I tried an exercise video this morning, instead of running. A fun coworker had offered to loan it to me. The advantage, she pointed out, was that it was only 20 minutes long. You could pack a lot of benefit into a short time. She knew I wasn't fond of videos in the morning, but maybe this one would be good.
Despite my spectacularly bad attitude about these things, I do try to be a good sport. So I borrowed it for the weekend, and tried it out this morning. Monday is a good day to have a shorter workout, since I ALWAYS seem to run late after having messed with my usual routines all weekend.
The workout is the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. I did the Level 1 20 minute workout.
I'd have to say, like Yoga for Real Guys, that it seems like it's probably a good video, for people who don't hate light and sound to the level that I do in the morning. I haven't found a way to stop hating that - and this is something that just gets stronger, not more relaxed, in me as I get older. I already knew I was probably not going to get over that, and I didn't.
Beyond that, I think the 30 day shred is for people who are more fit/smaller/younger than me.
Mostly my problem with it is the knees. The cardio sections of the workout are a lot of bouncing. 30 seconds at a time of jumping jacks. 30 seconds at a time of jump ropes. 30 seconds at a time of butt-kicks (that might not have been their real name, but I can't remember...it was 5:30 AM, ok?) All of these are bouncing activities.
As you know, I actually DID do jumping jacks last week. But...the most I did at a time was 10. I noticed pretty quickly today that those (and all the other bouncing things) are DARN hard on my knees, when done in large amounts. I made it to maybe 25 the first time, and then after that I made it to maybe 5 each time. So I marched very vigorously in place, while the ladies on the screen bounced, bounced, bounced.
I'm very cautious about my knees. Though the big wide world out there swears running is hard on your knees, I have NOT found it to be hard on my knees at all. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna do some other exercise that might mess my knees up and make me not able to run.
The video WAS very helpful in reminding me of some things I can do with my hand weights for my arms. I'll take that information forward with me.
Probably the main difference between me and the video is in approach. The video sets out to get huge results in 30 days. This is the very opposite of my approach. I am at the beginning of year 3 of this business of letting God teach me to love my body. Everything I do, exercise wise, is gentle. i mean...I push myself HARD when I run...but I do it gently, if that makes sense. Jillian is hollering, "No rest!" and explaining over and over that you need to work small muscles at the same time as big muscles, because you're squeezing the whole workout into 20 minutes. As for me, I'd rather not squeeze. I'm not in a hurry. I'm not aiming for swimsuit season or under any illusion that I'm going to quickly change my body and then keep it that way forever. I'm happy to just continue with the slow, slow, slow process of getting fitter, and if it takes me 5 or 6 years to get down to the weight my body should be for best health, I'm fine with that - after all, I'm at 26 months and still have maybe 75 pounds to go, I'm guessing. I'm really done with the yo yo. No hurry here.
So, my friend, THANK YOU for loaning me the video and giving me a shot at economizing my workout. Turns out I'm just not an economizing sort of girl. I'll go back to my slow, quiet ways in the dark where I can pretend the entire planet is mine. That's what's custom made for me and my strange ways! :-)
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