I stole this saying from a little pillow I bought for Lynne at Stein Mart when I was looking for Mother's Day gifts. I guess I must be poor, because I exercise almost every day. Actually, I pretty much have to force myself to take a day off and just RELAX.
I do several different types of exercise, but some days, it's either too hot, too cold, too dark, or too windy to run, play tennis, or swim. So I have an enormous collection of videos and DVDs. Each instructor has his or her own strengths and drawbacks. I figured that I will just give you my impression of the major players that I use for home exercise.
1) Billy Blanks Tae Bo -
2) The Firm - various instructors
3) Janis Saffell and Guillermo Gomez
4) Tony Horton
5) Gilad -
6) Rockin Body with Shawn T
7) Debbie Siebers
1) Tae Bo with Billy Blanks. Billy is one of my favorites. You don't need any equipment except for a pair of dumbells, some resistance bands,and a mat. His videos range from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. Some are easy, and some are hard. The toughest one is called Ultimate Boot Camp. The first time I tried, I couldn't finish the whole thing. It's about 51 minutes long and uses resistance bands. His moves have very little choreography - they are mostly punching and kicking. Try TaeBo if you want a tough workout that builds muscle.
2) The Firm. As I said, they use a lot of different instructors. The series is also one of my favorites. The best thing about the Firm is that one DVD usually has three or four separate workouts on it, so that maximizes your investment. As with TaeBo, some are easy and some are harder. The toughest one is The 500 Calorie Workout. It lasts an hour and you will end up drenched in sweat, and I think you really do burn 500 calories, which is a lot. I like the Firm because they are designed for women, and so they give you a nice toned shape. Some of them are pure dance, so you can work on gaining coordination. There are about 34 different workouts to pick from, so even if you stick with just the Firm, you can still get a lot of variety. For these, you need dumbells, a mat, and a step. I would say use these if you want a curvy, toned shape.
3) Janis Saffell and Guillermo Gomez. I only have two of these. I don't know if they make them anymore, but you can find everything on EBay. Their workouts combine cardio with light weights, alternating between the two. They are on the easier side and both last 55 minutes. And both Janis and Guillermo are super cute (especially Guillermo, when he says "Now we estraighten our legs" "Let's sculpt a little bit our legs"). I wish I could find more.You only need weights for this. I think this series is good for overall light toning, or maintenance of fitness. I wish Guillermo was my personal trainer. (Creepy old lady, right here).
4) Tony Horton. This adorable dude has been around for a long time. He does workouts under the Beach Body brand, as well as Kenpo X. He pops up under different labels, but I am always happy to see Tony Horton on the label.I have him in both DVD and VHS form - that's how long he has been hanging in. His workouts are a lot of punching, kicking, and jumping jacks. But you don't need any equipment at all. There is no floor work with Tony - all standing moves. His latest one has an 11 minute introduction that is all yoga. His workouts are medium in intensity, but that yoga segment is tough, because it really tests your flexibility. Increasing my flexxie is one of my fitness goals for this year. And there is a rolling clock on the right side and/or on the bottom, so you know how far along you are - I love watching the clock wind down. For some reason that excites me - but, hey, it's the little things in life.
5)Gilad. Gilad Jancowicz is this super hot, dark, swarthy Israeli dude. He was basically the Bruce Jenner of Israel, and he is in the Jewish Business Hall of Fame, because dude has been WORKIN' it forever. He has a perfect male physique. His workouts are old-school low impact aerobics, and I only have VHS versions. The workouts are so entertaining - Gilad flies in a glider around Hawaii, stopping here and there for a segment. He has 3 girls and 1 guy workout with him, and everyone is coiffed, made up, and wearing awesome theme costumes, like Captain of the Boat hats with white thong leotards. The workouts are on the easy side, but they are nice to do when you just want to get your heart beating. And did I tell you that Gilad is hot? They are a full hour long, so that's a nice long cardio workout. You will need a mat for Gilad .
6) Rockin' Body with Shaun T. Another Beach Body project. SOOOOOOOO SOOOOOO SOOOOO fun !!! There are 2 DVDs, with a total of 7 different workouts. They range in time from 15 to 45 minutes. The hardest circuit training one (red cover) is Rock It Out, and it's hard. The hardest dance one (blue cover) is Shaun T's Dance Party. That one is really good for developing coordination. You learn a really fun dance routine in 3 parts, then put it all together. My complaint with these is that the DVDs are of very poor quality. Sometimes it takes 3 tries to load it on the TV. These have choices to fit any fitness level. I wish they were made better.
7)Debbie Siebers. Mix It Up, Ramp It Up, and Burn It Up. These are solid medium difficulty workouts. They are repetitive, but each segment makes sense. They also have the time clock on the side and bottom, and you know that gets points from me. That's so weird. Also, Debbie is the perfect combo of cuteness, fitness, and cueing. They last a good 50-60 minutes, but it goes fast. You need resistance bands,dumbells, and a mat for these. Once when I was doing one, my resistance band broke and clocked me in the eyebrow. It hurt and was bleeding and swelled up, so I quit and went to Pavilions to buy popcorn. So here I am, already in a baaaad mood, and guess what? Popcorn was $4.59. I AM SURE. It should cost a dollar. So there I am, swollen and discolored and stinky from working out, and I'm muttering swear words in Pavilions. Even with this bad memory, I like Debbie Siebers. I did one tonight, as a matter of fact.
So there you have it. If I discover another series that really excites me, I'll let you know. There are a few that I absolutely hate, but everyone is different. My most hated series is Jillian Michaels. It's super hard, and she yells the entire time. But I wouldn't mind having her abs.
Side note : at least they now have better stuff than they did in the 80s. Exhibit A:
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