Exercise

Working Out/Exercising

I don't like or enjoy working out. I suppose there is a bit of a masochist/sadist in me who enjoys the achy muscles the next day, but the process itself is agonizing.

However, I don't want to be a "fat girl" to use my father's terminology. I have some heavyset family members, and I never want to have the health problems and worries that they have. So every other year, I work out like a dog and drop the excess weight that has crept on in the last 12 months. I was never into practicing as a child: homework (bleh), dance, flute, or foreign language. Apparently I see working out in the same vein. Exercising is not a life-time commitment on my part, its an on again off again relationship.

So what does this have to do with sewing? The clothing I work out in, of course. I'll also include some of my most consulted resources.

My favorite work out pant is Kwik Sew 3115. Being that I am not a big fan of Kwik Sew patterns, I've always been shocked that I like this pattern so much. The waistband treatment, neither bulky nor intrusive, is strong enough to keep your pants up when the sweat is steaming off your skin. And yet the pants are neither too tight nor too lose.

However I've shortened the patterns to capris and short shorts. I don't like to lift weights in longer pants. Longer pants get caught at my knees during squats and lunges, totally distracting me when I need to concentrate.

I also don't do step aerobics in pants, for the same reason as above. However, the capris come in handy for ab work, floor work, aerobics, yoga, and pilates. Especially when I am slick and sliding all over my mat. That fabric at the knees can keep me from sliding OFF the mat! :)

As for workout tops, I'm not quite as discerning. I'm still using many of the same items I bought for Jazzercise in 2003 (which I stopped after 1 year because I got sick of hearing, "I hope you don't mind, this is the SAME routine we did 2 days ago!!!" Hey, I can do that at home, and save money doing the same thing over and over again.)

I live in a VERY humid environment, SE Texas. All that polyester and nylon, high tech, magical wicking ability, etc. fabric is a death sentence in the humidity. My skin simply cannot breath. So its the natural fabrics for me during a workout.

I discovered Patagonia's Hotline tops last year. They make most workouts extremely comfortable. Made out of cotton and spandex knit, the fabric breathes and moves.

It has an internal shelf bra, the shoulder straps are attached at mid-back - which keeps them from sliding off the shoulders at inopportune moments (yet does not interfere with shoulder blade movement during weight lifting), and the vent at the lower back allows plenty of air flow. When Patagonia cancels this line, I'll have to copy the pattern. So far, so good. I have two of them, and plan to get another in the near future.




I have two workout areas in my house: weightlifting room and office. My office has a computer which is where all my workout DVDs are played. I have a large collection of DVDs. I figured out how much I spent on one year of Jazzercise, and bought DVDs instead.

Kickboxing DVDs
Amy Bento's Kickbox Extreme*
Cameron Shayne's Budokon Beginning Practice
Cathe Friedrich's Kick Max (hard to believe she has two boys)*
Gilad's Elite Forces
Guillermo Gomez's Kickbox Underground
Gomez and Saffell's Hardcore Kickbox Circuit
Ilaria Montagnani's Powerstrike*
Janis Saffell's Kick-It
Kathy Smith's Kickboxing Workout*
Kimberly Spreen's Cardio-Camp Workout*
Sherri Jacquelyn's Criss-Cross Cardio

Step DVDs
Cathe Friedrich's Low Max*
Christi Taylor's Solid Gold Step*
Christi Taylor's Totally Cool Step*
Donna Read's Step, Power & Pump
Karen Voight's Ultimate Step Circuit
Kari Anderson's Push*
Kathy Smith's Powerstep
Kathy Smith's Great Buns & Thighs Step Workout
Kathy Smith's Fat Burning Breakthrough
Keli Robert's Step It Strong*
Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Step, Kick, Punch and Sculpt Your Way to a Leaner Body!*
Kimberley Spreen's Kick Box Boot Camp (a kick box and step hybrid)*
Patrick Goudeau's B.E.S.T. Video
Rob Glick's Amazing Step Styles

*My favorite DVDs, they almost make a workout fun.

Abs specific DVDs
Tamilee Webb's I Want those Abs
Firm's Firm Abs
Seasun Zieger's The Next Step (I don't like the workout portion, but the ab portion is killer)
Shiva Rea's Creative Core Abs

Stretch
Janis Saffell's Dynamic Stretch
Karen Voight's Pure & Simple Stretch

Yoga
Anything by Baron Baptiste or Rodney Yee
Iron Yoga
Yogilates

Pilates
Mtv Pilates
Crunch's Fat Burning Pilates
Rael's Pilates System 27
Denise Austin's Pilates (I usually can't stand her, but in this DVD she is more relaxed)
Classical Pilates Technique The Complete Mat Workout Series

Other
Jillina's Instruction Bellydance 1, 2, and 3
10 minutes Solutions the original: Boot Camp, Pilates, Ballet, Kickboxing, and Yoga
10 minutes Solutions Kickbox Bootcamp with Keli Roberts
Rania's Bellydance Daily Quickies
New York Ballet Workout 1 & 2


The most recent research I've read suggests 1 hr workouts 5 days a week to lose weight, 30 min. workouts 5 days a week to maintain weight. As you can imagine, my DVDs get a regular rotation as I bore out with one and move onto another. Occasionally I'll do kickboxing one month and switch off to step next month. But most often they mingle together as my mood changes.


Weight Lifting
This is so important for women. We carry less muscle mass than men, and it is muscle mass that keeps bones strong. You need to stress your joints and bones to stay healthy (you don't see overweight people with dowager's humps). I try to lift at least 2 times per week, 3 to 4 is better. I've got a simple weight lifting bench with leg extension and bar catch for a barbell.

I have a set of Sportblock Powerblock Dumbbells. My dumbbell collection was growing so much, I was losing a lot of space. This is a much better alternative for me.

An entire set of tubes for typical weight lifting moves such as Pulldowns, Cable Rows, and Pushdowns that my basic bench is incapable of providing.

I've used the following to put routines together:
Cathe Friedrich DVDs
Arnold Schwarzenegger's book "New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" (the additional eye candy doesn't hurt)
Per Tesch's book "Target Bodybuilding"
Negrita Jayde's book "Supervixen"
Muscle and Fitness Hers Magazine
Fitness Rx Magazine


Working out will never be something I look forward to. But it is rather amazing to watch the body take shape underneath that layer of fat.


Regards from Kira ... pants are getting tight, time to lose some weight