Work Outs

I like to work out every morning. Sometimes I don't feel like it or put it off for a while, but ultimately, I enjoy doing it and I always feel better after I do. Some days I feel like I can't fully wake up without a morning work out. Some days I just feel guilty of I don't do it. Either way, it's something I try to get in every day.

Most days I do Bodies in Motion with Gilad, which are reruns on FitTV. I have used his workouts off and on since Junior High and maybe even before. They're great because they are only a half hour and they pack in a lot - a warm up and cool down, aerobics, abs, and a different muscle group every day. This is my go-to workout and I keep a new one on the DVR every day.

My other go-to workout is Yoga Booty Ballet - the Live series, which is filmed live in their studio in LA. These workouts are tougher in the aerobics area, but also include some yoga and meditation as well. The dances are really fun though and it's rare to find female instructors on a workout video that don't annoy me. The problem with these workouts is that they are longer, closer to 45-50 minutes. This is good and fine on days when I am off, but it's sometimes harder to find the motivation to start one.

I always like trying new workouts too, and nowadays, with a Wii and Xbox Kinect in the house, there are even more options than just DVDs. I have tried Wii Fit in the past, but found that the short exercises and lots of menu time don't really work well for a continuous workout. On the Wii, I do like Gold's Cardio Gym and EA Active. Gold's is a kickboxing-type of workout with lots of bag punching, which works very well. EA Active is a harder workout, but always seems to take longer than it says it will. Plus, you need to wear a leg band with the nunchuck in it, that always seems to slip down as you work out, which makes the game unable to recognize your movements. It's frustrating when the game makes you do things over and over until it registers that you've done it.

I just got an Xbox Kinect, and it's great because you don't need to use or hold any controllers for the workout games. I have the Zumba fitness game and Your Shape, as well as the game Just Dance. I haven't tried much Zumba, but Just Dance is a pretty good cardio workout, though it is hard to learn the moves. Your Shape is pretty good, but again, seems to always take a little longer than it says it will, because for each workout, you need to go through a "learn the moves" part first (when you want to do a new workout for the first time). That is helpful when you go into the full workout, but definitely makes it take a while.

Anyway, today I am going to try a new DVD that I borrowed from the library yesterday - the New York City Ballet workout DVD, which was recommended to me by a friend years ago when I got into Yoga Booty Ballet. Because I'm off today, I think that after that, if I don't think it was a great workout I may try more Xbox workouts, but we'll see. Mixing it up keeps it interesting and insures that I'm using different muscles every day.