I am not a gym girl. I've been to the gym like one time in my life. I don't know what to do there. Besides the fact I don't have money for a membership, I find it pretty intimidating. In my journey to be healthier and more toned, I've come across these gym-alternatives. These are my absolute favorites and they don't take much time. I come home from my 10 hours at work and try and do one of these things. If I can do it then so can you! NO EXCUSES (gotta love Jillian Michaels). :) I've seen results (aka more definition) in less than two weeks.
1. The Biggest Loser: Cardio Max (approx. 30 min): INTENSE! This dvd is crazy and amazing. It has so many options for workouts. You can choose warm-up, cool-down and 3 levels of workouts or there are 3 separate workouts for the 6 week maximum results program. I like that this pushes me beyond what I think I'm capable of. Plus, nobody's as motivating as Bob and Jillian.
2. The Girls Next Door Workout (approx. 15 min): Laugh all you want, but it works. Senior year of college I became a GND fan. I was extremely excited and curious as to what the workout dvd would be like. Each of the girls have their own 15 minute workouts. This is my go-to workout. I start with Bridget's warm-up and leg routines and end with Holly's arms, abs and cool-down routines. It still ends up being around 15 minutes. I've only attempted Kendra's twice. It's not as easy to follow, but I'm sure if I did it more frequently I'd be able to catch on.
3. Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred (approx. 20 min): Unfortunately I don't have my own copy of this, but my local library does. I love her 3-2-1 interval system. This workout is simple and very effective. My goal is to get my own copy and consistently do it for 30 days for maximum results.
4. From Couch to 5k (approx. 12-30 min): Anyone love a free workout? I know I've mentioned this before. Heather and I got through week two and then life (and bad weather) happened. We're planning to get back into it next week.
5. Winsor Pilates (approx. 20 min): This workout is not strenuous, in fact I find it very relaxing. I usually just do the 20 minute workout and haven't ventured much into the accelerated. This is a good option to do in between the more intense cardio workouts.
If you cannot afford to purchase any or all of these, check your local library. Check outs for dvds are between one and two weeks long (at least at mine they are). If the library doesn't have it, you can always check youtube for snippets of the different workouts. I got my copy of BL Cardio from the used section of Hastings. I'm pretty sure I'll go there to get Jillian's too. The one thing I love about Hastings is that they guarantee their used dvds, so if it doesn't work you can always exchange it for one that does. I think the most important thing is to stay active, whether it's working out or even just going on a walk. Like Bob says on BL Cardio, "Just keep moving." Also, when looking for a workout (or a way to stay active) find something that you enjoy doing. Working out is much more bearable when you're having fun. I'd love to hear your favorite workouts or workout motivations.
