Marie Forleo wants me to workout.

So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.  Today I'll be doing my Tracy Anderson Mat Workout, but lately I've been mixing it up with Erin's recommendation: the Jillian Micheals Ripped in 30 Workout.  You get four different workouts on one dvd and each one is only 30 minutes long.  Since each workout is broken up into three 10 minute segments, this dvd would be perfect if you were following Marie's advice to integrate mini workouts into your day.  And why wouldn't you follow Marie's advice??  As I've said before, I think she's the Micheal Jordan of life advice!!  Hmmm...that's an awkward analogy, but I think you get my point.

-♥ J :)

P.S. Marie is nominated for a well deserved Shorty Award!!  You can vote for her right HERE.

The 30 Minute Workout Theory (Part 2)

Good afternoon, Veggies!!  How are we all doing this fine Tuesday after Thanksgiving???  I hope everyone had a relaxing, food and fun filled weekend.  Hey…what's that I see in the distance??  Why…it's a wagon.  Let's hop back on it, shall we??

Now where did we leave off???  Oh, yes.  My favorite 30 minute workout videos.  I have certain criteria for a good 30 minute workout.  First and foremost, the video has to be a challenge.  If I am going to go through the trouble of changing into workout clothes, I need to break some sort of a sweat.  If I don't feel like the workout is doing anything, I'd rather drink my coffee and watch The View.  Next, the workout should require very little equipment.  If I have to spend fifteen extra minutes hauling out some contraption (I'm looking at you Fluidity Bar…) it's not worth it to me.  Finally, the video can't be annoying.  That means no annoying instructors, no annoying music and no annoying weirdo moves.  It should be noted that each person's "annoying" threshold is a very individual thing. What I find tolerable might make you want to punch the television.  That being said, the following DVD's are some of my favorites.

-♥ J :)

Best All Around: Metamorphosis by Tracy Anderson
Required equipment: yoga mat, 3lb. weights, sneakers
Price: $89.97

My love of the Tracy Anderson workout is well documented.  Her latest incarnation is a 90 day program consisting of nine 30 minute muscular structure workouts and one 30 minute cardio workout.  To achieve maximum results, Tracy wants you to do the muscular structure and cardio workouts together.  But just between you and me…when I am pressed for time, I'll do muscular structure one day and cardio the next.  At $90 Metamorphosis is pricier than the other videos, but for that money you get ten different workouts.  That breaks down to less than $10 per workout.  Besides this is the only workout where I have actually seen the shape of my body change.  I'll pay $90 for that!!  Can't recommend it enough. 

Best Butt and Thigh: Physique 57 Express 30 Minute Full Body Workout
Required equipment: high back chair, exercise ball (sold on website)
Price: $24.95

The express version of the one hour Physique 57 workout, this video is not for the faint of thigh.  I've been doing this video for over a year and I still have to take breaks during some of the moves.  Ballet inspired, this workout quite literally kicks your butt.  When Charli and I did this video for the first time at the end she shouted, "That was the short version?!?!  I don't even want to know what the 1 hour workout is like!!"  If you do want to know what the 1 hour workout is like, you can check that out HERE.

Best Yoga: Jillian Micheals-Yoga Meltdown
Required equipment: yoga mat
Price: $12.99

This workout is great, but don't come to it looking for yogi spiritual enlightenment.  Jillian doesn't even give you so much as a parting "namaste."  This is more "exercise" yoga.  Some of you may like it for that reason...some of you may hate it for that reason.  I like it because you work up a sweat, it has fantastic core work and you get two 30 minute workouts on one dvd.  As for inner peace…eh…not so much.

Best Circuit Training: Jillian Micheals- 30 Day Shred
Required equipment: 3lb. weights, sneakers
Price: $10.99

Some days you just want to do some old school jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups.   This workout is for those days.  Basic but not boring, this DVD includes three separate workouts.   Each workout uses a 3-2-1 circuit training method: 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs.  This workout is Erin's favorite of the bunch.  She also wanted me to tell you that she loves Jillian Micheals-Ripped in 30 (which I haven't tried yet).


P.S.  For great tips from Leo about how to get back on track after the holiday click HERE.

The 30 Minute Workout Theory (Part 1)

For the past couple of weeks Erin and I have been testing out a little theory that we have aptly dubbed the "30 Minute Workout Theory."  It goes a little something like this:

1. Workout first thing in the morning for 30 minutes.
2. Live your life.

It all started because Erin didn't want to get off the couch. "I was cranky and miserable and sitting on my couch and I had like four papers to write.  I was angry and overwhelmed with stress because I had so much work to do and I hadn't made it to the gym all week which made me even angrier and turned me into a lump with no motivation.  So I called you."  After a good, productive bitch session, we determined that the problem was that Erin needs to workout to feel happy.  However, going to the gym after work, had become this huge burden.  She would spend all day lamenting the fact that after an already packed work day, she would have to venture out into the cold, dark (often wet) night, hunt for parking, workout for an hour, hunt for parking again, make dinner and then start 2 hours of homework.  Because working out had become such a chore, she was skipping it altogether.

Erin: "I wish I could just workout in the morning."
Me: "Why don't you??"
Erin: "Ugh.  I would have to get up at like 5."
Me:  "Well, what if you only worked out for 30 minutes and just did a video at home rather than going to the gym?"
Erin: "You know how I feel about working out at home.  Besides 30 minutes isn't going to be enough."

30 minutes is plenty.  Weight loss (or weight maintenance) is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. However, smart food choices are the direct result of feeling good about yourself.  If you are feeling depressed and don't want to get off of your couch, you are way more likely to inhale a bag of chips while you are there.  By waking up and banging out a solid 30 minutes, Erin would be done working out before she knew she had started.  She could begin her day with a firm dent in her to do list, as well as a sense of victory and accomplishment. 

So how did our little experiment pan out????  "It changed my life," Erin said.  "By working out in the morning, I freed up all this brain space that used to be occupied by me worrying about how I still had to workout.  Also, just changing my routine and trying something different made me feel happier." 

-♥ J :)

Up next: The 30 Minute Workout Theory (Part 2)... My favorite 30 minute workout dvds.