I’ve never been a regular workout kind of girl. I think that’s because I’ve been relatively skinny my entire life and never really HAD to workout. But after I turned 30, I noticed I was becoming more “skinny fat.” Even thought I was still thin, my waist was growing a little pot belly. I think my age compounded with the fact that I love eating and really love me some cocktails had something to do with it. I’ve never been overweight, but at 6’1″ and 155 lbs., I was a size 8 who wanted to be a size 4 or 6 like I was in my 20′s.
I’ve never had any real motivation to do more than the occasional workout, until I got engaged and tried on my first wedding dress. I noticed myself leaning towards dresses that were fuller, ballgown types, simply because I liked that I could hide my stomach in them. That’s just wrong! Plus, looking at the 4-way mirrors in bridal stores had taken it’s toll. I knew it was a good time for a change.
I didn’t want to start one of those crazy fasts and become anorexic, nor did I want to become obsessed with working out. I simply wanted to start viewing working out as something I just DID, like eating lunch or washing my face. The key was to find a workout that wasn’t boring, because I have ADD and will not last long doing something I don’t like. I also decided I needed to cut out certain foods in my diet, like chocolate and cornbread. Yes, I live in the South so those sometimes go hand in hand.
Now I’ve been trying to workout regularly (3-4 times a week, though I try to do something active EVERY day) and have cut out most sweets and gluten (we won’t get into that). I also TRY to limit my alcohol to only a couple drinks on the weekend only. So far I’ve lost 6 lbs. in about two months, and that’s with a few splurges from time to time (like that crappy hotel pizza I ate in Louisville at midnight). In addition to running 2-3 miles in the park and the gym, I’ve become a fan of Exercise TV’s On Demand station. Instead of sticking to just one workout plan, the various choices allow me to keep it fun and switch it up. (Actually, “fun” is taking it a little overboard. I should say “Not totally boring.”) Since I’ve gotten into the swing of things, I’ve tried all kinds of workouts…from yoga and pilates to Bollywood cardio workouts and crazy lunge routines.
I thought I’d put my ADD-like workout tendencies to use and review the workout programs, classes, and DVDs I’ve been experimenting with for other brides-to-be who are looking to get in shape. If you have a workout dvd, class, or tv program you love, tell me about it in the comments section, or email me at womangettingmarried@gmail.com.
Here’s my first review:
Exercise TV Bikini Revolution, Cardio 1
See a preview here
What you’ll need: light handweights, sneakers Time: 30 minsModel Brooklyn Decker (married to Andy Roddick) and trainer Jade Alexis teamed up with Elle magazine for this 21-day workout program. You can buy their DVD series, or try several of them for free from Exercise TV. Despite being sore all week from doing a workout set from the latest issue of Women’s Health that had crazy squat thrusts, I decided to do the 21 Day Cardio 1 this morning.
The video started off a little weird because you’re not really sure why Brooklyn AND the trainer are there, but whatever. The trainer starts with a warmup of jumping jacks and boxing punches. Once the warmup is complete, the trainer explains what’s coming up next which is nice. A lot of workout DVDs have me totally confused by the time we start the exercise, so it was nice to know what’s going to happen for a change.
The workout is essentially four different sections with increasing reps for each (5, 10, 15). The first section was by far the hardest, with squat thrusts (not again!), line drills (where you jump side to side over an invisible line), square line drills (you jump forward/side/back/side to form a square), “fake” jump roping, mountain climbers (where you get in the plank position and jog your legs one-by-one towards your chest), and punches with/without lightweights.
The workout was highly effective in getting my heartrate up…so much so that I thought I might puke after, and had to sit down and catch my breath. I liked that it was all about intervals, and brought my heartrate up and then back down (though never to a resting heartrate, hence my almost puking.) I still HATE those squat thrusts. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m doing them wrong, but my lower back is killing me. I’m sure I’ll be walking like a grandma for the entire weekend.
Overall rating…
Would I do it again? Yes
Stay tuned for more ADD Workout reviews!
