Where Exercise DVD’s Go To Die

I hurt my foot jogging over the long weekend – not sure what’s up?!?  So last night I still wanted to work out and got the bright idea to go look in the dreaded exercise DVD drawer.  I have a drawer where all good exercise videos go to die.  I’m assuming that most of you have a drawer, shelf, bag with cement blocks attached ready to dump in the lake mafia style, cabinet, or closet filled with exercise DVD’s.  All claiming that they will get you into shape, make you skinny, make your life better,  get you a promotion, make you rich, give you a magic unicorn.  Ok maybe not that extreme.  But at some point we all bought into their promises and over the years acquired multiple DVD’s.  For the most part if you are diligent about using the DVD’s and staying on some kind of healthy eating plan you will get into shape and you will get skinny – no false advertising there.  Problem is – or at least it is with me – that I was hoping that the healthy/skinny part would work by osmosis.  Doesn’t just buying them count?  HAHAJ

Contents of the CEMETERY  drawer:

P90X – haven’t tried yet.  A friend had 2 copies of it and let me buy one for like $20.  So I don’t feel too bad that I have not used it.  I am thinking that I need to bust this one out pretty soon.

Hip Hop Abs – I’m a firm believer that the right music can really motivate you to keep going.  So I was excited when I got this DVD.  But the excitement didn’t last long.  All the “hip hop” music is some super lame version of elevator music – a fact they conveniently leave out of the infomercial.

Turbo Fire – I did try this one but never got past the 1^st DVD (there are over 10).  The lady, I think her name is Chalene (super skinny, blonde, cute, blah blah blah), is all smiles jumping up and down in a frenzy (all 95 pounds of her) yelling “you’re not tired”.  Wanna bet?!?  It's actually a really good program but when I was huffing and puffing just to get through the first workout I wanted to punch Chalene every time she said that crap about not being tired.

Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred - I bought this DVD a couple of years ago and I watched it.  Yes I just admitted that I watched an exercise DVD instead of actually working out to it.  I think watching it scared me into not ever wanting to use it.

Drum roll……….I picked Jillian Michaels’s 30 day shred.  I figured I’d know what to expect thanks to previewing it 2 years ago and its only 20/25 minutes - how hard it can be?  It can’t be harder than jogging.  Think again my friends.  It has 3 levels and you start with level one and do that one for a week or until you can move up to the next level.  I curse Jillian Michaels today.  My thighs are still a little shaky when I go up and down stairs.  Ok they are a bit more than shaky – they are SORE.  So sore that I have to put my hands down on the toilet seat so I can brace myself before I sit down, its quite a sightJ  She is no joke when she says “you want it in 20 minutes – you’re gonna work for it”.  That was right about the time I said to myself  “Self – you are amazingly out of shape”.  But I am glad that I did it and will continue to do it on the days that I do not jog.  Maybe alternate between jogging and Jillian.  I have a feeling that it will take me longer than 30 days to get through all 3 levels.  I recommend this DVD for anyone that wants to work out a bunch of different muscle groups at the same time or if you are a masochist. 

I was able to jog tonight so I guess I have a date with Jillian tomorrowJ