Confessions of an Exercise Video Junkie
Friday, April 20th, 2007Before I got pregnant I used exercise videos for about 10 years. I did gain a reasonable amount of strength and conditioning from these and I learned that I could be fit with out having to catch or throw a ball. I used advanced videos by instructors like Cathe Friedrich, P90X, CIA. My problem was that I had so many videos to choose from (and many of them too long for the amount of time I had) that I would flit from this to that to the other thing. I lacked focus.
Enter new baby on the scene.
After I had Sam, I just don’t have as much time anymore. I used to get up around 4:30, workout for about an hour, go feed the chickens, get ready for work and make breakfast. Ha! To have that much time again. I can usually get enough time to do some ab work, get ready for work and breastfeed Sam. That is certainly not enough for losing the 10 lbs I had left from pregnancy or the aditional 10 lbs on top of that.
When I went back to work at 8 weeks post partum I was sufficiently recovered from the c-section to start a vigorous exercise program so I joined a gym and started going on my lunch hour. I was focusing on squats, Romanian deadlifts, pushups and assisted pullups. My goals are to lose 20 lbs, do a real pull up and run a 5k.
I read about Turbulence Training on the Video Fitness forums where I have been a lurker since before the dawn of time. After a couple of weeks of research I purchased Turbulence Training for Women from http://www.grrlathlete.com/. I started with the beginner workout. There’s an introductory workout that’s even more beginnerish, but I had already spent about 4 weeks getting some level of fitness back before I purchased TT.
Now, I have to admit…I don’t do TT exactly as prescribed. I only really only have about 1/2 an hour to workout after driving, changing, showering, etc. So I alternate weightlifting and HIIT cardio days instead of doing it on the same day. I also do ab work at home in the morning (usually with a video…still love them!). In three weeks I’ve lost 5 lbs and can fit in all my pre-pregnancy jeans and I’m squatting and bench pressing more than I ever have in my life. I’m also working out for less time every day than ever before. Who would have thought that half an hour would be enough? But it is!
Diet definitely plays a key here. I’m breastfeeding, so I don’t really restrict myself or measure anything. If I’m hungry, I eat. I try to limit junk food to once a week. We tend to eat pretty good…lots of whole foods, never any fast food, lots of veggies and fruits. I may have to be more restrictive when Sam is weaned.
The thing I like the best about TT is that I’m not overwhelmed with choices. I know what I’m going to be doing on a given day, and if I don’t make it to the gym I can most likely do something similar at home. Although, I am getting to the point where I won’t be able to squat at home cause I won’t be able to lift the bar over my head. I’ll face that hurdle when I get there.
After I finish this first four weeks I think I will give up the videos for ab work too. I’m already finding that I wish certain exercises were in videos or that the video moves too fast or whatever. I may give up videos altogether (gasp!). Oh wait…there’s always stretching. I love to stretching videos too.
