Super Shredder Circuit – Michelle Bridges (2009)

Cover blurb

Are you someone who gets bored easily? I have the answer. This type of training is my specialty and this DVD is just like a real personal training session with yours truly. I do this style of training at least twice a week and it kicks my butt.
That said, I know that my mum can do this workout too, it is for everyone as I have covered every option. There are 5 circuits, each one goes for 5 minutes, so once you've done the warm up you can do all 5, or just 2, depending on your time. The more you do though, the better the results. You will work muscles you never thought you had and yet because of my methods of balancing the perfect workout, you will be surprised at how you can last the distance and do far more than you thought!

Review: After an introductory warm up the program is divided into six, five minute circuits, each with five exercises that are done for ten repetitions, for a total of fifty moves. You can arrange the circuits in the pattern that best suits you, as the DVD is programmable.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed doing the circuit program – as we continued through each section I found myself getting better able to do some of the moves, and quicker at getting up and off the floor. Even with an exercise bra I found the jumping moves uncomfortable, but at every stage there were lower impact versions visible and I mostly did them. Despite that I was sweaty and panting quite quickly.
What I liked: Michelle emphasises at the beginning of every section, and during it, that there are modifications for the higher-impact moves and for some of the more intense moves (eg push ups); in every section one of the team is designated as the modified performed, and s/he works with that modification throughout the circuit instead of returning to the normal level part way through; there’s also an emphasis on continuing with the program even if you can’t manage all the reps in that section – the goal is to move from exercise to exercise with the DVD, and work on improving the number of reps, intensity and performance level with repeated sessions. I also liked that the instructor doing the modified versions evenly rotated through the demonstrators, rather than just the women.
What could have been improved: the cover doesn’t mention anything about equipment – you definitely need hand weights, which I have, and though some of the team use a step bench Michelle notes that that’s optional, demonstrating step-less alternatives; the cuts between sections could have been a little brisker, but that’s a quibble – I’m actually pretty happy with the DVD as is.
Does it do what the blurb promises? I agree that a lot of the options are covered, and that you'd get a comprehensive workout regardless of your fitness level. The comment that Michelle's mum can do the program made me smile - my mother's eighteen months shy of seventy and considerably fitter and more flexible that I am, so I didn't see that as at all comforting!
Overall: definitely a program I’ll be doing regularly and which I’m glad I bought. I look forward to working my way up to the advanced moves, and will try some of the higher impact sections when I’m a little less voluptuous and/or can manage two sports bras - Alex

Day of rest

Most programs suggest taking it easy one day a week, and today was that day – no DVDs, but I did walk at fairly high intensity for an hour. Coles had some fish on sale, so dinner was swordfish baked in foil with ginger, garlic, soy and sesame oil, topped with spinach. It’s a modification of one of Michelle’s recipes – though I’ve mostly given up on the 12WBT program, I drop in from time to time, and keep an eye on the weekly recommendations and recipes.
Part of me is disappointed that I didn’t persist with it, especially after handing over $200 for the privilege, but I’ve decided (or justified) that it was worth it for getting me going. So why aren’t I continuing on the 12WBT track? Mostly because I don’t really agree with the diet section – I think 1,200 calories is too low, the menus are repetitive, and they’re not very adaptable to one person.
This last section has often been a problem for me – what am I supposed to do with the other cabbage half/can of chickpeas/tub of light sour cream when it’s not used for the rest of the week, won’t freeze, and I’m not cooking for a partner?
I also omitted the exercise component for the first few weeks, which meant I didn’t really slide into the program as a whole, which was a little problematic. So I’ve modified some of her recipes and other ideas, and plan to pretty much follow her exercise program, with a couple of extra tweaks. For example, tomorrow I’m dong a stretch class on top of my morning workout, and any day now (I just need to find my goggles) I’ll head back to the pool for a few laps.
Lynn’s weighing in on Wednesday, and I’m weighing in on the first of the month (Thursday), so we’ll soon see how successful my modified changes are - Alex

Eating out

This was only the second time I’ve eaten out since making the new commitment, and I’m pretty pleased. My dining companion had a half carafe of wine, a cream-based pasta and the six buttered slices of complimentary white bread. I had lots of water and most of a bowl of minestrone, forgoing the (very few) potato cubes. At the end I felt sufficiently sated that I didn’t even finish it off, and not at all deprived, though I confess to feeling a little self-satisfied - Alex

Heat in Your Feet – Aerobics Oz Style (2002)

Cover blurb:

Heat in Your Feet (Do it the Latin way!) is another pulsating fitness tape from the team at Aerobics Oz Styler, the world’s most-watched weekday workout show. You’ll literally feel the heat as you go through specially-created routine… you’ll be seduced by the exciting, throbbing rhythm of Latin American music. Low impact workouts were never easier or more enjoyable… all to the sound of foot-moving delights led by Jose Garcia. [elipses in original]

What I liked: I’m so glad I borrowed this from the library instead of paying for it. With the exception of the cool down at the end, where the stretches were held for at least thirty seconds, there was not a single thing about *Heat in Your Feet that I liked.
What could have been improved: I’m going to skip over the hosts and performers, including one disturbingly plastic-looking woman, and go straight to the routine. Heat in Your Feet is not for anyone who lacks coordination or rhythm, and though there’s a cursory attempt at demonstrating the various steps I never felt as though I had a handle of the routines. And even though I moved at the demonstrated pace, albeit often doing embarrassing and uncoordinated versions of the steps, and was even a little short of breath, I never felt as though I was working. That’s not because I was having so much fun I didn’t realise I was even exercising (as though I was in a Zumba! ad) but because I suspect my pulse never went about 80. I didn’t even work up a sweat, just a whole lot of frustration at my lack of coordination and at the time ticking by.
Does it do what the blurb promises? No, not at all, at least for me.
Overall: if you already have a grasp of Latin dance, or even have a hint of coordination and musicality, this may be a fun way to spend an hour. I don’t think you’ll get a great deal out of it, let alone “literally feel the heat… [and] be seduced by the exciting, throbbing rhythm of Latin American music.” Although I also disagree with the jacket blurb that this is an enjoyable routine, I can’t argue that “low impact aerobics were never easier” – Alex

Another new start

So after last week’s meltdown something’s changed for me this week. I feel much more motivated to get up and get moving, and am also doing considerably better on the food front. Today I did the Cardio Burn DVD as soon as I got up, and managed to fit in an 80-minute walk that left me drenched and 13,000 steps better off. I’m not going to get too cocky but I’m hoping this means I’ve turned a corner.
I also ate out for the first time in a while, and confess to making a hastier choice than I’d have liked as my companion ordered literally before we were handed the menus. I went for pork belly on a mound of lentils, which was delicious but no doubt fattier than desirable. And it was not without cost – it came on a very hot metal pan, and though the waiter warned me, while reaching over to discard a sprig of coriander (hate! But trying to embrace) I managed to burn my forearm on the pan’s handle. So ouch. But all in all, not a bad day - Alex

Cardio Burn - the Australian Biggest Loser trainers (2008)

Cover blurb:

Get Fit Fast! The Biggest Loser Cardio Burn workout DVD is designed to get your heart rate up and burn body fat. The Biggest Loser trainers Shannan Ponton and Michelle Bridges take you through step by step routines that tone your upper and lower body and abs. Its [sic] fun, it’s fast and will have you feeling the burn in no time. What are you waiting for?

Review: Australian Biggest Loser trainers Michelle Bridges and Shannan Ponton present a one hour program designed to raise heart rate and burn fat, alternating leading sections that focus on low impact movement, strength training and core fitness.
This is definitely an intense work out, at least for an unfit beginner. I was breathing hard within a few minutes, and at the twenty-two minute mark (which I’ve come to realise is my default “enough!” point that I have to break through) I was breathing so quickly when I tried to drink I choked on a mouthful of water. I certainly felt a sense of accomplishment on making it through, and also felt like I’d launched myself back into my program. I found myself thinking of Lynn from time to time, when I’d hear that dreaded phrase “and now the arms!”
What I liked: the handoffs between Michelle and Shannan are nice, though I didn’t buy the spontaneity (“what have you got for us now?”); the routines are signposted with plenty of warning, so I always knew when to change or what was coming; subsequent sections built on sequences developed earlier, so that though there’s variety there’s also familiarity; the intensity’s challenging but achievable; there are several versions of some exercises (push ups, the plank) depending on where you are; and there’s certainly scope for more advanced exercisers.
What could have been improved: I don’t have enough room in my living room to run eight steps forward and eight steps back without worrying I’ll run into something; in one section Shannan repeatedly said to do three reps of one move but only did two before moving on; useful advice about intensity and modification for beginning exercisers came at the end of the tape; there’s no opportunity to check your pulse, or guidelines about intensity to aim for; very little focus on technique; I had no idea how many sections there were or how long I needed to pace myself; the stretching was a little perfunctory; and the camera work was at times unhelpful, with a close up of the presenter several times being shown while a new move was being introduced.
My biggest criticism, though, is about an area that could easily have been a strength – in the floor work Michelle and Shannan were joined by four people to demonstrate versions of the exercises: modified for beginners, the standard move, and challenges for advanced athletes. Unfortunately the participants were arranged behind each other, so the foreground of Shannan on one side and Michelle on the other significantly obstructed the views of the advanced and beginner versions. The camera angle didn’t change, I could rarely see anyone except Shannan and Michelle, and while sometimes they demonstrated two versions for the most part they did the standard variety.
Overall: I was soaked, breathless and a little disappointed at the end of the first workout; when I did it again today I found familiarity with the program helped. This time I was better able to see variations, working at a slightly less intense pace, and felt a little more accomplished. I borrowed this DVD from the library but am thinking about buying my own copy - Alex

Weight gain

As I suspected, this morning's weigh in showed a 400g increase on last week. Despite my last post I have managed to dwell in something of a slough of despond in the past few days, probably a combination of coming off nights, starting a few weeks of leave, and recovering from last week's carry on. I've spent the vast majority of each day either in bed or in front of TiVo, tired a lot of the time but waking in the middle of the night, and managing to avoid any type of appropriate food except for breakfast (a couple of Weetbix, 50g of Cole's low fat muesli and brown rice milk).
Today, however, has been a little different - for a start, I've managed to clean up the kitchen. I've also written up a couple of reviews for our other blog, and set foot outside. I still have five weeks until I'm due back at work, at seventeen and a half weeks until the wedding, so this is more a minor setback than a total derailing. Watch this spot - Alex

Fallen off the wagon...

so hard I'm surprised I didn't fracture a hip. I don't really know what happened, but I've managed a spectacular departure from everything I've been trying to follow. Over the past two days I've managed to consume foods from every group - pastry (vanilla slice, apple and pear tart), chocolate (bar, biscuit and pudding), cream (with jam on white bread), savoury/chippy (corn chips with salsa), dairy (cheese and sour cream on the last mentioned item), deep fried (delicious chicken dim sim from the corner shop) and drinkable (Big M, Milo and Coke, though not together).
I can't work out exactly what prompted this binge, that I didn't even enjoy while I was doing it. In the past I've freaked when I've lost weight, but I have barely scratched the surface. It may be that, because I told a few friends I was doing this, they supportively said they thought I looked thinner, but if I'd really lost weight every time said that I'd be being force fed Sacher Torte as we speak - I think I'm fatter in people's mental picture than in person, because I get that a lot even when my weight's rock steady.
i do think I've been more upset than I acknowledged by receiving a journal paper rejection hard on the heels of a particularly bad shift, but that was a few days ago, and I wouldn't have thought I'd have such a delayed reaction.
The important thing is not to let this derail me. I don't expect to lose at my next weigh in, and despite Lynn's supportive remarks I doubt I've maintained, but I still have eighteen odd weeks til my brother's wedding, and the rest of my life. This is, after all, a long term project. - Alex

Week two

Weigh in day is Wednesday, for some odd reason, so although I've been doing this for fourteen days I've had three weigh ins - on the 28th, the 3rd and the 10th. The first loss (in only three days) was 800g, the second was a slightly more impressive 1.6k. But I'm still feeling flat and blah, and I've already had three days to recover from my PM/ND run of eight shifts.
I have been out for dinner a couple of times - something of a blow out on Friday, when I went to the delicious Amici's in Acland St, St Kilda and had a couple of strawberry margaritas and beef Colorado (essentially stew with mashed potato), but it was pretty much the only thing I ate and although I could only estimate the calorie count I think I still came well under the Calorie King allowance, and not far over the Michelle allowance for the day.
Last night I visited my oldest friend, who made tuna and vegie patties for dinner that were delicious, tray baked and contained ten vegetables along with drained tuna. The sticky date pudding after was a little less good, not nullified by low-fat ice cream, but I ate little else that day, so I think it wasn't a well balanced day but not too calorific.
Some days I'm having trouble even hitting 1,200, which is a bit of a worry because below that and your body slides into energy conservation mode. But if anything I'm feeling more flat than last week, and a little overwhelmed with a number of things I have to juggle on the work/study/domestic fronts. I've had a day where I barely got out of bed, which left me feeling less energised than before, and I'm still doing quite crappily on the exercise front - certainly nothing like the 12wbt program. I suspect I won't gain next weigh in, but I'll be surprised if I lose anything much either. - Alex

How I got here

I was always skinny as a child and thin throughout my teens. It was only in my twenties when the break up of a long term relationship coincided with a commencement of shift work that I first gained weight. I ‘blew out’ to a size 12 (oh to be that ‘fat’ now) and made my first half hearted attempt at dieting.
But I was never much of a cook and didn’t have the inclination (or the patience) to count calories and keep food diaries so it’s not really a surprise that within a month I’d given up. I pretty much forgot about my weight and it remained stable for the next few years. Or at least I assume it did. I never weighed myself in those days, so all I can truthfully claim is that my clothes still fit.
It was only when I started having children that my weight slowly crept up. Four pregnancies in as many years left me considerably heavier than I’d ever been before and my post natal check gave me a number to go with it-82kg. And so began over a decade of attempted weight loss.
I lost and regained the same 12-15kg annually, plateauxing for months at a time and never seeming to get lower than that magic 82kg.
Then a few years ago during a routine health check my doctor informed me that I had gained over 20kg in 18 months and weighed over 100kg. This would have been a shock in itself but we could find no reason for the gain. My lifestyle had not changed, my diet and exercise habits were the same as they ever were and test results for a variety of potential causes all came back negative. In fact the blood test the doctor ran showed me to be not only within the healthy range for cholesterol etc, etc, but a little on the low side. The cheeky bugger even checked to make sure he was looking at the right records-he simply couldn’t believe I could have gained so much weight and still be healthy.
He came to the conclusion that I had messed up my metabolism with years of dieting and told me to simply stop it. He suggested that I give away dieting for good and start eating as much as I liked of whatever I fancied, whenever I was hungry. He strongly suggested a healthy breakfast within half an hour of waking where practical and a litre of water a day.
His reasoning sounded good but I was not ready to completely let go of the diet mentality. I continued eating small, healthy meals at regular intervals and increased my daily exercise. Doing so has led to me losing most of the unexplained weight gain. But this time around I want more. I want to get rid of the excess once and for all. So I have decided to take his advice (only a few years later).
Since Alex has made a similar decision to get fit we are going to do this together. She has opted for a more structured method than the one I am using and I think it will be interesting to compare the results we achieve.-Lynn

Week one

So I'm one week in to the 12wbt/new me program, and though it's all going fine, I'm a little flat. So far food hasn't been much of a problem, no doubt aided by my clearing through the kitchen beforehand so there are few delicious treats available. The menus the 12wbt program offers are certainly fairly varied, and pretty much meet the Real Age recommendations for the most part - they both emphasise whole grains, very little processing, low fat (especially saturated), low salt and low sugar, and fresh produce, with only a little meat.
The fish parcels have been really good - quick, easy, tasty, and reassuring for someone who likes fish but is afraid of screwing it up. I've also liked a tuna-based wholegrain pasta, which I've made a few times. But I haven't been following Michelle Bridge's diet program to the letter, in part because there's only me to cook for, so things like 1/6 cup of low-fat ricotta are annoying (given I buy it in a 300g tub and it doesn't keep forever).
Also, she recommends 1,200 calories for women, which seems too low to me (and to Calorie King, who say around 1,800) so I've been going a little over, but haven't had any blow outs so far. And I'm managing a good balance of fat, protein and carbohydrate thanks to Calorie King.
The main problem has been exercise. I have a whole lot of excuses, mostly to do with shift work. But while it's true that these kinds of programmes rarely take into account people who leave for work before midday, get home around 11PM, and have to head off again at six AM, or night shift (leave by 8PM, home around 10AM), it's not een that. I just can't seem to get over this block in my head about it, and I know that exercise is key, particularly if I want to shift 25k by July (my mid-term goal).
I'm in the midst of a long stretch of days followed by nights, so maybe I'll be more inspired when I get to my days off. - Alex

Body in Progress – Jennie Garth (1992)

Cover blurb:

Fitness has nothing to do with a bathroom scale. Its [sic] about feeling great and looking your best. Jennie Garth has found the answer with a specialized low impact toning fitness program designer for her, by nutrition & fitness expert Tina Rocca.
In Jennie’s program she will show you that being fit,
feeling energized and looking terrific, comes from balancing exercise with a practical and nutritious diet. Join in as Jennie shows you that “Thin’s Out & Healthy’s In!”, as she starts you on a revolutionary program, that will bring out a healthy & beautiful new you!

Review: Beverley Hills 90201 star Jennie Garth presents a forty-five minute low impact aerobics program. After a warm up and aerobics section she moves on to a short series of lower body exercises – predominantly lunges – followed by floor work that includes a long section of ab work, and concludes with a stretch and cool down session.
This has been my only workout tape for over a decade, not that I’ve done it with any kind of religiosity. That’s made it hard for me to review the program with much objectivity, but I’ll do my best. I do remember reading a review of it quite some time ago – the main criticism I remember were that Jennie’s approach is informal, and I agree that she’s clearly not a fitness professional. There’s not a lot of warning about changing moves or direction, occasionally she miscounts, and there’s a striking cut at one point that skips a rep. But the biggest issue that long-ago reviewer had, of remarks like “this is pretty intense for a warm up,” and “you know what I’m doing, just follow along,” I find reassuring. Jennie’s certainly not intimidating, and the program’s aimed at beginners.
It’s also aimed at young women, and the focus throughout is on health over dieting and scales. After the workout section Jennie talks about issues she had with dieting and body image when starting out – fasting all day than bingeing in the evening – and how she realised that a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle was better and more sustainable.
What I liked: before the warm up there’s a reminder to have good work out shoes and water; the style is informal and genuine; as the warm up begins the audience is given a map of the workout so I knew what to expect; technique is both verbally emphasised and demonstrated during the sections where injury is possible (making sure knees line up with feet when bending, not using arms to pull up when crunching); there’s an opportunity to check your pulse part way through, with a chart of target heart rates according to age and advice on what to do is your pulse is below or above that target; there’s account down for the last couple of minutes of each section, reassuring the fatiguing beginner that the end approaches; and there’s a recommendation about how often to do the workout.
What could have been improved: one section, which I’ve never yet been able to master, is medium impact; the pulse check comes almost at the end of the aerobics section, which is a little late to change intensity; the stretching section is adequate but the individual stretches are only held for a few seconds.
Overall: even doing this workout for several consecutive days I find it engaging and challenging. I have enough muscle memory that I can follow along even after a significant break, and many of the moves can be modified more advanced viewers - Alex

Day 1

Because I can't let things just be simple, I've not just decided to incorporate the Real Age program into the Michelle Bridge's 12 Week Body Training (12wbt) program, I've also resurrected my Calorie King account. I think that, although this means spending yet more time on my bum in front of the computer, this was a good idea - though I'll generally follow the 12wbt schedule, this won't be slavish and clearly there'll be some differences, through necessity or preference.
Today, for example, I had to substitute Weetbix for muesli, skipped the berries (I'll save them for dinner), and low fat milk for yoghurt. Thanks to CK I know how many calories I had at breakfast (232, including 2.6 fat grams) instead of the 12wbt total (334), and adjusted my other meals accordingly.
Sadly, as Lynn had told me a few weeks ago, CK are upgrading their formerly-free site to a paid service, but it's worth it, at least while I'm actively portion watching, calorie counting and fat fighting.
According to CK my calorie intake should be almost half again what the 12wbt plan recommends, a figure similar to that I arrived at after calculating my active metabolic rate when reading US Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels' book. She also says you should never dip below 1200 calories (the 12wbt average, including one day under 1000).
So I've decided to predominantly follow the 12wbt diet but add (healthy) elements and compromise on my caloric intake by bouncing between Michelle's 1200 and CK's 1740 calorie projections, in part because the 12wbt diet is only individualised by gender. This meant a very satisfying dinner or pita-based pizza with char grilled eggplant, zucchini and cherry tomatoes (12wbt) plus low sodium tomato paste, a little feta, olives and anchovies (an additional 254 calories and quite tasty).
On the minus side, although I walked to the supermarket and back (1.4k) with quite a heavy load of groceries, I didn't do the workout. I do get one day off, so that will be it and I'll just start the exercise part tomorrow, with both an aerobics session and the baseline fitness challenge. I also have a friend lunching with me on Wednesday (wholemeal spaghetti with tuna and lemon), who can take the before photo, as my camera doesn't seem to have the timer function described in the manual (which may well be my ineptitude at many things mechanical). - Alex

Day -1

I began the last day before my new program quite well, breakfasting on Middle Eastern spiced beans and lentils, topped with a poached egg, and though I forgot to ask for the toast to be left unbuttered I just ate the unbuttered crust. I'm not a huge fan of spicy heat and usually wash this delicious dish down with a milkshake (small but forbidden now). Instead I drank high anti-oxidant green tea, and suffered with the spice, which meant I only ate about 75% instead of polishing off the whole lot.
As I write this just before retiring, I feel fairly good about the day behind (even if I did manage a couple of scoops of ice cream, at least they were low-fat and accompanied by a banana) and very positive about the weeks ahead.
Tomorrow I'll start the day with a workout video, adding a few exercises and completing the first weekly surprise, a fitness test to assess the level I ought to aim for: beginner, intermediate or advanced. It comprises endurance, flexibility, core strength, lower body strength and upper body strength, and we will repeat these markers (plus vital statistics) every fourth week, which will be a nice and measurable goal.
But for right now I think my biggest goal should be an early night - poor sleep patterns increase snacking and decrease metabolism. - Alex