred" or anything else Jillian has to dish out. I hear there's a "Last Chance Workout".....
I'm impressed!
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