Fitness/Reviewing
Over the years, I've become more and more dedicated to exercising at home. Currently, I own a recumbent bike as well as approximately 100 exercise DVDs and various other equipment (eg, different sizes of weights, stability ball, medicine ball, high step, Pilates ring, yoga mats, yoga blocks, etc.). I generally work out out 6-7 times per week and do a mix of cardio, strength training, yoga, and (not as much anymore) Pilates. I have reviewed all of the exercise DVDs that I own (and many, many more) on Amazon.com, where I am a Top Reviewer. To learn more, keep reading!
EXERCISE ACTIVITIES
Cardio and Strength Training
Although I've used exercise videos for years now, I never really liked aerobics videos, so I stuck to my bike to provide me with a cardio workout. However, I discovered kickboxing, and to my surprise, I really liked it! My first kickboxing video was Kathy Smith's Kickboxing Workout, which is very doable for beginners and has fun combinations. I've tried Tae Bo as well, but I've never really clicked with it. As I've gotten more experienced, I've enjoyed Turbo Jam Cardio Party (the first one), Cathe's KPC, and Tracey Staehle's Cardio Sweatfest (the kickboxing portion). But one of my favorite instructors is Kelly Coffey-Meyer (she lives in my hometown!), and so my absolute favorite kickboxing video is probably her 30 Minutes to Fitness Kickboxing. I sometimes enjoy more "dancey" cardio as well, such as my current favorite, 10 Minute Solution Fat Blasting Dance Mix.
However, I try to keep my cardio to a minimum (one long session per week), as I've found that in general, my body responds better to weight training. I alternate between various types of weight work, including heavier lifting, endurance training, functional fitness, and even barre-type work. As mentioned above, I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kelly Coffey-Meyer and highly recommend her weight training DVDs as well as most of her cardio/weights interval workouts, especialy those from her 30 Minutes to Fitness series. Some of my other favorite strength workout videos include Anna Benson's original FitPrime series (now unfortunately out of print), Jari Love's original Get Ripped!, and Denise's Beatty's Fitness Fix series, especially the Intermediate DVD. I've also recently been doing barre-type workouts; so far, my favorite has been Barre3.
Yoga/Pilates/Other Flexibility Training
I first tried yoga in the fall of 2001 (by coincidence, I got my first yoga video just after September 11th). Yoga was much different than I expected: on the one hand, it doesn't require flexibility as a prerequisite, and on the other, it's much more physically demanding than I had realized (you can definitely work up a sweat!). Also, you don't have to get involved in the more meditative aspects of the practice if you don't want to do so (although this can be very beneficial!). Now, I've become a real yogini--yoga videos make up the majority of my collection, and I've also attended a wide variety of classes and workshops since taking my first community yoga class in January 2004. I am also the Official Media Reviewer for the web site iHanuman.com, an online community of yoga teachers; you can view my photo gallery of yoga poses on that site.
When I was first starting out, I found Patricia Walden's Yoga Practice for Beginners a great way to learn the poses, although it is a bit dry. My very first yoga video was actual Rodney Yee's Abs Yoga for Beginners; I was able to do this video without any prior exposure to yoga, although it's not really traditional yoga. Suzanne Deason's Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss is also a good starting point for beginners since it offers 4 different levels of modifications (one of the most important mantras in yoga is modify, modify, modify!). Some of my current favorite yoga videos are Rodney Yee's Yoga Conditioning for Athletes (believe me, you don't have to be athletic to do this one!), also his AM Yoga for Your Week (my most-used yoga DVD of 2009 and probably 2010 as well), and Tilak Pyle's Yoga: Altar of the Heart. And I'd be remiss if I did not mention Barbara Benagh, as her Yoga for Stress Relief and AM-PM Yoga are another two of my most-used yoga DVDs. If you want to learn more about yoga, an excellent online resource is the web site for Yoga Journal magazine. On the YJ site, you can find beginner's tips, information about different types of yoga, detailed pose instructions, and much more!
Pilates (puh-la-tease) is a form of exercise based on the work of Joseph Pilates. It involves a series of exercises which focus on your midsection (aka the Pilates "Powerhouse") and are performed almost entirely on the floor (referred to as matwork). I began Pilates in 2000 after receiving the book The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler as a gift. This is an excellent book for those brand-new to Pilates, and it provides detailed information about how to build your own home Pilates routine. Eventually, however, I wanted to see the exercises being performed on video, and so I purchased Ana Caban's Beginning Mat Workout, which also provides excellent instruction. I don't do as much Pilates since I've gotten more into yoga (and other activities such as Classical Stretch), but I still love Ana Caban's PM Pilates and Karen Voight's Pilates Abs & Back. A newer Pilates DVD that I like, particularly because it adds the use of a small ball, is Pilates Super Sculpt.
Finally, as I get older, I try to devote more and more time to stretching. Of course, this includes my yoga activities, but several years ago, I discovered a program that I really enjoy called Classical Stretch Miranda Esmonde-White, founder of Classical Stretch, offers episodes on PBS that are available on DVD as well. I try to do CS about twice a week.
Running
I tried running for the first time during in 2004. To train for a 5k race, a friend and I loosely followed this Couch-to-5k Running Plan, which coaches you on gradually increasing your running time and/or distance. I ran my first (and possibly only!) 5k race on October 9, 2004. My time was 32:12, which I'm told is pretty good for a first race; I ran most of it but did need a few short walk breaks. During the race, I thought I'd never do another one, but who knows maybe someday...in the meantime, that's me in the blue shorts below (at far right in the left photo and in the center crossing the finish line).
Old Fitness News
Back in the summer of 2005, I was selected as part of a national test group for fitness instructor Karen Voight's new Sleek Essentials program. By the end of the 12-week test period, I had lost 6 lbs. and 7 total inches. In September 2005, I went to LA to provide a testimonial for the Sleek Essentials informercial, it showed in some test areas in late February 2007, but in unfortunately never really went into wide release--so much for my film career! :p Find out more about Sleek Essentials at www.sleekessentials.com.
My Reviewing Hobby
I've been reviewing regularly for Amazon since the late 1990s and broke into the Top 1000 reviewers in the early 2000s. During the fall of 2008, Amazon.com changed their reviewer ranking system, and I suddenly rose from being ranked in the 80s to being their #1 Reviewer--only the SECOND person to ever hold this position (Harriet Klausner, who held the title for years, was the first). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to stay in the #1 spot for long, as 24 days later, "Mark" came out of nowhere to displace me. After that, I remained in the #2 spot for several years, but as Amazon has continued to tweak their ranking system (i.e., giving greater weight to video reviews, I have gradually slipped), although I am still in the Top 20. Check out my reviews of books and exercise DVDs in particular under my reviewer name, doctor_beth (yes, I am actually a doctor, just not a medical one--as noted elsewhere, I have my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and am licensed in the state of New York).
During the Summer of 2007, I was asked to be the Official Media Reviewer for iHanuman.com, an online community of yoga teachers. Their download store includes both video and audio practices. My contact person at iHanuman is Tilak Pyle, instructor of my absolute favorite yoga DVD, Yoga: Altar of the Heart.
Also since Fall 2007, I have been reviewing regularly for another online site, Metapsychology Online Reviews; many of my reviews for Metapsychology are health-related, including books and fitness DVDs. Too bad I'm not getting paid for any of this! ;)