A Week With The DVDs

I exercised six days last week.  That's counting the two days I'm at the gym.  Finally, I figured out how to reset up the DVD player.  When the exterminators came in a month ago to get rid of the bed bugs (I haven't seen any in awhile--knock on wood), they had unhooked the DVD from my TV.  It took awhile for me to figure out what cord goes where.  The instructions I have weren't a whole lot of help.  But then, what instructions for TV and DVD hookups are?

I pulled out a few exercise DVDs, mixing them up for a little variety.  I need a mix of strength training and cardio, not only strength training like my neighbor Eric suggested.  Eric is big on weight lifting, the type of guy who spends three plus hours in a traditional gym hoisting 300+ pounds and more.  Being strong is a plus, but strength alone does not win boxing matches.  I've seen too many guys walk into the boxing gym who think their muscles are the only advantage they need.  Stamina and conditioning count for a lot.  If neither one of those are present, a boxer can't expect to be very successful when facing an opponent.

I like Kettlebell 3-in-1 with Amy Bento.  There are two complete workouts on the DVD, the first one being the right pace for beginners.  The second workout is for the intermediate level which is just slightly more intense.  Ms. Bento has a tutorial so that people can learn how to use the kettlebell properly before they begin.  Working with kettlebells is a combination of strength training as well as cardio. 

Sarah Lurie has a DVD set called Iron Core Kettlebell.  Complaints I read online about these DVDs were about the 30 second breaks in-between sets.  You know what?  They're needed.  Ms. Lurie is no joke when it comes to this workout, which is more intense than Ms. Bento's. While Ms. Bento is friendly, Ms. Lurie is no-nonsense and about the business.  That Turkish Getup exercise where you have to raise up from the floor while keeping an eye on the kettlebell?  Legalized torture. 

The other two DVDs I used were by ray-of-sunshine Leslie Sansone.  Ms. Sansone is very cheery, talkative, and upbeat which helps a lot when one is trying to stay motivated to exercise.  She is the queen of power walking workouts.  I like her workouts because they are gentle to the joints.  Years ago, when I turned thirty, I guess I was grumbling about the loss of flexibility, which I was beginning to notice.  A former co-worker of mine, Mary (God rest her soul), told me, "Wait until you turn fifty."  She was right.  Don't think a walking workout is easy or wimpy.  I'm sweating by the time I get to the middle of it.  The two DVDs I used last week were Punch Up Your Walk (which involves using weighted gloves that were included with the DVD) and Walk Away the Pounds.  Both DVDs give the option of doing the whole workout or just 1, 2, 3, or 4 miles of walking depending how much time you have and how you feel. 

Next week, I'll wade through the other exercise DVDs I have to keep the variety going.