Monday, March 2, 2015

What's Making Me Sweaty This Week: YouTube Workout Videos

Even though comfort food really does make me happy, baking is out and YouTube workout videos are in.

I've now been doing these videos for about eight weeks, trying Livestrong’s STRONGER series, Fitness Blender, and T-25.

The Livestrong series might be my favorite. It’s short and intense, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s led by a good-looking soccer player with a British accent. Fitness Blender, a slightly bland husband and wife team, is slower paced and takes much longer. T-25 is insanely intense. At one point on the video, one of the incredibly fit back-up dancers actually had to stop and take a break. (He’ll never work in this business again.) If he can’t do the workout, how can I?

I'm now bored with/traumatized by all of these and getting a little desperate. There is overwhelming evidence that exercise makes people happier, though, and is less fattening than comfort food, so I can’t give up.

The other day I found a list of best free workout videos on YouTube and picked Pump It Up The Ultimate Dance Workout, complete with ‘80s music, retro high-cut leotards, coordinating leg warmers, and a trainer who I suspect was chosen because she looks like Olivia Newton John in "Xanadu." And has an Australian accent. The requisite Cher look-alike was in the second row.

Important features of this video included aggressive hip thrusting, hair extensions, heavy make-up, and sultry looks. There was quite a bit of head tossing as well, which I mostly skipped. It's sexy, but what if I strain my neck?

Nearly all workout videos’ primary purpose is in demonstrating the value of a second take. Did the trainer actually say “Fasten it up!” instead of “Faster”?

Jillian Michaels was another video on the best-of list, and I agree that it’s a good workout. But she scares me a little. I consider that a negative; maybe you're in the market for a drill sergeant as a trainer. On the plus side, her tights were so low-rise that I kept expecting a wardrobe malfunction. No such luck.

Yesterday I was looking for something else, but the YouTube search function on my TV was a little slow and unwieldy, so when I landed on Billy Blanks Cardio Tae Bo I went with it. The goal of this workout apparently was to count to 8. I didn’t think the back-up dancers could keep it up the entire workout but indeed they did. Especially the one wearing the pirate pants (are those actually stylishly torn on the bottom?). I know what she's thinking: "Do you think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I’m wearing these bad boys?"

She seemed to be the head cheerleader, counting to 8 with singular enthusiasm and even occasionally throwing in a “Hey hey!” And once or twice, even an inexplicable, “Ow! Ow!”

Despite her encouragement, I could not make myself do an 8-count 57,000 times. Was that part of the workout? Was I deprived of some calorie burning potential? I think I can live with that.

All of these workout videos are helping -- I’m back down a couple of pounds. And my experimenting was a good break from Livestrong, but now I'm going back to my British soccer player.

But is this making me happy? The jury is still out on that. It is, however, making me sweaty.

What’s making you sweaty this week?

3 comments:

  1. Sigh! I haven't been sweaty for weeks. I'm opening myself up to feeling your energy and perhaps thinking about maybe being more physically active (wouldn't take much for that goal.) I noticed your asked what's making me sweaty, not what's making me happy. Hmmm.

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    1. Perhaps another walk could be in the cards, now that the sidewalks have re-emerged?

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  2. I am always way late to the blog posts - my comments average about 2-3 weeks after the original post.

    I loved the research linking exercise to preventing depression. That was a great summary. After going swimming 5 times a day at 6:00 morning for 7 months last year, I have kind of fallen off the wagon. Since we do it outside (April 1 - Nov 1) the date to start again is coming - and I have serious doubts I can do it again!. But your 80s workout videos have kind of inspired me to get some more motivation!

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