Background for "My Great Journey With Exercise Videos"

A while back, I made a post about exercising and how it important it is to me.  Then I promised to post reviews of my videos to help out those that might be looking for something like what I use.  And I have not done anything with it since.  To be honest, the task has been a bit daunting as I have been using exercise videos for about six years now.  It all started when I gained a little too much weight in my second pregnancy so when I tried to get back into my regular running routine (which I did pretty-much all through college, simply because I was intimidated with the thought of going to the gym - haha), I was WAY off-balance.  (And it was winter, that might have had something to do with it, too - since he was born in December.)  In any case, after a twisted ankle a few scrapes and bruises I decided I needed to try something else.  I bought one of those steps from Wal-mart.  You know the pretty green and purply color ones.  I should add that those steps are actually a bit smaller than the regular "health club" step, just FYI.  Anyhow, the step came with a video: "Basic Step" by Cathe.  I started with that one and continued using Cathe videos pretty exclusively for about five years.  It has only been in the past six to eight months that I have tried a few other series.

Why you may ask?  Well I will tell you!  First off, because I LOVE Cathe.  I fell in love with her from the start as she is so positive and upbeat.  She was encouraging and fun.  She was very "doable."  She is not quite like some of the other leaders out there that are all crazy and tough.  She is more "try this, do what you can until you get there."  She CAN be intense and encourages reaching that level, but she is definitely VERY approachable at all levels of fitness.  Secondly, I did try getting another video shortly after purchasing a few Cathe ones.  It was called "Slim and Lean" by Jari Love.  I tried it maybe twice and was SOOO disappointed.  IT WAS SOOO BORING!!!  And Jari was not all that encouraging or anything.  From then until about January of this year I have been a tried and true "Cathlete."  Now, why have I suddenly changed some. . . well I have been doing these videos for so long my body has some SERIOUS muscle memory going on.  In other words, I have "burned out" on these combos and they no longer require much effort AT ALL.  Now, Cathe has put out more videos since the ones I have used, but they have changed some and she really adapts to meet all different audiences, some AWESOME (like her Low Impact Series) and some a little disappointing (some of her X-Train Series).  In any case, I was just ready for something new and more intense.  A friend lent me P-90X.  and although I enjoyed Tony a lot, I was not all that impressed with the program, so I moved on to Insanity.  That was fun, but I was already the level of the "second set" of videos and although they are pretty decent work-outs and require no equipment, they are certainly NOT all that joint friendly or that much fun really. . .but I do plan to continue using them as I am able.  The previously mentioned friend also let me my latest passion, Turbo Fire by Chalene.  Wow, those regular cardio work-outs are SO MUCH FUN!!  The hiit ones are pretty good, too (although I think Cathe's hiit videos are tougher).  I was not so impressed with the "strength" ones as they use a band and it just pulled funny or I could not figure out the right strength level. (I have quite a few weights, so I lean more toward just doing traditional weight exercises.)  And I have not even TRIED the stretch videos yet.  (Oops!  Yeah, that is just how I roll, I'm still learning to like stretching and Yoga stuff. . . I know it is good exercise and good for your body but I just have trouble with something that does not make me sweat profusely or hurt afterward.  I do plan to give them a shot one day. . . honest.)

In any case, this is my "work-out journey" in a nutshell.  My next goal is to get up some reviews of my favorite videos, so stay tuned.

In the mean time, here is a lovely photo of my recently updated work-out space.  I posted about it moving from the basement to the garage a while back.  Now my dearest hubby has helped me "tidy it up" and "upgrade" (notice the nice big screen tv?!?) some.  We are also planning to climate control the garage, so once we get that figured out, it will be golden.  In the mean time, I often sweat a little extra during work-outs in the summer, even if I get up early, but it is a great space, so I really cannot complain much!